Authorities are investigating a case of animal cruelty after 21 horses were found dead on a Wake County property.

The horses, as well as one deceased dog and one living dog, were found at a home on Fanny Brown Road in the southern part of the county on Friday. Multiple law enforcement vehicles, including from the Wake County Sheriff’s Office and Animal Control, were at the home Friday night.

"As an animal owner myself, it is quite disturbing for any animal to have to suffer like these animals, we assume, did," said Eric Curry with the Wake County Sheriff's Office.

Gwen Roberts, who runs Horses for Hope, said that her neighbor saw a woman bringing horses to a wooded area near her home over the summer. The horses were hidden in the back part of the woods, so they would not be visible from the road or other houses, she said.

The woman would come late at night to feed the animals, Roberts said, but that woman has not been seen since December.

"They were getting a little concerned because they haven't seen the lady come to take care of the horses, so she wanted somebody who knew horses to come and take a look," Roberts said.

Roberts said she found about six large horses and 15 small horses inside small pens on the property.

"I really expected to see live horses. I had no idea they were going to be dead. I just cried," Roberts said of the moment she discovered the animals. "Some of the horses were laying on top of the other horses and it was awful."

Curry confirmed that it appeared as though the horses "have not been cared for in quite a while."

Roberts said she took photos to document the scene before calling authorities, who arrived at the property at about 5 p.m.

"It makes me feel good that somebody is doing something about it. I just hope they take it a step further and they prosecute this person," Roberts said.

Roberts, who has run Horses for Hope since 2003, said her facility is located about half a mile from where the dead horses were located.

"All they had to do was ask and we would have been there to help, but they didn't," she said.

Curry said that several of the horses will be undergo a necropsy Saturday to determine their cause of death. Authorities said they have identified a person of interest in the case.

"There is a person of interest that Wake County Sheriff's Office is trying to locate," Curry said. "Other than that, we do not know if this person of interest, at this point, has anything to do with the animal cruelty point or this person has more information that may help us."