A two-week-old miniature donkey named Pleuntje was stolen from a sanctuary in Baarle-Nassau, Netherlands, before being tortured, shot dead, and returned to the same paddock where she disappeared. The reddish-coated foal vanished from Stichting Het Ezelpaleis, a refuge for neglected and abused donkeys, on Monday evening. Six people searched for the tiny animal for hours, returning at first light but finding no trace of her. The next afternoon, Pleuntje's body was discovered in the same paddock, despite staff having searched the area dozens of times. Pleuntje had been shot through the chest and suffered severe injuries to her neck, legs, and eye. Owner Marlhene Mouws believes thieves climbed over a fence and took the foal in a waiting vehicle before returning her body when they realized she would be difficult to sell. Pleuntje had no microchip, passport, or vaccinations, which made a black-market sale challenging, despite miniature donkeys with proper documentation reportedly being worth up to £13,000. Mouws locked up around 7:30 pm before returning to feed the herd and discovering Pleuntje was missing. Six people searched until 1:30 am, then resumed efforts at first light. A reward of £850 was offered, and an appeal was shared across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and France. Around 1 pm on Tuesday, Mouws was showing visitors around when she spotted Pleuntje's body. She said the donkey was lying there with a gunshot wound in the side of her chest, and the staff had searched that field 50 times. The bullet reportedly entered above the foal's left hip and exited through the right side of her chest. She also had injuries to her neck and legs, and one eye was hanging out. Mouws believes Pleuntje was deliberately targeted because of her distinctive reddish coloring, while another foal was left behind. She said, "Who would do something like this to a baby that still has no teeth?" The remote sanctuary has CCTV cameras, although none cover the meadow itself. Anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious on Monday evening has been urged to contact the authorities.