LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Clark County coroner is releasing more information about the death of a Las Vegas-based equine veterinarian whose body was found at Lake Mead last month.
WATCH | Coroner's office reveal cause of death of veterinarian Shawn Frehner
Shawn Frehner disappeared amid a social media firestorm over a video that circulated on Facebook in early April.
On Wednesday, the Office of the Clark County Coroner and Medical Examiner determined Frehner's cause of death was drowning. The use of Pentobarbital — a euthanasia drug — was cited as a contributing factor. The coroner determined Frehner's manner of death was suicide.
As Channel 13 previously reported, Frehner's body was found on April 18 near Lake Mead's Boulder Islands. He had been missing for nearly two weeks.
SEARCH ENDS | Ryan Ketcham reports the outcome of a weeks-long search for the missing veterinarian:
Frehner was reported missing on Monday, April 7. A missing persons report obtained by Channel 13 stated Frehner's wallet, keys and cell phone were found in his unoccupied truck near Lake Mead. At the time, Frehner's father told investigators he didn't know why his son would have gone to Lake Mead because he didn't have a boat.
Frehner's father also told police he was concerned for his son's safety due to the fallout from a viral video that showed Frehner treating a young horse in Pahrump.
Social media users and the horse's owner accused Frehner of animal abuse. The Nye County Sheriff's Office also confirmed Frehner was the subject of an animal abuse complaint on April 3.
Social media comments about the video included death threats, and Frehner's business page was soon swamped with negative reviews.
As the days went on without Frehner being found, some social media users came to his defense, writing that, despite the allegations, wishing death on Frehner wasn't the answer.
Frehner made an impassioned defense in response to the social media blowback. His post has since been deleted. In it, he wrote in part:
"I did not blatantly haul off and kick this horse, as it appears in the video. That was not my intention at all. It was done simply to get the horse in a better position so he could breathe and get up and move, so I could again try to anesthetize...But yes, I did kick him right in the chin. And I very much do apologize. I wish this never happened and I am very sorry. I am not mean to horses. I love my job and I love helping people and their horses."
If you need to talk to someone about thoughts of harming yourself or others, help is available 24/7. Call the Suicide Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, or text "HOME" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
