Story background:

The Elkhart County Humane Society is awaiting animal cruelty charges, after they rescued more than a dozen animals from an animal rescue and boarding house in New Paris.

The Elkhart County Humane Society says they found two dead dogs and a dead horse at the New Hope Horse Farm-- and even worse-- they think the dogs and cats living there were feeding off those carcasses to survive. They say the animals had no food, shelter, or water.

The surviving cats and dogs are at the humane society, while six horses are at an undisclosed location until the prosecutor's office decides whether to press charges.

Horses' owner story:

This news is taking an emotional toll on the owner of three horses that were being boarded at the New Hope Horse Farm. A Nappanee woman still doesn't know where her horses are. She last visited the animals in December and says they were very healthy at that time.

Kandi Ecklebarger has been through a lot in the last year-and-a-half. She lost her horses' barn in the Nappanee tornado and then lost her job in the RV industry last fall. Her horses have been staying at New Hope since she lost her barn.

Kandi says she had no idea how bad the conditions had gotten at New Hope.

Within moments of meeting Kandi Ecklebarger, she told us about her family; her son Travis and her three horses, Tralee, Blaze, and Lightning.

“Right here is my family,” says Kandi. “I have my son and my two horses, wherever they're at, and my two dogs.”

Kandi brought her three horses to New Hope after loosing her barn. She says the owner offered to board her horses in exchange for feed and money.

The Elkhart County Humane Society says six horses were confiscated at the farm, but Kandi says they won't say if any of them are her animals.

“I don't know, they won't tell me anything, I have no idea. I don't know if they actually have my horses or if my horses have been stolen and my property out there,” explains Kandi.

Newscenter 16 contacted New Hope's owner several times, but haven't been able to speak with him. A volunteer tells Newscenter 16 that the owner didn't intend to be cruel and was trying to care for the animals-- but had recently gotten sick and fallen into financial trouble. Kandi says she wishes she would've been alerted.

“There was no issue on money, as far as if they needed anything for the horses or any of the horse, all they had to do was let me know. You think everything is going to be ok and here it is a year later and they're gone, my horses are gone,” explains Kandi.

Right now, this horse owner says all she wants is the safe return of her beloved animals..

“You don't want to hope that your animal goes to the Humane Society, but I hope no one has stolen them. I'm not getting any answers from anybody, that's what I'm looking for,” says Kandi.

Kandi says late last week, a volunteer from New Hope told her that she might want to find another place to bring her horses. She says she was in the midst of doing that when all of this happened.]

Meantime, Kandi is not only missing her horses, but her equipment and horse tack that was being kept at New Hope. She's filed a police report on everything that’s missing.

If you have any information on this case, contact the Elkhart County Humane Society at 574-848-4225. They’d like to speak with community members who may have recently boarded their animals at New Hope Horse Farm.