A captive bolt gun was used to kill a Standardbred mare discovered dead in her paddock last month, according to law enforcement authorities in Lake County, Ind. 

Owners of the 8-year old Standardbred harness racing horse Lady May Z discovered the animal dead in her Lowell, Ind., paddock, on May 29. The horse had sustained a single wound to the head between the eyes. The horse’s remains were transported to Purdue University for necropsy.

On June 4, Lake County Sheriff’s Department Det. Michelle Weaver said that necropsy results revealed that the mare died from massive head trauma injuries caused by a shot from a captive bolt gun. The device is used at meat processing plants to stun or kill livestock prior to processing.

The investigation into the horse’s death remains ongoing, Weaver said