HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Deputies are investigating a suspected dog attack after a man’s body was found just feet away from his bicycle in the Channelview area early Friday morning.
Investigators with the Harris County Sheriff's Office said the body was found at about 1 a.m. with multiple puncture wounds. It is not clear how long the body had been there.
The body appeared to have been dragged away from the bicycle, investigators said. They added that it is not clear how many dogs may have been involved, but that the area is known for packs of stray dogs.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the body was found on Garlang Street near Sheldon Road near some commercial lots after it was spotted by a driver passing by.
The sheriff said the victim appears to be a Hispanic man in his 30s to 40s. They have not been able to identify him yet.
There were several evidence markers visible at the scene. Investigators said there are homes on the street where the body was found but have not found any witnesses.
While investigators do not know where the dog or dogs came from, neighbors think they know where they came from. They said there have been close calls stemming from one house.
“It’s awful for a person to die like that. It’s really sad and unfortunate,” Sam Treviño said. “My wife was checking the mail one day and one of the pit bulls came running at her. The owner chased it down, stopped it before they got to my wife, which was a good thing.”
Jerry Davila said pit bulls from the same home cross the ditch to his restaurant.
“They go look for food around our dumpster and we chase ‘em off. Now, they’re getting to where they attacked him. They’ve never attacked anybody. Now they have,” said Davila, owner of El Tejano Restaurant.
People on the street said this neighborhood has a stray problem.
“Animal control’s been here twice," Davila said." They can’t do nothing about it because they don’t catch the dogs, but they’ve seen the dogs, and the owner says it’s not their dogs. So, unless we catch ‘em…how do you catch ‘em in the act?”
A man outside the home with the pit bulls said he’s already spoken to investigators. He didn’t want to say anything else.
Investigators are hoping to find surveillance video that might shed clues as to what happened. Investigators are asking residents to check their surveillance to see if anything was caught on camera and call homicide investigators at 713-274-9100.