Dead horses found in Oconto Co.

TOWN OF ABRAMS - WARNING: Graphic details.

Two horses have been found dead in an Oconto County forest, and some believe they were killed somewhere else and dumped in the forest last week.

The remains were found Sunday southeast of Oconto Falls just off of North Stiles Tower Road near Highway 141.

The dead horses were found next to each other, a male and female laying practically side by side. It is evident from the pictures the horses were extremely thin.

"They were nothing by skin and bones," said Patty Wisneski, who is part of the Outback Riders Club, which maintains riding trails in Oconto County.

She took pictures of the dead horses shortly after they were found Sunday. She said they were found by an area man walking his dog.

"The poor little things were so undernourished. Their feet were probably never taken care of. They looked to be yearlings, however, they could have been two years old and just not taken care of," said Wisneski.

She believes the horses were killed somehow, and dumped in the Michickanee Forest last week.

The Oconto County Sheriff's Department won't comment on the investigation, but Wisneski said deputies buried the horses on Monday morning were they were found. A small clearing of dirt and sand is visible where Wisneski said they are buried.

Wisneski said the riding club is even more outraged because the dead horses were found just feet from their own riding trail.

"To see someone who would treat their horses like this in unbelievable," said Wisneski.

Now, Wisneski is e-mailing pictures of the dead horses to people all over the state, hoping to find out who owned them.

"If we can identify these horses, we can figure out where they came from and hopefully apprehend these criminals," said Wisneski.

She hopes the club will eventually build a memorial to the horses in this corner of the forest.

The Oconto County Sheriff's Department tells us they have more information that they may release Tuesday.

The Department of Natural Resources has not responded to our requests for information.

FOX 11 has obtained photos of the bodies of the horses. Click on the "Photos" tab to the left to see the photos. WARNING: The photos are graphic.

Although more than a dozen photos were submitted to FOX 11, we have chosen to include only two in order to show the seriousness of the story. FOX 11 decided the other photos were too graphic to be included.