'They were neglected': Beloved dogs that ate their owner, 22, 'had recently started living outside in an outside kennel at her father's home as she went through a divorce and weren't being fed regularly', say cops

  • Sergeant Mike Blackwood says the two dogs that killed their owner, Bethany Stephens, were 'a little bit neglected' 
  • Friends said the 22-year-old treated her dogs like children, but they had been living with her father for the past couple of months due to her divorce
  • The dogs went from living indoors to being held in a cage outside 
  • The only time they were fed or got human interaction was when Bethany visited, about five days a week 
  • Stephens' body was discovered by her father about a day after she had taken the dogs for a walk 
  • Cops said the dogs were chewing on Stephens' ribs when they arrived at the gruesome scene in the woods 
  • They've ruled out foul play in her death and the dogs have been euthanized

By Ashley Collman For Dailymail.com and Hannah Parry For Dailymail.com and Regina F. Graham For Dailymail.com

Published: 08:36 EDT, 20 December 2017 | Updated: 17:03 EDT, 20 December 2017

The two pit bulls that mauled their 22-year-old owner to death last week in Virginia had been neglected recently, police said on Tuesday.

Tonka and Pac-Man were treated like princes by their owner Bethany Stephens. But a couple of months ago, Stephens went through a divorce and had to move the dogs to her dad's house, where they became increasingly isolated. 

Sergeant Mike Blackwood said that the dogs were a 'little bit neglected towards the end' because Bethany's father, John, didn't think it was his responsibility to take care of the dogs.

The dogs went from living inside to living in a cage outside 'in the cold'. The only time that they were fed or were able to interact with a human was when Bethany visited, about five times a week on average. 

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Sergeant Mike Blackwood says the two dogs that killed their owner, Bethany Stephens (pictured), were 'a little bit neglected' 

Sergeant Mike Blackwood says the two dogs that killed their owner, Bethany Stephens (pictured), were 'a little bit neglected' 

Friends said the 22-year-old (pictured with one of the killer dogs) treated her dogs like children, but they had been living with her father for the past couple of months due to her divorce 

Friends said the 22-year-old (pictured with one of the killer dogs) treated her dogs like children, but they had been living with her father for the past couple of months due to her divorce 

'She left the dogs with her father, her father was not taking care of the dogs,' Sgt. Mike Blackwood with the Goochland County Sheriff's Office explained. ' It wasn't his responsibility, and she would come home maybe five times to the father's house a week on average and take the dogs out.' 

Certified master dog trainer Valerie Paul told WTVR that this was a 'huge lifestyle change for the two dogs, and certainly something that could have caused a 'negative scenario'. 

'The breed in and of itself is a high energy breed, they like to have a lot of structure and a lot of exercise, so by keeping them in a pin, alone, under socialized, away from people, that energy is just building up and building up and building up and that's when you start to see dogs fighting more regularly, that's when you start to see more negative scenarios,' Paul said. 

The dogs went from being indoor dogs to living in an outdoor kennel 24/7 at her father John's house 

The dogs went from being indoor dogs to living in an outdoor kennel 24/7 at her father John's house 

Bethany's body was found in the woods Thursday evening, a day after leaving the house to take the dogs for a walk. 

On Monday, Goochland County Sheriff James Agnew ruled out foul play, describing the horrific scene he and his officers found.

'Let me cut right to the chase, the most important detail that we did not release because we were worried about the well-being of the family is that in the course of trying to capture the dogs early Friday morning, we turned and looked… I observed, as well as four other deputy sheriffs, the dogs eating the ribcage on the body,' Agnew told Pix 11. 'The injuries were very severe. 

Agnew, who said that Stephens had already been dead when they found her, also described the blood covered scene, but said investigators had ruled out widespread suggestions that she could have been killed by a bear or coyote.

'There was no evidence of any larger animal there,' Agnew said. 'The medical examiner made it pretty clear that it was not a large animal because the bite wounds didn't puncture her skull.

'There were also scratch marks consistent with a smaller animal than something like a bear.'

Agnew said that they also didn't believe she'd been killed by a person.

The medical examiner ruled out with 'complete certainty' sexual assault, adding that they were no strangulation marks on her body. 

Investigators had also spoken to witnesses and people known to Stephens, and 'people's movements... don't fit with that particular narrative.'

However, police are still investigating and are carrying out forensic tests.

Stephens' friend doesn't think the dogs would have attacked her, noting they slept in the bed with her at night. The friend said it looked like the dogs had escaped their kennels to help her

Stephens was 5-feet-1 and 125 pounds, weighing roughly the same amount as her dogs
The brindle-colored pit bulls were said to have been bred for fighting

Stephens was 5-feet-1 and 125 pounds, weighing roughly the same amount as her dogs. The brindle-colored pit bulls were said to have been bred for fighting

But Stephens' friend, Barbara Norris (above), does not believe the dogs would kill Stephens and thinks she was murdered. She said: 'Those dogs would not attack her. They'd kill you with kisses.'

But Stephens' friend, Barbara Norris (above), does not believe the dogs would kill Stephens and thinks she was murdered. She said: 'Those dogs would not attack her. They'd kill you with kisses.'

Cops captured the dogs at the scene but the animals have since been euthanized, with the family's consent on Saturday.

'What I observed personally, it was in the community's best interest,' Agnew said. 'Once a dog tastes human flesh it is not safe to have that dog around humans.' 

The police said they had decided to share more details on the case because of the rampant rumors and theories spreading through their community in the wake of Stephens' death.

Stephens' friend, Barbara Norris, told NBC12  that she didn't believe the dogs would kill Stephens and that they slept in her bed at night.  

'Those dogs would not attack her,' she said. 'They'd kill you with kisses.'  

Norris said that the dogs' kennels appeared to have been broken open, as if the dogs had escaped to help Stephens. 

But the dogs — described as being 'very large, brindle-colored pit bull dogs' — were said to be aggressively guarding her body when Stephens' father came across them, according to Goochland County Sheriff James L. Agnew, the Richmond-Times Dispatch reported.   

Initial medical examiner's reports indicated that Stephens, who stood 5-foot-1 and weighted 125 pounds, had defensive wounds on her hands and arms.

Her wounds, which also included puncture wounds in her skull, were consistent with having been mauled.

'The first traumatic injury to her was to her throat and face,' Agnew said, adding that, 'It appears she was taken to the ground, lost consciousness, and the dogs then mauled her to death.'     

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Dogs that ate their owner in Virginia 'had been neglected'

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