Husband arrives home to find wife mauled to death by her own dogs, Ohio police say

A woman in Ohio is dead after she was attacked in her home by her own dogs, police say.

Dale Matthews had just arrived home with his son on Friday when he found his wife Mary Matthews, 49, covered in blood, WKRC reported. Police said she wasn’t breathing and had a number of puncture wounds as well as a “chunk of flesh (that) was missing from near her ankle.”

Officials say Mary Matthews’ dogs, two Great Danes, are to blame, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.

“She was attacked by her dog or dogs,” Doyle Burke, chief investigator in the coroner’s office, told the news outlet. “She just bled to death by the bites she received.”

After the attack, police say Mary Matthews was able to corral the dogs outside but likely didn’t realize how serious her injuries were, citing a history of alcoholism, WLWT reported. Blood was found on clothing, walls, steps and couches, according to police.

Mary Matthews was pronounced dead at the scene and her husband turned the dogs over to the county, Dayton Daily News reported. They were euthanized the next day.

Burke characterized the dogs as “aggressive” and said they’d been known to bite Mary Matthews in the past, the Enquirer reported.

Dale Matthews said he’d tried to convince his wife to get rid of the dogs, according to WLWT.

“I wanted to get rid of him, but she wouldn’t,” he told the news outlet. “She loves animals.”

This story was originally published November 5, 2019 at 8:10 AM with the headline "Husband arrives home to find wife mauled to death by her own dogs, Ohio police say."