When suspected cat killer Tyler Weinman was apprehended last June, Miami breathed a collective sigh of relief, with a cautious optimism that the cruelty that had plagued the community had finally come to an end.

However, even as all eyes were focused on Weinman and the fate of some two dozen brutalized cats, a similar spate of animal serial killings was taking place on the rural fringes of the city: slaughtered horses were being discovered, their throats slit, and legs skinned or missing, entrails at times placed upon the bodies.

While the motive in the horse killings was said to be financial in nature—authorities believe that the killer(s) are selling the meat on the black market—one has to wonder, given the similarities of the crimes, if there could be some connection, and what kind of atmosphere are we living in when incidents like these can occur with such frequency.

AN ASPIRING RACEHORSE

Horses like the one pictured above have been savagely brutalized and dismembered over the last 7 months, in an eerily similar fashion to recent area cat killings.

Wednesday, September 9 marked the 20th occasion in which a horse had been found cruelly slaughtered in recent months.  This time it was a 4 ½-year-old black thoroughbred racehorse-in-training named Kin Kisi, found at a Miami Gardens ranch by his owner, Yosmel Luis, 28.  Like many of the others, his throat had slashed and his chest cut open.  The front legs had also been removed.

Police have not yet concluded that this latest slaying is linked to the others.  Said Sgt. Bill Bamford of the Miami Gardens Police Dept: “We’re looking into the similarities.  We’re checking with Miami-Dade [police] and some of the other cities here in Dade to see if they’re related.’’

Luis, in a statement similar to those made by owners of the brutalized cats, refected in a recent Miami Herald interview, “He has no idea how bad I want to find him.  It’s so cruel. It’s murder—like if they killed a person. The only thing worse than killing my horse would be killing my daughter, and my mother and father.”

Luis and his brother Yoel had grown up riding horses in Cuba, and had bought the Kin Kisi a year ago.  A longtime worker at the ranch, Amos Gadlin, remarked that Kin Kisi was the second horse in two years to have been found brutally killed.

What puzzles authorities the most about the slaying is that there was no sign of forced entry or tampering with the gates of the ranch.

EARLIER CASES

The horse killings began in January, and have taken place mostly along roads in northwest Miami-Dade and in the city of Miramar.  Most disturbing of all is the fact that some of the animals were brutalized while alive, their bodies hacked and discarded for their owners or farm workers to find.

In one case, a mare had its throat slit while its foal stood by its side, and died a slow, agonizing death as the foal continued to nurse it.

Meat had been cut away in most circumstances from the stomach area and legs, leading authorities to suspect that the motive of those responsible was to sell it to certain immigrant business, some of whom misguidedly believe that horsemeat cures such terminal conditions as AIDS and cancer.

TO CATCH A HORSE-KILLER

Apprehending those responsible for the horse killings is a more challenging task in many ways for police than it was for them to find the cat killer.  Firstly, most of the horse slaughters occurred on farms and along sparsely traversed highways, whereas the cats were tortured in more densely-populated suburbs.  Secondly, some local cultures consider horsemeat a delicacy, and it’s easier for those responsible to blend in without arousing suspicion.

Still, police have at least one trick up their sleeves: DNA.  Undercover investigators have collected samples and DNA from the bodies of the horses, and are checking with local markets where they know horsemeat is sold to see if a match comes up.  The hope is that this will point the way to the killers.

In addition, Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers recently upped the reward offered to those with information about those responsible from $3000 to $7000.  Separately, the Humane Society of the United States is presently offering a $10,000 reward.  Private individuals have also donated money to the reward fund, with latest totals coming in at the $22,000 range.  Those with any information are urged to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.

Horse-owners themselves are being pro-active, as well: an August 26 meeting in Davie, FL, introduced a new program called “Barn Watch”, which essentially coordinates people and trains them how to keep an eye out for those committing these acts.

IS MIAMI A PET-FRIENDLY CITY?

(above) Suspected cat killer Tyler Weinman is accused of butchering more than 2 dozen neighborhood cats

The combination of cat butchery and horse slaughters might lead more than a few to wonder if Miami is utterly lacking in compassion for pets.  Add to that some of the horrific scenarios regularly presented on Animal Planet’s “Miami Animal Police” and it can make the area look rather indifferent when it comes to pets’ welfare.

At the same time, however, it is necessary to look at the kind of reaction these crimes have inspired in the local community.  Animal abusers and sociopaths exist all over the world, and cat killings and horse slaughters have occurred in other cities in times gone by without much public outcry; here, however, people have come together in great numbers to speak out against these crimes.  Website forums are full of very impassioned responses from the local and extended public who want to do whatever they can to end such savagery, and editorials and blogs protest these acts in the strongest of terms.  The degree and zeal of the responses are encouraging—but it still begs the question—why is this happening in the first place?

Douglas Eames is a freelance writer, homespun philosopher and budget bon vivant who divides his time between Southern California and South Beach. Doug’s column appears Fridays at Miami Beach 411. See more articles by Doug >