Woman mauled to death by her dogs while taking them for a walk

A 22-year-old woman was found dead in the woods in the US last week after she was brutally mauled to death by her dogs, police say.

Bethany Lynn Stephens' body was found by her father when he went looking for his daughter in Goochland, Virginia as she often walked her dogs there.

Her father found the dogs and quickly called emergency services, telling them the dogs appeared to be "guarding" her body, American broadcaster WTVR reports.

Police arrived and spent between 60 and 90 minutes attempting to catch the dogs, described as pit bulls.

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"It appeared the attack was a violent attack initiated by the victims' dogs while the victim was out for a walk with the dogs," Sheriff Agnew said the Medical Examiner's initial report indicated.

"The victim had defensive wounds on her hands and arms trying to keep the dogs away from her, which would be consistent with being attacked while she was still alive."

Agnew described the dogs as "big, strong, powerful dogs" but said he doesn't have any history on the animals. He said "you would suspect they were bred for fighting, just in looking at them."

In the initial investigation, it appears the first traumatic injury Ms Stephens suffered was to her throat and face.

"It appears she was taken to the ground, lost consciousness, and the dogs then mauled her to death," he said.

While the investigation was considered ongoing, Sheriff Agnew said there were no strangulation marks on Stephens' body and this was not a homicide.

Agnew said it was a bloody scene, littered with scraps of clothing and that it took investigators eight hours to collect over 60 pieces of evidence.

The dogs are with Goochland Animal Control and the sheriff's office will pursue euthanisation.

"It was an absolutely grisly mauling," Sheriff Agnew said.

"In my 40 years of law enforcement I've never seen anything quite like it. I hope I never see anything like it again."