Woman found dead at home was killed by her own dogs, police say

‘I wanted to get rid of them,’ says husband who found his wife’s body

A husband discovered his wife dead in the bathroom after she was attacked by their pet Great Danes, it has been reported.

Mary Matthews’s body was discovered in her Ohio home, where the two dogs were found locked outside on the patio.

The 49-year-old had suffered multiple injuries and officers found evidence of blood throughout the property in Clearcreek Township, near Cincinnati.

Mark Matthews returned home on the afternoon of 1 November to find his wife dead, CNN reported.

He told local media that he “never wanted to get the dogs”, and that he was concerned they had become “vicious”.

Authorities believe that the rescue dogs attacked the woman and she was able to put them outside before succumbing to her injuries.

It was deemed likely that Ms Matthews, who reportedly suffered from alcohol and prescription medicine addiction, did not realise the severity of her injuries.

Police said there was evidence she had changed her clothes and attempted to clear up the blood.

Mr Matthews told the the Dayton Daily News: “She was laying on the bathroom floor. She had enough strength to get them out the back door but she barely made it back to the bathroom

“I never wanted Great Danes but she wanted to rescue them. She loved animals so I let her get them. I probably should have put my foot down and said, ‘no,’

“Usually when the dogs got aggressive with her I would just discipline them and put them outside but I wasn’t here.”

Police said the victim, who was discovered on Friday, suffered from chronic alcoholism, which may have impacted her ability to respond to the situation.

The police report added: “Due to this history, it is felt that [Ms Matthews] may not have been in a clear-minded state to judge the severity of her situation and thus failed to call for help.”

The dogs have now been put down.