A case of illegal animal hunting and cruelty is being investigated by officials.

According to the Arizona Game and Fish Department, two elk were poached in an area just north of Highway 89 in Flagstaff. A calf elk and a cow elk were discovered dead and had both been shot several times.

Officials believe the animals were killed sometime during the night of Friday, August 30 and or the morning of Saturday, September 1. The carcasses were found between Strawberry Crater and Oleary Mountain, approximately twenty yards north of Forest Road (FR) 779 close to the intersection of the 779 and 546 roads. Authorities are currently searching for suspects in this case, and anyone with any information on this illegal poaching incident is asked to call Arizona Game and Fish at (928) 774-5227.