Body Of Woman Covered In Dog Bites Found In LA

LOS ANGELES, CA — A homicide investigation is underway after a woman was found dead in South Los Angeles with her body covered in dog bites.

Detectives were called at approximately 11:40 p.m. Wednesday to the 1100 block of West 87th Street, west of Vermont Avenue, where they assisted deputies from the South Los Angeles sheriff's station with a death investigation, said LASD Homicide Lt. Steven De Jong.

Authorities were alerted to the woman's death by a 911 call from a resident of a nearby homeless encampment. That person said he found the body of the woman, who also lived in the encampment, in a nearby alleyway, Fox 11 reported.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Los Angeles medical examiner's personnel, who will determine the woman's cause of death, were at the scene along with animal control officers.

Authorities said the woman's body was covered in dog bites, but it's unclear whether she sustained those injuries before or after her death, Fox 11 reported.

"We'll have to wait for the coroner to determine the nature of those injuries," De Jong said. "There were several dogs on the property, so it could be anything from an assault to a potential dog mauling."

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Homicide detectives are investigating the woman's death, but authorities say it's unclear at this point if this was a case or murder.

Fox 11 aired footage showing an animal control officer carrying away a small dog from the scene. The encampment appeared to be a crowded mass of tents and other belongings located in a residential area, with an alley running directly behind it.

The medical examiner's office reported the woman was in her 30s, but withheld her name pending notification of her next of kin.

City News Service contributed to this report.

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