A Long Island woman was killed and her body found mutilated in her backyard after she was attacked by a dog that belonged to her step-son, who died just weeks ago, according to police, writes nbcnewyork.com.

After leaving for work Wednesday morning, the woman’s husband returned to the home on Terrace Court in Albertson around 1 p.m. to find his 70-year-old wife mangled and mauled in the backyard, the pit bull still going at her body, police said.

The man called police, and an officer who responded to the scene shot the dog after the canine turned and charged at him. The officer was taken to the hospital, police said, traumatized after what he had seen in the yard. Police described the scene as “horrific”.

The 7-year-old pit bull belonged to the woman’s step-son, who died less than two weeks ago in a motorcycle crash, according to police. He and the dog had lived at the parents’ house, and the parents had been looking after the canine since the step-son’s death.

The mother, Marina Gabunia Verriest, shared her heartache online in recent days on social media.

There is no criminality suspected and the dog is believed to be responsible for the woman’s death, but investigators don"t know how or why the animal attacked. There were no prior reports or complaints about the dog at the address.