Elderly Arizona woman mauled to death; man critically wounded in dog attack

An elderly Arizona woman was viciously mauled and killed by a dog in Sierra Vista early Friday morning, authorities said.

Police were alerted to a dog attack in an alley between Meadowlark Drive and Calle Del Norte and rushed to find the dog mauling a man, later identified as 53-year-old Sam Sanches Jr., in the backyard of the house.

The dog was put down to allow medics to get to the wounded man; behind the house, officers discovered 84-year-old Helene Jackson unresponsive with fatal wounds.

Jackson was taken to the Canyon Vista Medical Center where she succumbed to her injuries. Sanches remains in critical condition at Banner Medical Center.

Authorities said that another dog was gunned down after it returned to the mauling scene. A third canine, believed to be Jackson’s pet, was found dead behind the house.

The Sierra Vista Police Department’s Animal Control Office is investigating the three dogs’ deaths.