77-Year-Old Woman Allegedly Mauled To Death By Dogs On Her Front Porch

A 77-year-old woman in Arizona was reportedly attacked and killed by four dogs Tuesday while she was sitting on her front porch.

The dogs' owner was arrested following the incident, media outlet AZ Family reported. The police said Maria Ruiz was sitting outside her home when four Staffordshire terrier mix dogs attacked her without any provocation.

"The dogs escaped several times. I've called the police on them," a neighbor, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AZ Family. "It's terrifying. Terrifying."

The neighbor said the dogs have been violent in the past and should have been taken care of long ago. "She was sitting on the porch. She wasn't even walking. She was sitting on the porch," the neighbor added about the victim.

Animal Care & Control arrived at the scene and took the dogs into custody. One of the dogs was being tested for rabies, AZ Family reported, adding the fate of the canines remained unknown.

One resident said the dogs tried attacking him just weeks ago, and then bit his neighbors, according to media outlet 12 News.

“It was four of them big s*****s," the neighbor recalled. "Shot a warning shot. They got more mean more aggressive.”

The police identified the dogs' owner as 33-year-old Alejandro Hernandez. Authorities said Animal Care and Control had warned him at least once to fix his gate to keep the dogs secured. During questioning, Hernandez admitted this was not the first time the dogs had escaped and attacked people.

Hernandez has been charged with negligent homicide and booked into the Maricopa County jail. More charges could be placed following the investigation, the police said.

In May, a 10-month-old baby was mauled to death by two pet dogs in North Carolina. The incident took place at a home on Riparian Court in Johnston County's Angier. Deputies arrived at the scene and found the baby unresponsive. Authorities said the father of the child had stepped outside for a few minutes to move a sprinkler when the family's two Rottweilers attacked the baby. There weren't any previous incidents of violent attack or behavior involving the dogs, the police said, adding no other small children were present in the home at the time. The two dogs were seized by Johnston County Animal Control.