Texas Man Eaten Alive by Unleashed Dogs Dies Waiting for Transplant

A Texas man who lost both his legs after being mauled by a trio of unleashed dogs earlier this month has died, authorities say.

Nicolas Vasquez, who lived in the Houston suburb Huffman, died after 10 days in the hospital of organ failure while waiting for a liver transplant, according to a GoFundMe . He had been on life support since the attack.

Family and community members are now pushing the Harris County Sheriff's Office to arrest the dogs' owners. A spokesperson for the sheriff told the Houston Chronicle that charges are pending and the investigation is "nearly complete." The sheriff did not respond to a request for comment from The Daily Beast.

Vasquez, 51, was attacked as he walked home the evening of June 9, witnesses told ABC 13 . Neighbor Calvin Stoy said he heard dogs barking, followed by moans. When he went to investigate, Vasquez was lying in a ditch with three "pitbull mixes" attacking him until Stoy intervened.

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"Both legs were torn up bad, hands and arms," Stoy said. "He had bites on his head. He was in really bad shape. He lost a lot of blood."

First responders took Vasquez to a hospital, and the dogs were seized by animal control. As of Tuesday, the dogs were at a veterinary public health facility being held as evidence, an employee from Harris County Public Health said.

Community members have lashed out against the owners—who have not been named by authorities or neighbors—in Facebook groups.

Nicki Edwardson, who lived next door to Vasquez, said the dogs involved have been an issue for at least three years, attacking people in the neighborhood and often roaming the streets. She said they even attacked Vasquez a few months prior to the fatal mauling, sending him to the hospital for surgery.

Edwardson described Vasquez, who went by Mickey, as a quiet, hard-working mechanic who never married or had children. She said Vasquez's mother in El Salvador is doing everything she can to bring her son back home.

"Friends please pray for Mickey’s family," said Sherie Morris-Anderson in a Facebook post . "If you lived off Havard or ever stopped at MS Express you probably encountered this sweet little man. He was kind and never bothered anyone. This horrible, horrible thing should not have happened. Please keep your animals up, don’t let them run the neighborhood."