Lead in horse killing case in Manatee County fizzles; men seen on video not involved

MANATEE -- Two men sought in connection with the killing of a prized show horse in Manatee County last month have been identified and were not involved with the crime, the Manatee County Sheriff's Office announced Sunday.

The men were seen on surveillance video at a business near Imperial Farms Equestrian Center in rural Palmetto.

"They were never suspects. We just wanted to talk to them, and we did find them and talked to them, and that is that," Dave Bristow, a sheriff's office spokesman, said Sunday.

Bristow said he didn't know if the men were employed by an area ranch or farm. "They live in the area, but I don't know their occupations," Bristow said.

Phedras de Blondel, a 1,300-pound horse recently acquired from Germany by farm owner Debbie Stephens, was led from his stall sometime between 8:30 p.m. Oct. 24 and 6:45 a.m. Oct. 25 and butchered in a nearby pen.

The animal was valued at $200,000. Investigators said the horse likely was butchered for its meat, which is considered to be unfit for human consumption because of various medications given to the animal. Stephens said Phedras de Blondel was a star competitive show jumper.

"We are still looking for the public's help on this case," Bristow said. "We don't have anything to disseminate right now."

Because of the lack of any evidence to the contrary, the sheriff's office is holding to its original motive in the case.

"We still think the perpetrators were going for horse meat," Bristow said..

Investigators last week released photos of the two men who were seen on surveillance video at the Circle K store at the intersection of U.S. 41 and Moccasin Wallow Road at 5 a.m. Oct. 25. An image of a van in which the two men traveled also was captured on video.

Anyone with information about the case can call the sheriff's office at 941-747-3011, ext. 2542, or Crime Stoppers at 866-634-TIPS. Crime Stoppers, in conjunction with the owners of the horse, is offering a reward of up to $30,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the crime.

This story was originally published November 8, 2015 at 3:55 PM with the headline "Lead in horse killing case in Manatee County fizzles; men seen on video not involved ."