SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Six dead horses were found, and 22 more horses showed signs of neglect following an investigation in Suffolk, police said Tuesday, with residents saying they've shared their concerns about them numerous times.

Suffolk Police’s Animal Control Division launched an investigation Sunday following allegations of animal neglect in the 1200 block of Buckhorn Drive, and multiple search warrants were obtained and executed at the property and other nearby locations, all of them owned by the same people, according to police.

Previously: Horse in Suffolk photographed with ribs showing has been euthanized, officials say

During their investigation, officers found several horses on the property, including the 22 suspected of neglect and six other horses that were dead and in varying states of decomposition. Police said the dead horses have been taken to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for necropsy.

On Wednesday, more than five horses were still on the property on Buckhorn Drive, many with their ribs showing and covered in mud. 

“I guess whoever owned them thought it was OK for the horses to live like this," said one woman who has reported the property multiple times and asked to remain anonymous. "I mean, right out in public for everybody to see, so thank God there’s something being done now."

While 10 On Your Side was at the property, multiple people driving by stopped to say they had reported the property many times, with one viewer saying she called the barn more than 10 times over the years. One person gave us a thumbs up, and another said she was glad change was coming. 

“I reported to the Suffolk Humane Society twice," the woman said. "I reported how these horses were living in deplorable conditions."

There is hope for the future of these horses.

Suffolk Animal Control was at the property Wednesday with hay, and a nonprofit is ready to help. Circle A Home for Horses rehabilitates horses in Virginia Beach, and its executive director said she is ready to hook up the trailer and go get them. 

“So we have empty stalls, and I've already told the person who's sort of organizing it, and the animal control chief knows that we're ready to take some of their severe cases," said Alicia Mahar, Circle A Home for Horses founder and executive director. "We just have to hook up and head out that way."

Suffolk Police are working with the state veterinarian and an independent licensed veterinarian to assess and treat all the horses on the property, and the Suffolk General District Court has ordered that the remaining 22 horses be impounded.

Police said the transportation of the horses began on Tuesday, Jan. 28, and that the horses are being relocated to several undisclosed rescue organizations and shelters throughout Virginia.

10 On Your Side reached out to Suffolk Police about a timeline and was told it is an active and ongoing investigation. The city of Suffolk confirmed that no one has been charged at this time. 

The Suffolk Animal Control Division, in coordination with the city’s Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, is leading the investigation.