CRAWFORD COUNTY, Ga. — Crawford County Sheriff's Office is investigating the death of a man who may have been mauled to death by pit bulls outside his home.
Sunday afternoon, Crawford County deputies found 76-year-old Lee Bechum dead outside his home.
"He did have bite marks on his body. We are going to send his body to the GBI crime lab for an autopsy," said Sheriff Lewis Walker.
Coroner Sheldon Mattox says Bechum's arms and legs were mauled with dog bites, likely from one or more of the pit bulls in the neighborhood.
County officials say three or four pit bulls live next door to where Bechum's house is. The neighbors say the dogs have been causing trouble since the owners moved in less than a year ago.
"I met the dog right here at that cedar tree. My wife was sitting there. I went in and got my shotgun. I went up here just a-waving my shotgun," said Monty Beverly, pointing out where he saw one of the pit bulls less than a month ago.
Beverly was Bechum's neighbor and friend.
Beverly says when he turned away, the dog, which he guessed weighed around 120 pounds, raced towards him four different times.
To defend himself and his wife, Beverly says he shot at the dog.
"If I knew them dogs were going to jump on my buddy down there, he'd be a dead dog. That's all I got to say," Beverly said.
Sheriff Lewis Walker says they won't take the neighbor's dogs until the cause of death is determined.
"If it's anything indicating that it was the dogs, then we'll be moving further with the investigation," Walker said.
Mattox says the autopsy has been rescheduled for Tuesday morning. He hopes to know the cause of death by then.
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