Man died of dog bite injuries, postmortem finds

West Midlands Police released this image of one of the dogs they were looking for

A man found dead outside a house in Birmingham died as a result of injuries consistent with being bitten by a dog, police have said.

The 33-year-old victim, who was looking after his brother's dogs, was found dead in the back garden of a home on Hereford Close in Rubery on Wednesday.

Two dogs believed to have been involved in his death were found on grassland off Merritts Hill at about 09:30 BST, following information from the public.

Police seized two dogs from the scene and launched an urgent appeal for help in tracing a further two American bulldog types.

Flowers and candles have been left outside the house on Hereford Close

West Midlands Police said the missing dogs were detained by specialist dog handlers on Friday and had been taken to kennels, with tests to confirm their breed expected to conclude next week.

Officers had been called to Hereford Close in the early hours of Wednesday to reports a number of dogs were loose.

They found the victim outside where they seized the first two dogs.

At a press conference on Thursday, Insp Leanne Chapman of the West Midlands Police dog unit said one of the two dogs that was previously seized had suffered “injuries to his head".

She confirmed the dogs had been living at the house where the man was found but the victim had been living elsewhere.

Police were called to a home on Hereford Close in the early hours of Wednesday

Police said they were working on the belief the victim had been "attacked by at least one dog, which may have contributed to his death".

Ms Chapman added: "We've got no history of these dogs biting as far as the police are aware."

There was no information which had suggested the dogs were not well looked after, she said.

• Watch: On the hunt for dogs suspected of killing man

CCTV footage captured two hours after police were called showed two dogs by a nearby property, although it is not clear whether they were the missing animals

West Midlands Police issued an update on Friday to confirm the two dogs officers had been looking for had been detained and said it didn't believe there were any other dogs outstanding.

The force thanked the public for their help and advised anyone with information to get in contact.