Wheelchair-bound woman and her 27-year-old son are savaged to death by dog

A wheelchair-bound woman and her adult son are thought to have been killed by their Staffordshire Bull Terrier in the city of Hanover, Germany.

The bodies of the 52-year-old woman and her 27-year-old son were discovered by the woman’s daughter, who had gone to their flat after failing to reach them.

When she arrived at the flat, she saw her brother’s maimed corpse through a window and called police. 

Attacker: Police say evidence points at the dog, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross, pictured after being caught, is the killer

Local police said firefighters had to be called to catch the dog – a Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross – before they were able to enter the flat.  

A police spokesman said: ‘According to preliminary investigations by a forensic scientist, the 52-year-old and her 27-year-old son were apparently killed by the dog.’

An investigator added: ‘Currently, it’s not certain how the incident could have come about.’ 

Local residents said the mother was a wheelchair user.

The public prosecutor’s office has ordered autopsies of the unnamed victims.

The bodies of the 52-year-old woman and her 27-year-old son were discovered by the woman's daughter, who had gone to their flat in Hanover, Germany, after failing to reach them

The bodies of the 52-year-old woman and her 27-year-old son were discovered by the woman’s daughter, who had gone to their flat in Hanover, Germany, after failing to reach them

Emergency: Police and firefighters on the crime scene after the daughter reported the incident

Emergency: Police and firefighters on the crime scene after the daughter reported the incident

Chief prosecutor Thomas Klinge said: ‘At this time, it looks as if this tragedy came about from dog bites.’

Regarding the question of whether the dog would be put down, a spokesman for city authorities said: ‘The investigation is ongoing.’ 

Staffordshire Bull Terriers and American Staffordshire Terriers are classified as fighting breeds by many authorities and are part of the ‘pit bull’ group of breeds.

In Lower Saxony, dog owners need a certain dog handler’s licence to acquire a new animal, a measure introduced to reduce attacks by pit bull-type animals.

Before getting a dog, owners must first pass a theoretical exam and then a practical test during the first year of the ownership.



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