The cause of death was revealed for a missing veterinarian who disappeared after getting backlash over kicking a horse. Authorities later located the missing veterinarian in Lake Mead.
He was dead.
56-year-old Shawn Frehner died from a combination of the drug Pentobarbital and drowning in the lake. Chillingly, the drug is used in euthanasia. According to the National Library of Medicine, "Pentobarbital sodium is a common animal euthanasia drug in the United States and Canada, as well as in other countries with access to it."
It appears that the veterinarian committed suicide. Frehner garnered backlash for kicking a horse in a video that went viral. Authorities also located his truck and belongings at the scene. As far as the viral incident, the veterinarian was on the scene to administer anesthetic shots for horses.
Veterinarian Dies From Drowning
Shawna Gonzalez, the property owner, told KLAS' 8 News Now that she witnessed the abuse.
"I heard [my mother] yell, 'Oh my God. He just kicked him,' " Gonzalez said, per the outlet. "Oh my God, Mom, he's choking," she added. "He wrapped the horse around his neck three times, and he kicked him in the head."
However, he said that it was an accident!
"I did not blatantly haul off and kick this horse as it appears in the video," Frehner wrote, according to News8Now. "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. But yes, I did kick him right in the chin, and I very much do apologize and wish this never happened."
Ultimately, Gonzalez said that she was saddened to hear about the death. She ultimately didn't want the veterinarian to die.
"I had no idea this would happen," Gonzalez wrote. "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."
It's a sad end to a story that's filled with twists and turns.
