A 19-year-old woman has died after being attacked by a dog at a property in Essex.

Police have arrested a 37-year-old man on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control and causing injury resulting in death, after the incident on Friday. He is now in police custody.

Assistant chief constable, Stuart Hooper, said: “I know this incident will be a shock to the local community. My thoughts, and those of us all at Essex police, are with the loved ones of the woman who died yesterday.”

Essex police said they were called to an address in Dunmow on Friday evening, where they found the 19-year-old woman with serious injuries. She was later pronounced dead at the scene.

Police have said they believe she had been attacked by a dog at a property in Long Hide, in the village of Leaden Roding. The dog had been seized to ensure the scene was safe, police added.

In 2024, there were 31,920 dog attacks on people recorded in England and Wales, a 2% increase from the previous year, according to figures obtained from freedom of information requests made by the BBC to police forces.

The force said officers will be in the area on Saturday and appealed to the community for any further information.