Authorities in South Carolina say a 52-year-old woman was fatally mauled by her two pet dogs during an attack in her front yard this week.

According to WBRC, neighbors rushed to aid Nancy Cherryl Burgess-Dismuke after witnessing the gruesome incident.

One witness said the victim appeared to be playing with the pair of boxer-mix dogs when they attacked her together.

“They were trying to kill Miss Nancy,” recalled Amber Greer. “They wanted Miss Nancy to die. I don’t know what their beef was with that lady, but they were trying to kill Miss Nancy.”

She said the dogs attacked, latching onto her arms and not letting go. Despite the efforts of witness Denzel Whiteside to break up the attack with an ax, the damage had been done.

Another man joined in the futile effort to no avail.

“He grabbed the ax, I grabbed the driveshaft and we just beat the dog off of her,” William Long said.

“It was almost like the dogs didn’t feel it at all,” Whiteside said of his efforts to stop them.

Greenville County Sheriff’s Lt. Ryan Flood said the incident occurred at about 3 p.m. on Thursday at a mobile home community on Yale Street.

Reports indicate Burgess-Dismuke was transported to an area hospital where she was pronounced dead later the same evening.

According to local officials, the two dogs were taken into custody and were set to be put to sleep on Friday.

As WYFF reported, officials located several other small dogs at the residence.

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