The cause of death for a Nevada vet who went viral after a video of him allegedly kicking a horse has been revealed.
The body of Dr Shawn Frehner, 56, was found on April 18 near the Boulder Islands at Lake Mead, near Las Vegas.
His cause of death has now been shared by the Clark County Coroner and Medical Examiner as drowning, with the drug Pentobarbital as a contributing factor.
His dental records confirmed his identity.
The National Library of Medicine cites “Pentobarbital sodium is a common animal euthanasia drug in the United States and Canada, as well as in other countries with access to it.”
His death has been listed as suicide by multiple media outlets.
The vet had been reported missing two weeks prior and the National Park Service were looking for him.
His wallet, phone and keys were found in an empty truck nearby.
The 56-year-old went missing only days after a video went viral of him alledgely kicking a horse. He had been called out to a property around 60 miles outside of Vegas to tend to Shawna Gonzalez’s horse.
“I heard [my mother] yell, ‘Oh my God. He just kicked him,’ ” Gonzalez said. “Oh my God, Mom, he’s choking,” she added. “He wrapped the horse around his neck three times, and he kicked him in the head.”
She added that the animal was treated for abrasions of the skull as well as other injuries.
He hit back, sharing “I did not blatantly haul off and kick this horse as it appears in the video. That was not my intention at all,” per the Las Vegas-Review Journal.
“It was done simply to get the horse in a better position so that he could breathe and get up and move so I could again try to anesthetize,” he added.
In response to his death, Gonzalez shared: “I had no idea this would happen,”, “But I was not the one bullying. I am not sorry for standing up for my horse. I am their voice and will continue to be.”