Man mauled to death by pack of dogs after taking shortcut home, police say

Authorities find father of five with more than 100 dog bites near home

Melvin Olds Jr was last seen alive a few hours before he was discovered behind a residence in a Florida neighbourhood (Facebook)

A pack of dogs mauled a man to death after he took a shortcut through a wooded area on his walk home, police have said.

Melvin Olds Jr’s body was found with more than 100 dog bites, according to an autopsy report, following an attack on Thursday near Lake Placid, Florida.

Highlands County Sheriff's Office said six dogs have been captured so far in connection with the attack and their bite sizes matched the wounds on the man’s body.

However, DNA tests are expected to provide more conclusive evidence to show whether those dogs were involved in the attack.

An autopsy confirmed Olds suffered no wounds other than those that would have been caused by dogs.

The 45-year-old father of five was last seen alive a few hours before he was found behind a residence in the Highway Park neighbourhood, south of Lake Placid, shortly before noon on 4 July.

His mother, Cynthia Hill, told WFLA-TV she was “hurt deeply” by the unexpected death.

In a statement, Sheriff Paul Blackman said: “While we may have the dogs that were responsible for this horrible tragedy, we won’t know for sure for a while.

“I want to encourage residents of Highway Park and the surrounding area to be on the lookout for any loose dogs, especially those that seem aggressive. We don’t want anyone else to be injured.”

Animal services officers have set traps in the area, the police said, and units have been set up to patrol the area on the lookout for stray dogs who may have been involved in the attack.

The police are urging anyone who sees stray dogs in the area not to approach the animals and contact the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office.

“When dogs get in packs you never know what’s going to happen,” Lieutenant Clay Kinslow told WFLA-TV.

However, he said cases involving a pack of dogs attacking someone were rare.

Police are still attempting to establish who, if anyone, owned the dogs.