A man who was found dead a few hours after he left his Florida home is believed to have been killed by a pack of dogs.
Authorities in Lake Placid, Fla., say more than 100 dog bites were found on the body of Melvin Olds Jr., who disappeared Thursday morning.
“No wounds other than those caused by dogs were found on Olds’ body,” reads a statement from the local sheriff’s office, medical examiner and wildlife commission.
Family members say Olds was a father and grandfather. His mother, Cynthia Hill, described him as a “good person” and “good man.”
“I’m just so hurt deeply because it’s so unexpected,” she told WFLA-TV.
Olds’ body was found not far from his home, in a wooded area that he often used as a shortcut. A pack of dogs has been spotted in the neighbourhood in the past, although they are not known to have attacked humans.
“When dogs get in packs, you never know what’s going to happen,” said Lt. Clay Kinslow of the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office.
Animal traps have been set up in the area in an attempt to catch the dogs, and extra animal control officers have been deployed to the neighbourhood.
“Six dogs have been captured in the area and their bite size matches with the wounds on Olds’ body, but that alone is not enough to say for sure that they were the animals involved,” the statement reads.
The dogs will undergo DNA testing as part of the search for evidence.
