A Nevada pediatrician who sparked nationwide anger after a shocking video showed him kicking a horse was found deceased in Lake Mead, officials confirmed. Dr Shawn Frehner, 56, had been missing since April 6, following severe online reaction and abuse over the event. His body was recovered after authorities located his vehicle and personal items near the reservoir’s advantage. The cause of suicide is under investigation, and officials have not confirmed whether it was a murder.
Frehner was facing felony animal abuse charges after film emerged of him actually assaulting a mare he was supposed to be treating. The horses, named Big Red, sustained lacerations to the bones and required medical interest.
The film, which quickly went viral, was recorded by Shawna Gonzalez, the horse’s landlord, who had hired Frehner to treatment for her creatures.
“It’s horrible, I never, ever wished this upon him, I never wished this upon anybody, ” Gonzalez told 8News Now. “This is not what I wanted in the end at all. ”
Before disappearing, Frehner posted a common apologies and attempted description on Facebook. “ I did not blatantly haul off and kick this horse as it appears in the video … 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, ” he wrote. “ But indeed I did kick him best in the neck and I very much would apologize and hope this rarely happened. ”
Lake Mead, where Frehner was found, spans the Nevada-Arizona frontier and is the largest pond in the US. His body was recovered after a week-long seek following the discovery of his car and belongings outside.
