A pit bull mauled to death a man who was apparently trying to save its owner from a heart attack . Roy Higgenbotham Jr , 62 , was savaged by the animal on Sunday evening while trying to revive David Wallace , 63 , police said . The two men appear both to have lived in the same house in Wheeling , West Virginia , which had been adapted to be two separate residences . Attack dog : The pit bull , a three-year-old female pictured above in quarantine , attacked Roy Higgenbotham Jr , 62 . Protective : The animal lashed out as its owner , David Wallace , 63 , was suffering a medical emergency . Wheeling police said they were called to the home and had to force their way in . At that point police say they found the two men , one of whom was unconscious and the other badly hurt . They were taken to a nearby hospital , where both were pronounced dead . The pit bull , a three-year-old female , was also found in the room . According to local news channel WTRF , the dog has now been quarantined . Though police believe the dog killed one of the men , they have said the official cause of death is still undetermined , and that tests and autopsies are being carried out . Wheeling police have said the dog was not on their register of dangerous animals . Neighbors who spoke to WTRF said they had never known the animal to be violent before . Home : Police had to break in to the house shown above in Wheeling , West Virginia , where both men apparently lived separately inside the same building .
Three-year-old dog attacked Roy West Virginia Jr , 62 , on Sunday . Police say he was trying to rescue housemate David Wallace , 63 . The two appear to have lived separately but at the same address . Investigators believed West Virginia was trying to save Wallace .