They say the loss has shattered the family and they are in deep pain and agony trying to cope.
Police confirmed yesterday Chloe Jane Mathewson, 31, was attacked by two of three Rottweilers at the Auckland property where her savaged body was found early on Friday.
Her father, Jim Mathewson, said the family was struggling to cope with the shock of her violent death.
"We're shattered, just shattered. We're still trying to process everything," he said.
In a statement he said, "Chloe is our only much loved daughter and sister to Ben. She was a much wanted child. I was present at her birth and gave her her first feed and we bonded forever. We called her Chloe which is Greek for 'blooming, beautiful'."
He said she tragically looked after everyone but herself.
"She has had serious addictions which Ben and I have worked to exhaustion to help her overcome. This beautiful young woman, when clean and free from her addictions, would have made a truly positive contribution to our society."
Severe attack
The attack was so severe police were initially unable to tell if the dogs had killed Mathewson or mauled her body after she was dead, disguising evidence of a homicide.
Detective Inspector Greg Cramer yesterday said a post-mortem examination confirmed Mathewson suffered horrific injuries inflicted by the dogs.
"It appears she has wandered out of the dwelling and shortly afterwards was set upon by two of the dogs," he said.
Police made no comment on whether Mathewson had been taking drugs. The pilates instructor was a known visitor to the house where she died.
A source familiar with the scene said it was his understanding she had gone outside the house on Rodeo Dr in Auckland's North Shore and started dancing, prompting the attack.
All three Rottweilers from the property were seized by Animal Control and put down within hours of the attack. The 52-year-old man who lived at the property was "assisting with our investigation", Cramer said.
Fatal canine attacks in New Zealand
1969 - farmer killed by a mixed-breed farm dog.
1997 - 59-year-old Te Puke man killed by two bull-terrier-cross dogs. The dogs were trained to hunt pigs, but turned on their owner when he tried to stop them fighting.
2003 - 73-year-old Northland woman dies after being bitten on the foot by one of her three pure-breed Alaskan malamutes. The bite hits an artery and she bleeds to death in her chair.
2004 - 39-year-old Dunedin woman savaged to death by her pet bull mastiff dog. The dog weighed 55kg -- the women weighed 46kg.
2007 - 56-year-old Murupara woman attacked by a pit bull terrier and a staffordshire cross in a suburban street. She loses a large amount of blood and dies of shock in an ambulance on the way to hospital.
(New Zealand Herald - Mar 31, 2013)
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