Michigan: Grandmother, 71, is mauled at the jugular and killed by a pit bull inside her home as neighbors hear her scream for help

MICHIGAN -- An elderly grandmother in Detroit was killed by a pit bull in her home, police said.

The woman , 71, died about 8pm Saturday when one of the four dogs in the house attacked her.

Police say the dog bit the woman, knocked her down and then mauled her at the throat, severing her jugular vein, the Detroit Free Press reported.

Neighbors could hear the woman scream for help from outside the house.

The woman was found by her granddaughter in a room on the home's first level, police said. Family members identified her as Elizabeth Rivera.

There were four dogs at the home, police said. It's unclear if all of the dogs were involved or just one. The dogs were placed in a room upstairs until Animal Control personnel arrived to secure the scene.

The pit bulls were removed from the house one by one as Rivera's family looked on in disbelief.

It's unclear what caused the dogs to turn on the grandmother.

'We have no idea and even family members are baffled,' Capt. John Serda told WDIV.

'I feel so bad for the family members to have dogs that belong to your family do something like this is beyond comprehension.'

Police said the dogs, which did not have a history of violent behavior, have been removed from the house by animal control, WJBK reported.

(Daily Mail - July 17, 2016)