WARNING: The video and pictures in this story could be disturbing to some viewers.
Washington County investigators have chosen not to file charges in a disturbing incident involving pictures released on the internet of a Portland-area woman and her boyfriend with a dead horse.
The 21-year-old woman told Washington County Sheriff’s Office detectives she wanted to “feel one” with a horse, according to a WCSO incident report.
After the horse had been put down and gutted, the woman undressed and crawled inside the carcass of the dead horse and took pictures to prove it.
"At some point you in your career you say yeah I've seen a lot of bad stuff -- you see this kind of picture and you realize maybe you haven't seen everything," said Washington County Sgt. Dave Thompson.
In addition to the picture of the naked woman inside the horse, there are other photos, including one of the woman and her boyfriend holding what appears to be the horses’ heart. Another shot shows them holding a piece of the horse in front of their mouth – posing as if they’re about to take a bite out of it.
KOIN Local 6 has chosen not to release their names.
Arguably the most artistic photo of the group is a picture of the naked 21-year-old, blood-soaked from head to toe, standing over the horse’s body she had just been inside.
The woman and her boyfriend had recently taken over care of the 32-year-old horse, which was in declining health. The horse had lived in Ridgefield, Washington.
The couple told sheriff’s investigators they fired a single shot with a high powered rifle to put the horse down. Their intent, they told investigators, was to humanely kill the horse and eat the meat.
The WCSO incident report indicated the woman wanted to feel what it would be like to be inside the dead horse. There were photos taken. Several were of her smiling at the camera from inside the stomach of the dead animal, all but the face of her 5-foot-6, 119-pound frame inside the horse.
Her mother says the girl now wishes the entire episode would just go away. The girl has received death threats, hostile contact from people across the country who have viewed these pictures and labeled her everything from a devil worshipper to a pervert. Her mother said she is neither.
Washington County’s investigation is suspended. There has been no evidence of any criminal activity. The horse was not abused, nor was it tortured. It was killed in what law enforcement considers one of the most humane ways to put animals down, a single gunshot to the brain with a high-powered rifle. The horse likely never knew what happened. The meat was harvested and eaten.
