A city councilwoman found a severed horse's head in her swimming pool on Tuesday, according to a media report.

Wawayanda Councilwoman Gail Soro and her husband had last used the pool Monday night, The Times Herald-Record reported.

"There have been some prior instances of harassment directed toward her, more than likely as a result of her position on the Town Board," Lt. Pierce Gallagher told the newspaper. "We're looking at a threat as a possible angle. Certainly, we can't rule that out."

The horse appeared to be dead for "three to four days, probably no more than a week," Gallagher said.

One of the most famous scenes in "The Godfather" showed a movie mogul waking up with a horse head in his bed after he refused to bow to the will of the title character, played by Marlon Brando.

Wawayanda is 106 miles (170 kilometers) southwest of New York's state capital of Albany.