A group of feral hogs mauled and killed a woman outside a home in Anahuac, Texas, early Sunday.
Christine Rollins, 59, who provided care for a couple at the house, was discovered by the 84-year-old homeowner, who became concerned when she didn’t show up for work on time, Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne told reporters at a news conference Monday.
“In my 35 years, I will tell you it’s one of the worst things I’ve ever seen,” said Hawthorne. Different-sized bites suggest multiple animals were involved in the pre-dawn attack, he noted.
Rollins’ body was found between her parked vehicle and the home’s front door, Hawthorne said. Jefferson County Medical Examiner Selly Rivers ruled the cause of death as “exsanguination due to feral hog assault.”
Hawthorne called the fatal mauling “unbelievably tragic” and rare. He said he’d found reports of fewer than six deaths caused by wild pigs in the U.S. since records began.
Tony Sandles Jr., Rollins’ son-in-law, described her death as ”just shocking.”
“It was just a tragic way to find out she passed away. Her birthday is Christmas Day, she was supposed to be turning 60, so we were preparing to get ready for that day,” Sandles told KPRC Click2Houston. “She would not only give you the shirt off her back but also the pants as well. She was just that type of person.”