kali9/iStock(WAYNESVILLE, Ohio) — An Ohio woman was killed inside her home by her two Great Danes, one of which was known to be “vicious,” police said.
The body of Mary Matthews, 49, of Waynesville, was found by her husband Dale Mark Matthews with what looked to be “a lot of bite marks” on Friday, Clearcreek Township Police Chief Chief John Terrill told ABC News on Tuesday.
The husband called 911 and told dispatchers that “she was beyond any help,” according to an incident report.
Police arrived and found numerous blood stains throughout the house, and confirmed that Mary Matthews was deceased, according to the report.
Terrill classified her death as the “result of a dog attack.”
The husband told police that he had previously tried to get his wife to get rid of the dogs before, but she refused. He said one of the dogs was “vicious” and bit several other people, according to the incident report and Terrill.
“[Mary Matthews] was small in stature, [Dale Mark Matthews] said, and there was no way she could have fended them off by herself,” Terrill told ABC.
Terrill said it appeared that Mary Matthews attempted to fight the dogs off with a baseball bat and managed to get them out of the house, but she did not then call for help.
He noted that she may have not realized the extent of her injuries.
There was also evidence that showed she changed her clothes multiple times and got out towels, “which appeared to be [her] attempt to clean up the floor or perhaps herself,” according to the report. All of the clothes and towels were found with blood stains.
She had been dead for about eight hours before her husband found her in the bathroom on the first floor of the home, Terrill said.
The Great Danes, one black and one brown one, were found outside in the backyard on the deck.
They were later taken by the local dog warden and euthanized, according to Terrill.
“It’s just an unfortunate event,” he said. “We feel for the family.”
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