DEERFIELD Family's miniature pet horse found dead

The family is offering a reward for information in the beating.
By MARALINE KUBIK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
DEERFIELD -- Joyce and Tim Adams bought Eddy, a 3-year-old miniature horse, after seeing him at the Canfield Fair.
They thought the little black horse with brilliant blue eyes and white socks on his rear feet would be a great family pet that their 12 grandchildren would love.
They were right.
But today Eddy is dead.
He was stolen from his pasture Oct. 28. A man walking his dog Sunday found Eddy beaten to death, his bleeding body abandoned near Berlin Lake, not far from the pasture where he and the Adams children played.
The children are devastated, the family in shock, said Robin Adams, Joyce and Tim's daughter-in-law.
The family believes the perpetrators lifted Eddy over the barbed wire fence -- it's bowed in one area, Robin Adams explained -- and then took him away.
Eddy weighed between 250 and 300 pounds.
Reward offered
To help find the perpetrators, the family and concerned community members are offering a cash reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
"Right now it's up to $6,200 and growing rapidly. Our goal is $10,000," said Robin Adams.
Her sons, 3-year-old Samuel and 8-year-old Zachary, visited their grandparents and helped feed and care for Eddy two or three days a week.
Anyone with information about the abduction and beating should contact the Animal Protective League of Portage County at (330) 296-4022.
To contribute to the reward fund, call Robin Adams at (330) 547-8816.
kubik@vindy.com