JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Multiple dogs were seized from a property one day after a dead body was found nearby off Ricker Road on Jacksonville’s Westside.
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This all happened on the 6800 block of Ricker Road. It started when a body was found Saturday morning, then Sunday night, police were back at the same spot seizing numerous dogs from an adjacent property.
Police gave the following statement after a dead body was found at 2 a.m. on Saturday:
“At this time, we do not know the circumstances of the incident or of the relationships of those involved.”
Then Sunday night, News4JAX learned of a large police presence at the exact same spot. Neighbors said they saw police with shovels. When our photojournalist arrived we spotted numerous emaciated-looking dogs being taken from the property.
News4JAX returned to the property this morning and found it’s secured by a gate and has several ‘no trespassing’ signs.
We came across a woman who identified herself as the owner locking the gate. She said she didn’t own the dogs but they had wandered on her property. It’s unclear how long they had been there.
She said she couldn’t say much about what happened.
“Well, we’re not gonna’ talk about it,” she said. “It’s in the police’s hands right now so I can not talk about it. Not to discuss it with anybody, family or anything.”
Police have not confirmed if there’s a direct link between the body they found and the seized dogs.
Recently, a man was severely injured on Ponte Vedra Beach after being attacked by dogs.
Also, Putnam County renamed a post office in honor of a mail carrier that was fatally attacked by dogs.
News4JAX Crime and Safety Analyst said incidents like these are preventable.
“It’s so unnecessary, that’s the problem behind incidents like these,” Hackney said. “Because folks who own animals, who own dogs really need to be responsible owners and keep them penned in yards. It’s the animals that run loose that cause these kinds of problems. And it just seems more and more here lately we’re hearing more about it in our own backyard.”