Texas woman mauled to death by pet pit bulls

HOUSTON (AP) -- Four pit bull terriers fatally mauled a woman who had raised them from puppies, authorities said Wednesday.

Dorothy Carter, 52, was found Tuesday night by her husband after he returned to their home in Splendora, 35 miles northeast of Houston. The dogs, which weighed between 45 pounds and 100 pounds, were standing over her body.

Bernard Lee Carter, 50, said the dogs had always protected his wife and had never been aggressive. He said his wife recently had a seizure and the dogs tried to get her to get up by pulling on her hair. He suggested the same thing happened Tuesday.

But a preliminary finding from Harris County medical examiners concluded she was killed by the dogs.

"There were a lot of bites all over her," police Sgt. Mark Seals said. "It's probably the worst I've seen."