Credit: Facebook & 8 News Now
Vet Filmed ‘Kicking Horse In Face’ Found Dead Weeks After Disappearance
A vet who was filmed ‘kicking a horse in its face’ has been found dead after disappearing.
Nevada veterinarian Dr. Shawn Frehner, 56, received backlash online after a video of the alleged incident surfaced.
Frehner was called to administer anesthetic shots for horses on April 3 at a property in Pahrump, just 60 miles west of Las Vegas, which also functions as a rescue centre.
The property owner, Shawna Gonzalez, told 8 News Now she had used Frehner’s services since August 2024, but was shocked at the events that unfolded that day.
Gonzalez told the news outlet: “I heard [my mother] yell, ‘Oh my God. He just kicked him.'”
She claims she then ran to the window to see the ‘horse struggling to breathe.’
“Oh my god, Mom, he’s choking,” the property owner alleged. “He wrapped the horse around his neck three times, and he kicked him in the head.”
Gonzalez said seeing Frehner’s alleged behavior towards the horse caused her to have a ‘severe anxiety attack,’ and that’s when her daughter began recording.
The horse owner claims the vet left before the animal got back up and alleges that the horse was treated for abrasions to the skull and other injuries.
Gonzalez filed charges against Frehner, and Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill confirmed an open criminal investigation.
Before the vet disappeared, he responded to the viral video, stating: “I did not blatantly haul off and kick this horse as it appears in the video. That was not my intention at all.
“It was done simply to get the horse in a better position so that he could breathe and get up and move so I could again try to anesthetize.”
Fox 5 Vegas reported that Frehner had gone missing, and a search was underway to locate the vet.
A missing persons report released by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department stated they were looking for Frehner after discovering he left behind his wallet, keys, and cellphone inside his unoccupied truck at Lake Mead.
The National Park Service, the Nevada Department of Wildlife, and volunteers had been leading an extensive search for Frehner.
Authorities discovered the body of the 56-year-old on April 18, two weeks after he went missing near the Boulder Islands at Lake Mead, according to the National Park Service.
He was reportedly identified using dental records.
According to a missing persons report obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Frehner’s father, Rex, said that his son did not have a history of medical or mental health conditions and ‘has never made any threats to hurt himself or anyone else.’
Authorities have yet to announce the cause of death for Frehner.
Gonzalez said in a message to 8 News Now that she was sorry to hear of Frehner’s passing.
“I had no idea this would happen,” Gonzalez commented. “But I was not the one bullying. I am not sorry for standing up for my horse. I am their voice and will continue to be.”
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