According to the news article written by Allison Richmond of The Mountaineer on October 28, 2016: 

Photo Credit: The Mountaineer

"The sense of relief is plain on the faces of humans and horses as Russ and Patricia Parker were reunited Wednesday with their beloved horses, Bella and Romeo.

The horses and their owners were separated in an 80-hour ordeal that began early Saturday morning when they were stolen from their pasture.

Thanks to the help of a vast network of horsemen, law enforcement, Internet savvy well wishers, and one big-hearted little boy, the horses are safely back home in what Russ and Patricia describe as a “miraculous happy ending.”

Two Waynesville residents, Nancy McClellan, 55, of Waynesville, along with Dustin Heath Hoglen, 33, of Waynesville, were arrested Oct. 25. Each was charged with two counts of felony larceny of a horse, after turning themselves in. They were given a $5,000 unsecured bond."

Russ & Patricia Parker noticed warning signs prior to the theft of their horses. NetPosse™ encourages owners to be aware of anything unusual that they notice at their barn/pasture. The Parkers experienced one of the same warning signs that Debi & Harold Metcalfe noticed when Idaho was stolen from their pasture in 1997. 

According to Ms. Richmond's article, "The Parkers say that before the theft, they noticed unusual activity at their barn and want to caution other horse owners to be especially vigilant.

They said that about two weeks ago, when they arrived to feed the horses, they saw sweet feed, something they never use due to the horses dietary restrictions, on the ground near the fence.

Patricia said this happened several times, even after Russ posted a sign warning that under no circumstances should the horses be fed without the owners' permission.

In hindsight, the Parkers believe someone was trying to fatten the horses up with the feed.

According to NetPosse, there are no statistics kept on horse theft in the United States, but some estimates put the

The Mountaineer, October 28, 2016

numbers around 40,000 to 50,000 annually.

In Haywood County, horse theft occurs every four or five years, according to sources at the Sheriff’s Office.

Horse trading is a major industry, with thousands of horses changing hands every week at auction houses across the country.

For the Parkers, each person along the way who helped bring their horses home are angels, but they feel certain that getting their story out to a broad audience on social media was the key to getting Bella and Romeo home safe."

For the entire article as written by Allison Richmond of The Mountaineer, please click here: http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/p/happy-trails/1589521

The Mountaineer reached out to Debi Metcalfe to inquire about Stolen Horse International aka NetPosse.com. In this article, Ms. Richmond reported: "After posting the story of their stolen horses on Facebook, commenters on the posts suggested they contact Stolen Horses International, a Shelby-based nonprofit organization that puts its extensive network to use helping to return stolen horses to their rightful owners." 

Russ & Patricia Parker had reached out to NetPosse.com for assistance in their search and after learning more about NetPosse™, they have encouraged their friends and followers to reach out to NetPosse should they ever need assistance for a lost, missing or stolen horse. The Mountaineer encourages individuals to report suspected thefts to local authorities immediately and consider reporting also to nationwide networks, like NetPosse.

For more on the article written about Stolen Horse International aka NetPosse.com, please click here: http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/p/how-netposse-com-helps-bring-home-stolen-horses/1589579

Photo Courtesy of : Russ Parker, Epic PhotographyRuss & Patricia Parker are pictured here with Bella when reunited in Tennessee

Photo Courtesy of: Russ Parker, Epic PhotographyThe young man, CW Oaks, of Pikeville, Tennessee who did the right thing and handed over the miniature horse he purchased at auction to the rightful owner with a handshake and a smile

Resource: The Mountaineer, Allison Richmond, October 28, 2016 http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/p/happy-trails/1589521 and  http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/p/how-netposse-com-helps-bring-home-stolen-horses/1589579