Investigation Report: Interstate Regional Stockyards (Cuba, Missouri)

Location: 737 State Highway, Cuba, Missouri 65453

Auction Schedule: Monthly horse sale, third Wednesday

Auction Management: Earnie Schenker, Brady Hagler, John Hagler, Bridget Lavigne

Overview

Animals’ Angels has identified Missouri as a major hub in the U.S. horse slaughter pipeline, with livestock auctions playing a central role in funneling injured and vulnerable horses to kill buyers.

In January and February 2026, Animals’ Angels investigators conducted multiple on-site visits to Interstate Regional Stockyards, documenting widespread neglect, violent handling, and the repeated presence of known slaughter buyers.

One of the most significant outcomes of this investigation was Animals’ Angels’ successful involvement of law enforcement after investigators documented a horse suffering from a severely broken ankle and extensive injuries. Following our report and evidence submission, local law enforcement opened an active investigation into the auction and its operations.

Key Findings at a Glance

• Sick, injured, and severely emaciated horses were present at every visit.
• Horses with serious injuries — including broken limbs and open wounds — were routinely offered for sale.
• Auction employees used excessive force, including whipping, striking, and crowding agitated horses into pens.
• Horses in the worst condition were frequently kept out of the auction ring, lacked tags, or were moved between pens.
• Known kill buyers and kill-pen operators repeatedly purchased large numbers of low-value horses.
• Animals’ Angels successfully escalated a critical cruelty case to law enforcement, triggering an ongoing Sheriff’s Office investigation.

Kill Buyer Network

Auction manager Earnie Schenker is a long-documented participant in the slaughter pipeline and is well known to Animals’ Angels. Schenker has served for years as a distributor for Dennis Chavez, moving reservation horses and foals through auctions in Missouri and Kansas.

In 2025 alone, Schenker is documented as having unloaded hundreds of horses across regional auctions — many consistent with slaughter-selection profiles.

Investigation Observations

January 21, 2026

Arrival: 5:00 PM
Temperature: 25°F
Estimated Horses Present: ~330

Notable Horses

• #185 – Paint gelding: Large, fresh gash on nose. Owner claimed injury “just happened in the pen.”
• #199 – Gelding: Severely lame and moving slowly. Auctioneer stated horse was injured in a trailer wreck.
• #244 – Mare: Blind in one eye; also reportedly injured in the same trailer wreck.
• #220 – Mare: Cuts across legs; ridden through the ring despite injuries.
• #186 (Red tag #4635) – Gelding: Active bleeding from facial wounds.

Foals and Yearlings

• 71 yearlings delivered that morning, most likely from reservation sources.
• At least 10 foals (6–10 months old) present despite being cataloged as yearlings.
• All tagged MOHA.
• Food and water were present, though water was beginning to freeze.

Buyers Observed

• Baker Kill Pen
• Earnie Schenker
• Buyer #321
• Buyer #135

Yearlings sold for $150–$400, consistent with slaughter pricing.

Sale Time: 6:30 PM – 1:30 AM
Approx. Sold: ~300 horses

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February 18, 2026 (Day 1 of 2-Day Sale)

Arrival: 5:00 PM
Temperature: 55°F
Animals Present: ~350 horses, ~50 donkeys

Conditions & Handling

• Aggressive handling throughout the facility.
• Excessive whipping.
• Horses crowded into pens despite multiple empty pens, resulting in kicking and fighting.

Kill Pen Transport Activity

A Baker Kill Pen truck arrived at 5:30 PM, loaded 15–20 horses, and departed before the auction began. Investigators observed dried blood along the trailer’s side vents, indicating a serious transport injury.

The condition of the trailer raised concerns about compliance with federal Commercial Transport of Equines to Slaughter Regulations. Animals’ Angels is preparing to file a formal complaint with the United States Department of Agriculture so that the transport conditions documented during this visit can be reviewed by authorities.

After the truck departed, new horses appeared in holding pens, suggesting that horses may be cycled through the auction rather than shipped immediately — contradicting kill-pen claims that unsold horses “ship straight to slaughter.”

Notable Horses

• Brown gelding (no tag): Broken foot with active bleeding; moved frequently, limiting early documentation.
• #718 – Draft horse: Blind in one eye and lame.
• #3651 – Grey mare: Extremely emaciated.

Sale Time: 6:20 PM – 12:30 AM

February 19, 2026 (Day 2 of 2-Day Sale)

Handling remained violent and chaotic.

Severe Neglect Documented

• Four Belgian draft horses (#714–717): Severely emaciated, poor hooves, tied without access to water; one repeatedly pawing the ground in distress.
• #221 / #227 (tag partially torn): Severely emaciated.
• Grey gelding (no tag): Bloody eye, whip marks, emaciated.
• #226 – Brown gelding: Swollen foot, respiratory distress, nasal discharge.
• Thin draft horse outdoors with significant difficulty walking.

Law Enforcement Intervention: Critical Cruelty Case

The brown gelding with no tag and a severely broken foot was later moved to an outside pen, allowing investigators to fully assess the injury. The condition was extreme and horrifying, with clear evidence of prolonged suffering.

Investigators immediately reported the case to auction staff. Management claimed the horse had likely “already sold” and expressed no concern for the animal’s condition.

Recognizing the severity of the situation, Animals’ Angels contacted local law enforcement.

Within 30 minutes, an officer from the Sheriff’s Office arrived on site. After reviewing the horse’s condition and meeting with investigators:

• Auction management claimed they did not know the horse’s origin — a common tactic to evade liability.
• The responding officer formally requested all video and photographic evidence.
• Animals’ Angels immediately provided full documentation.

The case is now under active investigation by the Sheriff’s Office.

This intervention underscores the importance of on-site documentation and rapid escalation — and demonstrates that Animals’ Angels’ investigations lead directly to accountability.

Conclusion and Next Steps

Animals’ Angels documented systemic cruelty, neglect, and slaughter-pipeline activity at Interstate Regional Stockyards across multiple visits.

Critically, this investigation also resulted in direct law-enforcement action, with a Sheriff’s Office investigation now in place following Animals’ Angels’ documentation of a severely injured horse.

Animals’ Angels will continue to:

• Monitor this auction closely.
• Cooperate fully with law enforcement.
• Document and expose kill-buyer networks.
• Demand accountability for those profiting from suffering.