A 28-year-old woman who died in a horror dog attack was killed by her own American Bully XL, according to new reports.
Professional dog walker Natasha Johnston suffered catastrophic injuries from "multiple penetrating dog bites" in an incident at Gravelly Hill near Caterham, Surrey on January 12.
Armed officers and a police helicopter swooped on the rural beauty spot after receiving reports of a dog attack, while a second woman was also injured and was taken to hospital before being discharged.
It was reported at the time that she may have been set upon by several dogs she had been walking as a group.
Now, a new report in The Sun claims Natasha was subjected to the fatal attack by one of her own dogs, which belongs to the highly controversial American Bully XL breed.
Only her dog has been destroyed since the incident, it is claimed, while five others are being held by Surrey Police subject to a vet's forensic report.
Two dachshunds which had been seized following the incident have now been returned to their owners.
A spokesperson from Surrey Police said: "We have now received a forensic veterinary report and this has been shared with the Surrey Coroner.
"As a result of this, two dogs (both Dachshunds) were returned to their owner at the end of April and one dog, which belonged to the deceased, has been put to sleep.
"The five other dogs remain in private kennels and we are speaking with their owners regarding recommendations from the report."
The force confirmed that breed of dog put to sleep is believed to be an American Bully XL.
The spokesperson added: "Besides the update on the status of the seized dogs we do not have any further comments or updates on this investigation, as it has now passed to the coroner’s office and will be covered as part of the inquest."
The 'Bully' is a relatively young designer breed which originated in the US in the 1980s, and was introduced as a more family-friendly version of the American Pitbull Terrier.
It comes in several sizes, including the biggest XL.
Various breeders combined American Staffordshire Terriers, American Pit Bull Terriers, American Bulldogs, English Bulldogs, Olde English Bulldogges, Staffordshire Bull Terriers and French Bulldogs to create the breed
The end result was the modern American Bully, which was first recognised as a breed by the US United Kennel Club in 2013.
The XL Bully has been linked to a number of high-profile dog attacks in the UK in recent years, sparking a fierce debate over whether they should be added to the list of controlled breeds under Dangerous Dogs Act.
