Lake County officials investigating whether dogs killed woman

Authorities are investigating whether a 71-year-old woman was mauled to death by her two dogs Tuesday in an unincorporated area near Antioch.

The woman's 23-year-old grandson found her dead in a bedroom after returning from work about 5:30 p.m. He called 911 and said it appeared their two dogs attacked his grandmother, according to a news release from the Lake County sheriff's office.

Detectives who arrived a short time later to their house on the 26000 block of West Channel Avenue determined the woman sustained numerous dog bites on her body. One of the family's dogs, a German shepherd, was found roaming the neighborhood when police arrived. Lake County Animal Control took that dog and another, a lab/chow mix, into custody.

Authorities said the woman remained at home with the two dogs after her grandson went to work in the morning.

The Lake County coroner's office will conduct an autopsy Wednesday morning to determine a cause of death, and whether the dogs were a factor in her death because it's possible the woman died before being bitten.