Suspect in 2019 horse theft and slaughter in Palmetto arrested, cops say

A 50-year-old man has been charged with stealing a horse from a Palmetto pasture and slaughtering it more than 10 months ago, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

Detectives said their investigation, including footage captured by a surveillance camera, linked Eladio Garcia-Gasca with the theft and the slaughter of a horse Dec. 1 from a pasture in the 5800 block of Buckeye Road.

Garcia-Gasca, who was arrested Thursday at his home in North St. Petersburg, is being held at the Pinellas County jail on charges of grand theft and animal cruelty.

Crime Stoppers, the farm from which the horse was taken and an animal welfare group offered reward totaling up to $13,000 for information about the case.