TACOMA, Wash. - The Mason County coroner says a cancer patient who died after being mauled by dogs died of natural causes, and not from injuries caused by the animals.

Michael Warner, a 55-year-old from Parkland, died on Sept. 12 at a nursing home in Shelton, about a month after he was found on the floor of his home. Authorities said it appeared that dogs in the home had used him as a "food source."

Warner's daughter and caretaker were arrested and 27 dogs were taken from the home. Warner had been dropped off at a hospital, where doctors discovered his injuries and called police.

The News Tribune of Tacoma reports that Coroner Wes Stockwell said a forensic pathologist performed an autopsy and determined Warner died from cancer-related natural causes and not from injuries caused by the dogs.

The autopsy results will be turned over to the Pierce County Sheriff's Office, which is investigating.