A California dog breeder was mauled to death by pit bulls he was raising, authorities said as his dog-ravaged body was found inside a kennel in the backyard of his home on Friday.
The 35-year-old’s body was discovered at his Compton residence around 7 a.m. after a concerned friend visited the house, KTLA reported.
After reviewing videos taken from cameras around the property, investigators say the dog attack took place between 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Thursday.
“He was feeding the dogs at which point maybe there was an altercation between some of the dogs and [they] ultimately attacked and mauled the victim,” said Michael Gomez with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Officials located the man inside one of several kennels in the backyard of the property, aerial footage captured by KTLA shows.
The footage appeared to show a huge breeding operation for large dogs in the yard.
Investigators told CBS News there were 13 dogs at the home, five of which were adults while the rest were puppies.
“Preliminary information suggests that the deceased individual was involved in breeding and selling Pitbulls,” animal control officials said in a statement.
The man, who has not been publicly identified, lived alone and “ultimately died from his injuries,” Gomez said.
His father consented to sign over the dogs to Animal Care & Control for “impoundment and examination.”
No other injuries were reported.