OKANOGAN COUNTY, Wash. — The Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) says they seized 50 animals and located several dead livestock during a search of a property near Brewster. Deputies later executed a second search warrant to recover two additional horses that had been removed from the site.
OCSO says the investigation began on Oct. 8 after an animal rescue worker visited a property near milepost 265 on Highway 97 to deliver dog food. The worker reported emaciated dogs, horses, and goats, prompting rescue organizations to intervene before law enforcement obtained search warrants.
They say following the initial complaint on Oct. 8, an animal rescue organization worked directly with the property owners, who had previous involvement with rescue groups. The owners voluntarily surrendered 12 dogs and agreed to allow a veterinarian to examine their horses and a donkey at no cost after indicating the animals’ physical conditions might be linked to old age or an unknown medical issue.
When a veterinarian and rescue workers returned to the property on Oct. 23 to conduct the examinations, two of the horses were no longer at the site. The veterinarian examined the remaining large animals, but says the owners refused to consider further surrenders beyond one horse that required urgent medical intervention. Deputies say they applied for a search warrant following the breakdown in cooperation and the condition of the remaining animals.
OCSO deputies searched the Highway 97 property on Oct. 29 and say they seized 50 animals, consisting of two dogs, 26 goats, five horses, one donkey, six ducks, and 10 chickens. The owners voluntarily surrendered two additional dogs, while two small dogs and one service animal remained at the residence.
During the search, investigators say they located four dead horses, two dead dogs, one dead cow, one dead calf, and numerous dead chickens in various stages of decomposition.
Deputies served a second search warrant on Nov. 2 at a property on Highway 173 in Brewster. Assisted by animal rescue volunteers and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, law enforcement located the two missing horses. A veterinarian examined both horses and determined they were severely neglected, after which they were seized to receive medical care.
The OCSO says the investigation remains open.
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