Pit bull carcasses and bones littered the yard and woods surrounding the ring. Bones, blood and death were everywhere.

Sunday afternoon, an anonymous caller guided a Burke County deputy to a bloodied dogfighting ring behind a trailer near Midville.

It was a scene that seasoned investigators are calling "sickening" and "infuriating."

"It was just hanging in a tree," Sgt. Matt Raulerson says as he points to a photograph of a strangled, fly-covered dog dangling from its leash.

Other photos show blood sopped sponges, rags and collars and pit bull carcasses in various stages of decay. One recently deceased dog has most of its face ripped off.

"This had been going on for quite some time," Sgt. Raulerson says as he flips through images of sun bleached skulls and vertebrae scattered throughout the backyard and woods behind the Scott's Store Road trailer.

According to deputies, Sonya Michelle Walker, 28, was living inside with her young children.

She told them she was unaware of the overpowering stench and the dead bodies outside, but acknowledged her children's father, William Moody Jr., 31, would bring dogs to her home.

This strangled pit bull was found dangling by its leash from a tree limb. Walker turned herself into authorities Monday on charges of dogfighting and aggravated cruelty to animals, and arrest warrants were issued for Moody on like charges. The Division of Family and Children Services was called on to investigate the welfare of their children.

Investigators say as many as 12 to 15 vehicles had been parked outside Walker's trailer when a lone deputy got the call and walked up on the homemade ring. Finding no one outside, she quickly retreated and called for backup.

But by the time deputies returned, the crowd had disassembled the ring and fled the area. Moody's brother, Calvin, was seen running into the woods and is still wanted for obstruction.

Augusta Animal Services (AAS) seized six puppies and three adult dogs, including an extremely malnourished nursing mother and older pit bull mix chained so tightly to a tree that his body scraped it when he tried to move.

"I think he was a roll-out dog," AAS field supervisor Bruce McClure says, pointing out the dog's facial wounds and swollen head. "When (dogfighters) want to test the aggression of new dogs, they'll send them into the ring with an old fighter like this one. They let them spar for a while and then separate them. It's a confidence builder for the younger dogs."

McClure says there's no telling how many dogs met their ends behind the trailer. Besides the heavy scattering of bones, there are numerous dirt mounds and patches indicating other animals were buried.

"It's a horrific crime," McClure says, noting the dog found hanging in the tree is not an unusual find. "It's a sport within the dogfight … when a dog is not a good fighter it's no longer desirable and is often killed in painful, treacherous ways."

He says it's not uncommon for one of these "turned" dogs to be dangled from a tree limb for the purpose of training and betting. "They'll take bets on whose dog can clamp onto the legs and hold on the longest," he explains. "Sometimes the dog will be lowered so that puppies can train too."

Investigators say they're currently working to identify some of the dogfighters and spectators that got away and hope the public will step up with information.

It could pay big for those who do. The Humane Society of the United States offers a reward up to $5,000 to any tipster who provides information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in dogfighting.

KNOW SOMETHING?

If you have information about this or any other dogfighting operation, call Burke County investigators at 706-554-2133. To find out more about the reward, go to the humane society's website at www.hsus.org, then follow the "campaigns and programs" link to "animal cruelty and fighting."