Sheriff: Deadly Hog Attack One of the 'Worst Things I've Seen'

Authorities say feral hogs attacked and killed a woman outside a southeast Texas home where she worked as a caretaker. Christine Rollins cared for an elderly couple at their home in the small town of Anahuac. Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne said Monday the 84-year-old woman she cared for was waiting for Rollins to arrive on Sunday. The woman went outside and found the 59-year-old Rollins in the front yard between her car and the front door, the AP reports. Hawthorne says Rollins had a severe head wound consistent with a fall and "numerous injuries that appear to be animal-related," including bites.

The coroner in neighboring Jefferson County ruled Monday that Rollins bled to death after an attack by feral hogs. The cause of death was listed as "exsanguination due to feral hog assault," 12 News reports. The sheriff says it was a "very rare" incident. "I don't want to go into detail," Hawthorne says, per KHOU. "But, in my 35 years, I will tell you it's one of the worst things I've ever seen." He says authorities have put out traps to try to catch some of the hogs, which have long been a problem in the area. The sheriff says the couple Rollins was caring for owns around 12 acres, and "the feral hogs have taken over some of their family land."

(More Texas stories.)