Man arrives home to discover pet dog eating his wife's mutilated body after 'horrific' attack

A man arrived home to discover his pet pit bull eating his wife's mutilated body after a 'horrific' attack.

Marina Verriest, 70, from Nassau County, New York, was killed by her family's pit bull after her husband returned home to find the animal “still eating on the body", according to police.

The 66-year-old husband returned to their home at around 1pm on Wednesday, July 27, when the animal was still chewing on her-mutilated corpse.

The horrified man called the police, and when they entered the family home the seven-year-old dog charged towards him - forcing the officer to draw their gun and kill the dog.

Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said at a press conference: “The scene was pretty horrific.

The 7-year-old dog was killed by cops when they arrived on the scene (NBC New York)

"We don’t know what time the attack took place but there was obviously a lot of mutilation on the body and the arm, the face, the legs.”

He added that the police officer who shot the dog was now being offered counselling to help cope with the psychological effects of what they had seen.

The Commissioner continued: "The officer saw something that was very traumatic. We take care of our officers and make sure they’re OK.”

Police are unsure when the attack began but when the husband arrived home the dog was still eating on the body” (NBC New York)

“We don’t know what turned the dog or why the dog turned on the woman.

“There had been no previous domestic calls to the home or calls regarding the dog.”

It later emerged that while the dog had lived in the couple’s home for many years, according to the Daily Star. It was owned by their stepson who had tragically died in a motorcycle accident a few weeks before.

The dog had lived in the couple’s home for many years (NBC New York)

One neighbour told CBS News that the dog was unusually strong, and recalled seeing the dog's owner taking it for walks.

The neighbour said: "When he was alive, he used to walk [the dog] with both hands holding the leash.

"That dog was leading him."

According to US Attorney Kenneth M. Phillips, who specialises in representing victims of dog attacks, 51 Americans were killed by dogs in 2021, - 37 by pit bulls or similar breeds.

From those cases, 21 fatal pit bull attack victims were either the owner of the dog or a member of the owner’s immediate family.