An Alabama woman in her 60s, Rita Thomas, was found dead in her Remlap house after not being heard from for weeks. Disturbingly, responding deputies found that her famished dogs had eaten her remains.
Videos by Suggest
As reported by AL.com, Blount County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) deputies conducted a welfare check on Saturday, October 11. Concerned neighbors had called the BCSO after not hearing from the sexagenarian woman in weeks. In addition, her mailbox was full.
At around 4 p.m., BCSO deputies arrived at her home on Tyler Road, in the census-designated place of Remlap. Upon entering the residence, the deputies witnessed a horrifying and disturbingly graphic scene.
Horrifying Scene
WBRC reported that Thomas’ remains, including her bones, were found spread across her property. Reportedly, this was caused by apparent animal feeding, and some of her remains were not found. Authorities believe the deceased woman’s two dogs ate her while famished.
Authorities believe that Rita Thomas, based on evidence found at the scene, had been dead for as long as seven to eight weeks. The animals, the dogs and a cat, were left unattended and unfed for that long. This triggered, as a result, their carnivore instincts in an effort to survive.
This led to them not only consuming Thomas’ remains, but also other wild animals, authorities believe.
This famishing was fueled by the fact that the dogs had wireless perimeter collars. This technology uses GPS coordinates to establish a perimeter around a house, alerting the dogs with tones or vibrations should they attempt to escape the aforementioned perimeter.
The two dogs had to be euthanized, given that human remains consumption represents a biohazard for most animal shelters. The cat, meanwhile, was found to be very unhealthy, as it was seen to be lethargic and malnourished. Similarly to the dogs, the cat was also euthanized, given its health decline.
Blount County Sheriff Mark Moon detailed that there is no suspected foul play in the death of Rita Thomas, KRCR reported. He also emphasized that her death was not a result of a dog attack. It is believed that the woman suffered a medical event while at home, with evidence suggesting she died of natural causes.
The investigation remains ongoing.