HOUSTON – A 96-year-old man was mauled to death when several dogs attacked him on Friday.
The man's body was found behind a home on Maplewood Drive and Village Drive near Katy in northwest Harris County.
The elderly victim's distraught family members consoled each other in front of the home, while in the backyard investigators are collecting evidence of a gruesome scene. Earlier Friday afternoon the elderly man was found dead of what authorities are calling a possible dog attack that may have involved as many as many as five dogs.
"It's horrible he was an old man in very good health. Outside doing things every day. Very family-oriented and he did not deserve to go the way he did, said neighbor Jessica Thayer.
Animal Control rounded up five dogs. They're believed to be pit bull, or pit bull mixes, and possibly an Australian cattle dog. Neighbors say some of the animals belong to a resident who lives behind the victim's home, while the others were known to terrorize the neighborhood.
"They're everywhere in this neighborhood and from what I know they came through the back of the fence," Thayer said.
The dogs also attacked a family pet who suffered devastating injuries and will likely to be put down. Meanwhile Harris County detectives and Animal Control are still trying to determine which dogs were involved in the attack.