Thirteen horses are in foster care and 41 horses' care is being monitored as part of an ongoing investigation in Sampson County, North Carolina.

Sergeant Jessica Kittrell, of the Sampson County Sheriff's Department Animal Control Division, said deputies followed up on a tip involving horses running at large in the Dunn area of Sampson County on June 11.

“After executing a search warrant on June 12, I found 54 horses in all” located on the property, Kittrell said.

All the horses were allegedly malnourished, and had body condition scores of 3 and below, she said