(CNN) At least 14 horses appear to have been shot and killed at the site of an abandoned strip mine in eastern Kentucky, authorities said.

The horses were found scattered across a large area off of US 23 near the border of Floyd and Pike counties, according to Tonya Conn, president of the local group Dumas Rescue.

On Monday, a resident who lives near the strip mining site reported that some of his horses had been discovered dead after breaking loose from a fenced area, Floyd County Sheriff John Hunt told CNN. The man suspected that his horses had been killed.

The sheriff's office went to the area and found at least 14 dead horses that appeared to have been shot, Hunt said. Some were part of a wild herd, while others belonged to residents. Among them were two colts and four pregnant mares.

The sheriff's office suspects that more horses have been killed, Hunt said.

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