By Carey Gillam

(Reuters) - Police in Arizona on Sunday were probing what prompted a bloody domestic assault that left a woman and her two dogs decapitated and the man she lived with hospitalized with serious injuries, including a partly severed arm.

The grisly scene was discovered Saturday morning after a neighbor decided to check on the welfare of a married couple he knew had mental health issues.

When the husband opened the door to the couple's home he was naked, a portion of his left forearm was cut off, his right eye was missing, and large amounts of blood were seen throughout the home, according to Phoenix police.

The neighbor called police who entered the home and found the headless body of Trina Heisch, 49, in a bedroom closet along with two dogs. The animals had also been decapitated. Large amounts of blood was spread across floors, cabinets and walls of the apartment, police said.

The suspect, who police have not named, but said was believed to be Heisch's husband, was taken to an area hospital where he underwent surgery. Police said he admitted to killing "three of his family members" and will be charged in Heisch's murder when released from the hospital.

Investigators said both the suspect and victim have a history of mental illness, domestic violence and drug abuse. The suspect was arrested in 2003 for attempting to kill a family member, and Heisch was arrested in March for domestic violence assault, when it was alleged she tried to stab the suspect, police said.

Police said family members reported that the two met and married after meeting in a mental health facility.







(Reporting By Carey Gillam, editing by David Evans)