Woman Found Dead in Ohio Was Killed by Her Own Great Danes
An Ohio woman was found dead inside her home after reportedly being attacked by her two dogs, according to an incident report from Clearcreek Township Police Department.
The report, released on Monday, states that officer Wendi Blaha found the body of Mary Matthews, 49, at her home in the village of Waynesville on Friday at 2:24 p.m. after the officer was notified of a possible overdose. Upon arrival, Blaha was met by Mark Matthews and his son, Luke Matthews. Mark claimed that his son had picked him up from the Warren County Jail earlier that day, where he had been held on a warrant since Oct. 30.
Mark said that when he and Luke arrived home they found his wife lying unresponsive on the bathroom floor.
Blaha entered the home with Mark and Luke and noticed bloody steps in the garage that led into the home. Bloodstains were also found on the door frame entering the laundry room as well as a significant amount of blood on the washer and dryer, the report states.
Following the trail of bloodstains on the wall, Blaha entered the bathroom near the front door of the home to find Mary on the ground. She was partially nude from the waist down and was wearing a sweatshirt that had multiple bloodstains, according to the report.
Numerous cuts and or puncture marks were also found on Mary with at least one chunk of the flesh that also appeared missing from her left upper ankle area. Mary appeared bloated, was not of good color and was not breathing.
After Blaha notified dispatch, Medic 22 arrived and pronounced Mary dead on the scene at 4:34 p.m.
Upon observing more bloodstains throughout the house, Blaha and additional officers found two “large but thin” Great Danes, one black and one brown, on the enclosed deck of the home. Mark told authorities and local news outlet WLWT5 that the couple rescued the Great Danes two years ago. But recently, one of them became vicious and bit his arm.
“I wanted to get rid of him, but she wouldn’t,” Mark said. “She loves animals.”
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Mark continued and said he had previously managed to fend off the dogs. But given his wife’s small stature, he believes she was unable to defend herself from them.
“We got some preliminary results back from the coroner’s office, and the cause of death is being attributed to the dog attack,” said Clearcreek Township police Chief John Terrill.
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Police also discovered that the kitchen area was filled with beer cans, wet and dry foods and numerous medication bottles on the floor, according to the report. Authorities said that Mary suffered from chronic alcoholism, and took several prescription medications.
“Due to this history, it is felt that (Mary 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 police report states.
WLT5 reported that the dogs have since been put down.
