LaPORTE — It’s a heartbreaking case of animal cruelty. A family's beloved horse was shot between the eyes and killed. Now the search is on for the shooter.

The family is offering a reward for any information leading to an arrest, and we're just now learning their horse may not have been the only one shot over the weekend.

The Satoski family is desperately searching for anyone who can point them to the person who shot and killed Ben — a 5-year-old Belgian draft horse.

To this family and their community, he was much more than just a horse.

Sue Satoski's love for her horses cannot be put into words.

“I've had them since I was born,” she said. “You can't explain the bond that you can have with them. It's just a calming sensation.”

It's a love she now shares with her husband Brian and their three children, all caring for their pride and joy: Cash, Duke, Rocky and Flash. And for the last five years, they've had a special place in their hearts for Ben.

“Anybody who came into contact with a horse, went to that horse, and when they left they were in love with ‘Big Ben,’” said Brian Satoski.

A local favorite at community events, Ben was a Belgian draft just like his buddy Duke, but bigger.

“I loved opening the curtains and my first vision is those two Belgians at the feeder every morning,” Brian said.

But Sunday morning the Satoskis woke up and looked out their window and noticed Ben wasn't with the other horses. He wasn't feeding. He was on the ground and he wasn't moving.

“I couldn't believe it,” Sue explained. “I said, ‘Somebody shot him! Look at his head!’ It was a well-placed bullet.”

A bullet between the eyes.

“He suffered,” Sue said. “He flipped around out there, I mean you could tell.”

“In this case, there's no doubt in our mind that this was an intentional act,” said Det. John Boyd of the LaPorte Co. Sheriff's Dept.

So LaPorte County police are on the case and looking for leads.

“This horse had a name. It had an identity. It was a friend to many people,” Boyd said. “We're going to do everything we can to bring these people to justice and hold them accountable for what they did.”

“They didn't just take him away from us; they took him away from thousands of people … and you just you don't replace him,” Sue cried.

Tuesday afternoon, the Satoskis heard of another horse that may have been shot in neighboring Porter County early Sunday morning.

Anyone with any information on this case is asked to call the LaPorte County Sheriff's Department.