A Florida man was found fatally mauled by a wild pack of dogs after attempting to take a shortcut home, a report said.

Melvin Olds Jr., 45, was discovered dead in a wooded area in Lake Placid, Fla. last week and officials later revealed that he received 100 dog bites, according to the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office.

The man’s family told a local TV outlet that he took a shortcut through the wooded path and never came home.

“I thought a dog was a man’s best friend,” his mother, Cynthia Hill, told WFLA-TV. “He was a good person, a good man. Just so hurt, deeply because it’s so unexpected.”

An autopsy showed that more than 100 dog bites were found on Olds’ body.

Officials captured six dogs whose bite size matches with the wounds. DNA from those dogs will be compared to DNA collected from Olds’ wounds in an attempt to make a a positive connection, officials said.

“While we may have the dogs that were responsible for this horrible tragedy, we won’t know for sure for a while,” Sheriff Paul Blackman said.

“I want to encourage residents of Highway Park and the surrounding area to be on the lookout for any loose dogs, especially those that seem aggressive. We don’t want anyone else to be injured.”

Area residents were warned not to approach loose dogs but instead contact authorities.