PAHRUMP (KTNV) — At the center of a growing investigation is a veterinarian who authorities say went missing at Lake Mead on Sunday. This comes after disturbing video surfaced on social media showing what appears to be animal abuse involving a horse.
The National Park Service is leading the joint-agency search effort for the veterinarian, Dr. Shawn Frehner, which we have been following closely since events began to transpire this past weekend.
Here's the latest information we have on the incident
Throughout this investigation, many of you have had questions regarding the alleged animal abuse of the horse named Big Red. I went to Pahrump to speak to his owner, Shawna Gonzalez.
“It was horrific," Gonzalez told me, sharing the moment she saw Big Red being attacked. It was caught on video.
Warning: This may be disturbing to some viewers.
“It chokes me up just remembering him being choked," Gonzalez said.
She told me her trust was broken by the man she once relied on to provide medical care for her horse. I asked her what she saw in the video.
“My horse was just laying down to be sedated, and I saw my horse being kicked."
Following the incident on April 3, Gonzalez filed a criminal complaint with the Nye County Sheriff's Office, accusing Frehner of felony animal abuse.
“It’s like if I were to kick a child in the face because they did something wrong. It’s not okay,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez told me Big Red, who is a rescue horse, is currently in recovery from a surgical procedure and being taken care of by another veterinarian. She hopes to have him back home by the end of the week.
“I don’t agree with anything that has been done in any of these videos," Gonzalez said.
We reached out to the Nye County Sheriff's Office, which confirmed the investigation in a statement reading:
“Yes, we did take a report for animal abuse listing Shawn Frehner as the suspect. Due to being an open criminal investigation, we can not release anything further.”
On Monday, Frehner was reported missing.
This leads us to Lake Mead, where another law enforcement source confirmed to me that Frehner is the same individual they are looking for.
Jhovani Carrillo spoke to authorities connected to the investigation to learn more.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police told me they took the missing person report, but the National Park Service is leading the search operation.
I did some more digging and found that Dr. Frehner is licensed by the state veterinary board. His license is active through June 2025. Records also show Frehner faced an investigation back in 2016 by the state veterinary board and was put on probation for one year over sloppy recordkeeping and how he prescribed medications.
Abel Garcia: You are also now receiving threats?
Shawna Gonzalez: I am. I am being threatened that I will be the next one missing.
Gonzalez told me she is not the only horse owner who claims to have encountered problems with Frehner.
“I have at least have 10 videos of proof from different people," Gonzalez said.
Before his disappearance, Frehner posted an apology and statement on social media, which has since been deleted. In that statement — which you can read here— he claims Gonzalez purchased the wild mustang (Big Red) for $50 and was trying to break the horse to resell it.
He went on the say the horse was "dangerously" aggressive and said he wouldn't respond to sedatives. Frehner claims he kicked the horse by accident while trying to wake it up during a breathing episode.
No arrests have been made, and the Nye County Sheriff's Office said the investigation is ongoing. As for Frehner's whereabouts, search crews are combing the area around Lake Mead.
Officials at Lake Mead said if you have any information or were near the Hemenway Harbor Launch Ramp on Sunday, April 6, please call 888-653-0009.
