KUALA LUMPUR: A monk was found dead in his room with serious dog bite injuries, and his pet pit bull, a one-year-old named Jord, was discovered with him at a temple in the Muang district in Nonthaburi, Thailand.
Police, responding to a report, found a monk's body lying face down in a pool of blood at the scene.
They found Phra Bundit Butrasane, 46, with his right hand missing and noticeable bite marks on his face.
The right side of his head also showed deep bite wounds that appeared to go down to the bone.
According to a report in the Bangkok Post, police believe Phra Bundit had been dead for two days before his body was discovered by a temple disciple, identified only as Ou.
Ou, 27,said he had not seen the monk since Saturday.
Late on Monday, he noticed that the lights were still on in the monk's room. He knocked on the door but received no answer.
Ou then opened the door from the inside, leaning in through a shutter window, and found the monk's body on the floor.
The pit bull, Jord, immediately ran out of the room upon the door opening, according to Ou.
The exact cause of death is still unclear.
Police are waiting for the results of the post-mortem examination to determine if the monk died from health complications or from an attack.
Although Phra Bundit had raised Jord since it was a puppy and kept the dog in his living quarters, Ou suspects that the pit bull may have attacked the monk.
He described the dog as aggressive and overly possessive.
He said Phra Bundit had been bitten by Jord before, and even jumped up and bit the monk when he handed something to Ou.