Multiple dogs seized from Westside Jacksonville property a day after body found nearby

JACKSONVILLE, Florida. – News4JAX continues to follow a strange string of events in one Westside Jacksonville neighborhood that continued throughout the weekend.

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It all happened in the 6800 block of Ricker Road. It all started when a body was found Saturday morning, and on Sunday evening, police returned to the same location, taking multiple dogs from a neighboring property.

Police issued the following statement after the body was found at 2 a.m. Saturday:

“At this time we do not know the circumstances of the incident or the accounts of those involved in the incident.”

Then Sunday evening, News4JAX learned of a large police presence at the same location. Neighbors reported seeing officers with shovels. When our photographer arrived, we saw numerous emaciated dogs being taken from the property.

This morning, the News4JAX crew returned to the property to find it gated and marked with several no-trespassing signs.

We came across a woman who introduced herself as the owner closing the gate. She said she didn’t own the dogs but they were wandering around her property. It’s unclear how long they had been there.

She said she couldn’t say much about what happened.

“Well, we won’t talk about it,” she said. “It’s in the hands of the police now, so I can’t talk about it. I won’t talk about it with anyone, family or anything.”

Police have not confirmed whether there is a direct link between the body found and the confiscated dogs.

Recently, a man was seriously injured on Ponte Vedra beach after a dog attack.

Additionally, a post office in Putnam County was renamed after a mail carrier who was fatally attacked by dogs.

A News4JAX crime and safety analyst said incidents like this are preventable.

“It’s so unnecessary that this is the problem behind these incidents,” Hackney said. “Because people who have animals, who have dogs, really need to be responsible owners and keep them in pens in their backyards. It’s the animals running loose that cause these kinds of problems. And it seems like we’re hearing more and more about it in our own backyards lately.”