SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Davis County authorities say four thoroughbred horses found dead earlier this summer died from dehydration and not, as previously believed, gunshot wounds.

Davis County Sheriff’s Sgt. DeeAnn Servey said Friday that investigators and veterinarians concluded the horses died after being stuck inside a corral with no access to water.

The horses’ owner reported their deaths in July, telling authorities they had been shot. Servey said their bodies were so badly decayed that it wasn’t immediately evident there were no gunshot wounds.

Servey said it’s unclear if they were accidentally locked in the corral by the caretaker or if somebody did it intentionally.

Prosecutors have decided not to file charges. The horses’ owner has been cleared of any wrongdoing.

They were found in Syracuse, 25 miles north of Salt Lake City.

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