Law enforcement authorities in North Carolina are hoping the public can help them identify those responsible for tying a malnourished horse to a tree and leaving it for dead.

Columbus County Animal Control Manager Joey Prince said that during the weekend of Feb. 20-21 deputies from the Columbus County Sheriff’s Department responded to a call from a passerby who reported finding a dead horse tied to a tree in a rural area near the Robeson/Columbus county line.

From the appearance of the horse, it looks like the animals was tied to a tree and left to starve,” Prince said.

The horse had recently died, he said. Its age remains undetermined