A man has been arrested on suspicion of owning a dog dangerously out of control
"Screams" were reportedly heard as a 63-year-old woman was mauled to death by several dogs in her own home in Liverpool on Monday.
Merseyside Police have since said in a
statement that five American bulldogs have been "put to sleep" and a man has been arrested.
"Five American bulldogs, which were inside the property, were handed over and have since been humanely destroyed," the force said.
A 31-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of owning a dog dangerously out of control and is currently in custody.
The deceased has not yet been named but her family have been informed, police said, adding that a post-mortem will be carried out to establish her cause of death.
Detective Inspector Katie Coote added: “This is clearly a very distressing incident and our thoughts are with the family and friends of the lady who died.
“Our enquiries remain ongoing as we seek to establish what has happened and I would urge anyone who could assist our enquiries to get in touch.”
North West Ambulance Service were called to a home on St Brigids Crescent in Vauxhall, at around 4.25pm following reports of a woman being attacked by dogs.
On arrival, paramedics found a woman dead inside the property and called Merseyside Police around 430pm.
Eyewitnesses reported to
The ECHO "at least two dogs" were involved in the attack and one person claimed they "heard screams" from the direction of the house around 4pm.
The woman, who was not identified, not the publication: "My husband came home at about 4pm and I heard a woman's screams at some point after that. When I heard what happened I was shocked.
"The family must be devastated, you can't put it into words really." A man, who asked not to be named said: "Obviously it's sad isn't it, a woman has been mauled to death by the dogs."
Other residents in the area told The Echo of their shock, sadness and worry following the incident, which happened near a park with a children's play area.
A woman who lives in the area, said: “It’s just so awful, you can’t imagine how much the family are hurting right now."
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact @MerPolCC or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 with reference 690.
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