A pregnant northern California woman was mauled to death by her pet pit bull, which was later shot and killed, reports say.
The body of Darla Napora, 32, was found at her home in Pacifica, said police Captain Dave Bertini, according to NBC Bay Area affiliate KNTV.
The victim's husband found his wife around noon, with one of the family's pit bulls standing over her body, KNTV said. He was able to get the dog into the backyard before police arrived, but the animal escaped, charging the officers later.
Police fired three shots, killing the dog. The family's second pit bull, which was not believed to be involved in the incident, was removed and taken to the Peninsula Humane Society as a precaution, KNTV said.
A neighbor told the San Francisco Chronicle that she saw Napora’s distraught husband outside the house before authorities arrived on the scene.
"He was in the driveway all frantic, yelling," Kathy Carlson told the newspaper. "He had blood on his hands, blood on his shirt and blood down his pants."
A sign reading "Beware of the Dog" hung from a fence that wraps around the home, according to the San Jose Mercury News.
'She lived her own life'
Darold Larson of Yakima, Wash., told the Mercury News that his daughter was athletic and had a great sense of humor. She and her husband Greg had been married for two years.
"She lived her own life, no matter what anyone else said," he told the Mercury News. "She was an individual."
Local residents said they had not sensed any previous problem with the animals.
"They are not barking dogs. They seemed friendly," Carlson told the Chronicle of the two dogs owned by the Naporas. "I have a pit also, and he's an absolute angel. It's just really sad."
The Mercury News said Napora worked as a saleswoman for a local wine brokerage. The owner of the brokerage, Shannon Burke, told the paper that Darla Napora was at least six months along in her pregnancy.
"It's a big loss," the Mercury News quoted Burke as saying. "She was very much loved."
Investigators will perform a necropsy on the dog to determine whether it was sick in any way, the paper said.