Man Apparently Mauled By Dogs; Cause Of Death Undetermined
El Paso County Sheriff’s investigators say a man found dead was apparently mauled by dogs.
He was well known in the small community of Socorro as Jim, homeless man who many considered a friend.
He was found dead this morning on the 700 block of Janis in far east El Paso county.
The gruesome discovery was made by some passers-by.
The homeless, elderly man, face down, with severe injuries to his upper body.
It was about 9:20 a.m. Wednesday when sheriff’s deputies were called out on a report of a dog mauling.
He was found near a make-shift home on a desert lot…neighbors tell us that’s where he lived.
That area has long had problems with stray dogs.
One neighbor tells us of a couple of pit bulls she had recently seen nearby.
Neighbors say Jim was nice, often seen with a walking stick, looking out for his neighbors and their property.
He never caused any problems and would stop by the nearby Mcdonald’s every day to fill his thermos up with coffee.
“I think I saw him in the area a couple of days ago, so it’s pretty shocking, pretty sad it ended up that way. It’s going to be sad not see him walking around,” said McDonald’s Supervisor, Carlos Elguea.
Sheriff’s deputies are not ruling out foul play and are waiting on an autopsy to find out what time Jim died and if it was during the dog mauling or before. The dog or dogs have not been found.
