Dead horse found tied to tree in Salem

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office launched an animal cruelty investigation Wednesday afternoon after finding a dead, decomposing horse tied to a tree in Salem, Ala.

Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said a media outlet reported the incident to authorities that afternoon after viewing a social post concerning the dead animal.

Jones said officials responded to the scene on Lee County Road 245 and discovered “what appeared to be the remains of a horse.” There was debris, including trash, on the scene that somewhat concealed the animal from being seen by any “casual observer,” he noted.

“It was in the advanced stage of decomposition, and the legs were bound,” Jones said. “Also, it appeared that the halter on the horse had a lead rope that had been tied to a tree nearby.”

Investigators are following up this morning to determine when the horse died and the circumstances surrounding its death.

“Of course, that’s the focus of the investigation at this point,” the sheriff said.

This story was originally published March 10, 2016 at 11:38 AM with the headline "Dead horse found tied to tree in Salem."