Volunteers spent two days rescuing dozens of horses and animals at the centre of an animal abuse investigation in California after dozens of dead or malnourished horses were discovered.

According to the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, 90 horses, five donkeys and three alpacas were rescued while 53 horses, one cow and one dog were found dead. Thirteen horses, one donkey and one bull had to be put down.

These numbers are subject to change, according to authorities, as the investigation is still active and ongoing.

“In this amount of numbers, yes, this one is one of the worst we’ve seen in this kind of abuse and there was no excuse for it,” said Chantel Tieman with animal charity Hold Your Horses Livestock Evacuation and Rescue.

Tieman said her team of volunteers works with the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office on emergency and disaster evacuation cases.

They spent most of last Wednesday rescuing 47 horses from the main property, taking them to Oakdale Equine Rescue, another volunteer group taking care of the animals now.

“Heartbroken. Absolutely heartbroken. This should have never happened. These animals should have never suffered. There’s no reason for it,” Tieman said.

Volunteers echoed the same sentiment: it’s going to take community support to nurse the surviving animals back to health. The animals are part of the investigation but are being treated by the rescue as the legal process goes on.

Rooster fight alerts authorities

The sheriff’s office said law enforcement officials first made contact with suspect Jan Johnson, who is facing multiple charges including cruelty to an animal, in August 2024 after reports of neglect. At that visit, she allegedly threatened deputies.

Then, on January 4, officers responded to a report of a rooster fight at one of Johnson’s three properties near Clements — this one on North Atkins Road. Officers discovered 30 dead roosters and 65 that were alive.

A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office told local media outlet CBS13 that Johnson was not associated with the rooster fight and was not at the home at the time, but because she was the owner of the property, authorities were able to get warrants to search her primary home and others.

In this search, they found the horses, with 27 initially being reported as found dead, and other animals. Johnson was arrested.

Volunteers spent hours rescuing animals from Johnson’s property and are now responsible for their recovery.