Winterhaven man mauled by pack of dogs dies

The Winterhaven man who was mauled by a pack of dogs late last month died Friday in a Phoenix hospital, where he was being treated for the injuries he sustained.
 
Gordon Lykins, 48, was attacked on March 28, about a half-mile south of White Road, which is in the Bard area.
 
"One of the surgeons at Yuma Regional Medical Center said it was the worst case of trauma he had ever seen," said Sgt. Scott Sheppeard of the Imperial County Sheriff's Office.
 
According to Sheppeard, the case remains under investigation, but as of Monday afternoon, no charges have been filed against the dog's owner.
 
"We are continuing our investigation and trying to piece together any evidence," Sheppeard said. "We are in the process of trying to locate any witnesses."
 
The owner could faces charges later if the dogs taken from his property are identified as the ones who attacked Lykins, according to Sheppeard.
 
Eleven dogs were removed from a residence near where the mauling previously took place, and were taken to an El Centro animal control shelter. The dogs, of mixed breeds, were believed to have been loose at the time of the attack.
 
Sheppeard said authorities have not been able to determine if the 11 dogs were in fact the pack of dogs involved. He explained that Lykins had been kept under sedation while being treated for his wounds and was not able to identify the animals before he died.
 
The dogs, Sheppeard said, will remain at the animal shelter until the case is resolved.
 
Deputies from ICSO responded to the scene at about 6:45 p.m. after the unidentified owner of the dogs found the severely injured Lykins and called in a report.
 
Based on statements from two individuals who saw Lykins prior to the attack, the sheriff's office believes he was on a drainage canal road sometime between 2 and 6 p.m. when he was attacked.

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James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854.