An autopsy has confirmed that a Virginia woman was mauled to death by her own dogs.
Bethany Lynn Stephens, 22, died in Goochland in December.
Officials suspected that she was killed by her own pit bulls but couldn’t confirm without the autopsy.
Sheriff Jim Agnew said that with the autopsy results, the case is closed.
“Overall, the combination of wounds is consistent with the mauling by an animal or animals, possibly dogs,” the medical examiner’s report said. “Additionally, there was evidence of extensive postmortem animal predation at the face, torso, and arms.”
In addition to no strangulation marks, there was no evidence of a gunshot or any other attack.
No drugs or alcohol was found in Stephens.
The pit bulls, in this case, were 3 years old.
“It doesn’t matter what type of dog it is. It’s not about the bully breed. It’s not about the Yorkie. It can be any dog,” dog expert Jemi Hodge said.
“Those dogs see red. At that point, they don’t care who their owner is. They don’t care who anybody is. All they know is they’re in the zone to bite, attack, and fight.”
The sheriff’s office said one of the dogs had a history of aggression, snapping at a previous owner.
The animals may have been stressed and underfed after Stephens’s father took care of the dogs while Stephens was away.
But Stephens’s family questioned the investigation, saying the pit bulls were raised by her and even slept in her bed.
The family gave permission to have the pit bulls euthanized.
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