Family asking for help searching for colt killer

The Bowen family was bow hunting a week and a half ago when they received a call that their colt, Trigger, was found dead in their pasture.

A necropsy was done to find out how Trigger died, when the family found a bullet hole going from the horse’s mouth, to the spine.

Four month old Trigger was more than just a Colt for the Bowen’s, he was a part of their family.

Kalley Kinghorn-Bowen’s son wanted to find out what had happened to their sweet colt.

“We wanted to see if he ate up a bad weed,” says Kinghorn-Bowen, “if he colicked, we just wanted to see what’s going on.”

The necropsy discovered what the Bowen’s weren’t expecting.

“Did he get out, did he get hit by a car, they were trying to rule out everything and no he couldn’t have gotten back in and have been in the middle of the pasture where he had been hit,” recalls Kalley, “the vet said ‘feel this’ and he felt the bullet hole inside of the spine that shattered the spine.”

The bullet hole to Trigger, leaves Kalley suspicious, but not sure who would do something like this.

“I don’t know if it’s someone I know personally, but I think it is someone who knows us. We have a couple businesses we have a lot of employees, it would be somebody that knows this is our ground that our horses are here. Yeah I think this is a personal thing.” said Kinghorn-Bowen.

In Madison County, this is far from a common occurance.

Sergeant Bud Holjeson with the sheriff’s office said “We do see it, it’s not very often but I believe the last time it happened was four to five years ago.

He tells Local News 8 and Eyewitness News 3, this is not something that is taken lightly.

“In this case you know we’d have to look further into the price of the horse, if it’s over obviously dealing something like this, it’s coming to come to a felony charge,” says Holjeson, “you know you can’t do something like this, you know if we do end up charging somebody it will be a felony.”

The Bowen’s are grieving the loss of Trigger, but Kalley is looking ahead to keeping her other livestock safe from something like this.

“We’ve talked about putting some cameras up, the cops have talked about putting some cameras up we’re still in the works for that.” says Kalley.

Though the Kalley doesn’t know who would do such a horrendous act, she will get justice for Trigger and has some words for the suspect.

“I feel like what happened was intended to happen by whoever did it and I think they’re sitting back thinking, ‘huh, I got away with it’, and they messed with the wrong person, it’s unacceptable and I won’t tolerate it.”

The family is offering a $2,500 reward.

If you have any information about this, you are asked to call the Madison County Sheriff’s office at 208-372-5000.