A 22-year-old woman was apparently mauled to death by her own dogs, described as pit bulls, according to Virginia law enforcement.
Bethany Lynn Stephens’ body was found in a wooded area in Goochland, V.A., with wounds on her hands, arms, throat and face consistent with a mauling, WTVR reports. Stephens’ father went looking for her on Thursday, and reportedly discovered her dogs standing watch over her body.
“It was an absolutely grisly mauling ,” Sheriff James Agnew told WTVR. “In my 40 years of law enforcement I’ve never seen anything quite like it. I hope I never see anything like it again.”
Agnew told WTVR that the dogs appeared to initiate the mauling. Evidence suggests the attack began when Stephens was alive, and became fatal after she fell to the ground unconscious. There is no evidence of a homicide, WTVR reports, and the sheriff’s office will look to euthanize the pit bulls.
- Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Her Fight for Abortion Access in Michigan
- Inside the War on Fake Consumer Reviews
- Column: Europe's Refugee Crisis Is Going to Get Worse
- How Lawmakers Are Trying to Protect Abortion Data Privacy
- The Surprising Thing That Could Help Ease Inflation
- Finding the American Dream in Canada
- The Safest Sunscreens to Buy—and Which Ingredients to Avoid
- Fact-Checking 8 Claims About Crypto’s Climate Impact
- How Grief Upsets Your Gut Health
- Who Could Replace Boris Johnson As U.K. Prime Minister?