Constable: "Preliminary Info Victim Deceased of Many Dog Bites"
An elderly woman found dead in a bayou in northwest Harris County apparently had bite marks.
Cause of Death Released
UPDATE 11/20/23: The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences website lists the primary cause of death of Sau Nguyen as "multiple sharp force and blunt force injuries." The manner of death was an accident. Both are indicative of a fatal dog mauling. The autopsy report is not yet complete. The place of death is listed as "ditch Houston, TX." Records at the Forensic Sciences website are updated every 30 minutes. Harris County Veterinary Public Health still has not released any dog breed data.
11/16/23: Woman Found Dead
Harris County, TX - On Wednesday, the body of a 79-year old woman was discovered dead by her son in a bayou near their northwest Houston home. Investigators said she appeared to have multiple bite marks. Her body was found near the 6100 block of Downwood Forest Drive near Bold Forest. Her family said she typically takes a daily walk, but did not return from her walk Wednesday afternoon. That's when her two sons began searching for her. She was discovered face down in the water.
According to neighbors, there was one home on the block where dogs frequently escaped from. One of the neighbors even told the victim to look out for the dogs on her walk Wednesday. Another unidentified neighbor said, "They attacked the neighbors. They even killed some of the dogs, pets, you know, the little, small chihuahuas and everything. We lost a life because of wild dogs." The video footage shows a German shepherd-mix and another shepherd-type being detained by authorities.
Her two sons identified their mother as Sau Nguyen. In the 1970s, she came to Houston from Vietnam with her husband to raise her children. According to a recent update by the Harris County Sheriff's Office, the investigation is ongoing and there is no indication that dogs were involved (Why then did officials seize seven dogs?). An autopsy will confirm her cause of death. Her death appears to have similarities to Robert Simonian, who died of drowning, but also sustained multiple dog bites.
"The last time this happened, about a month ago, they attacked someone in the same exact spot this lady was found, back here on the bayou," neighbor Reed Folwell told KRIV. The owner was ticketed at that time. "We asked the police when they came, 'What is it going to take to get this taken care of?' Does somebody have to die?" Three weeks prior to the dogs attacking Simonian, the dogs had been returned to their owner after being suspected of killing a man at the exact same canal location.
Neighbors Agitated
A subsequent KRIV video shows at least six of the seven dogs. The video also shows neighbors tense and agitated while constables were still at the scene. Neighbors had complained to authorities about these dogs for over a year prior to the woman's death. Folwell provided Ring camera video too, where he tries to escape the dog pack by fleeing into his home, saying "Holy Shit!" Neighbors cheered, hollered and clapped their hands after the dogs were loaded into the animal control vehicle.
In a tweet on Wednesday night, the preliminary cause of death was also announced. Pct. 1 Constable Alan Rosen tweeted out, "One of our most vulnerable communities- our senior citizens! 80 yr. old mom found deceased by her own family after not coming home from a walk. Preliminary info victim deceased of many dog bites." A spokesperson from Harris County Veterinary Public Health also provided a written statement about the case, finally nailing down the time her body was discovered.
"On November 15th, at approximately 11 p.m., animal control officers were dispatched to Downwood Forest Drive in northwestern Harris County, Texas," said a spokesperson from Harris County Veterinary Public Health. "The call was made by Constable Precinct 1 after a woman was found dead. The officers retrieved seven dogs, which were surrendered by their owner. The dogs are currently under the custody of the Harris County Pets Resource Center. The case is under investigation."
Multiple dogs were seized after a woman was found dead in a bayou in northwest Houston.
Video from KPRC shows a photograph of the dog pack snapped by a neighbor recently.
The owner of the chihuahua killed by the dogs said the same canines have killed 7 dogs.
This suspected fatal dog mauling in Harris County could be the seventh since late 2021.
Related articles:
10/12/23: 2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Tomball Woman, 59, Killed by Pet Rottweiler in the Backyard...
02/01/23: 2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Houston Man Killed by Pit Bull-Mixes While Trying to Save...
Law enforcement departments across the United States should release consistent "baseline" information to the media and the public after each fatal dog mauling, including these items.
There was a bill passed bipartisanally and good Ole Greg abbott vetoed it way to go numb nuts!
The bill was re-introduced in the special session in October (https://sanantonioreport.org/after-abbott-veto-san-antonio-lawmakers-reintroduce-ramon-najera-act-for-dangerous-dogs/), which has now expanded into a 4th special session (https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/07/texas-legislature-special-session-adjourns/) — it was nixed again, apparently.
Ty for the info Colleen
While it is unknown what her cause of death is, “Harris County Public Health, which oversees Animal Control, said seven dogs were surrendered by their owner.”
Google says Houston has a four-dog limit per household.
My sister and her husband sponsored a large family from Vietnam in the 70’s. They were incredibly grateful to escape the war and be in a safe country to rear their children. This poor soul who was murdered by a pack of dogs did not deserve to die this way. Her heartbroken son’s tears say it all. We now live in a war zone where taking a walk is considered dangerous. These last few weeks, the bodies are stacking up and nothing will be done to stop it. Dog packs are a systemic problem in many states. These are “crime scenes” not “accidents.” My heart goes out to this elderly woman and her grieving family.
Having looked at the posted dog pictures, it is my opinion that none is a German shepherd dog. Some might be GSD mixes. GSDs, in general, don’t have the type temperament to run off in order to kill.
It is terrible that an elderly woman lost her life merely going for a walk. There is no good excuse for the killer dogs being allowed to run loose. Why own them? Farmers with guns would handle this, and the problem would quickly go away.
You can DNA tests dogs for ancestry. Some flashy condos DNA test dog poop to fine/evict the owners for not picking up. It costs about $80-120/
Suddenly, when it comes to dog attacks, “we’re not sure which dog, did it.”
Another senior citizen murdered by the dogs of some air-brained numbskull.
This post has been updated with additional information, also KRIV got a shot of most of the seven dogs https://blog.dogsbite.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/dead-in-bayou-large-multiscreen.jpg
That is unacceptable
Does anyone remember the individual killed by the “dachshunds” which were pitbulls or pitbull mixes?
Calling those dogs pictured to be GSDs or GSD mixes is ridiculous.
People who see large dogs with ears that stand frequently call them GSDs.
More photos only came out in the last day. The initial photos were captured from poor video footage at night. No one knows, except the owner apparently, what these mixed-breeds are. Harris County Veterinary Public Health certainly has not shed any light. The Oklahoma “dachshund” comparison is like comparing apple to oranges. The vet who put the dogs down identified them as pit bull/pit bull-mixes and the photos of the dogs were a lot clearer. https://blog.dogsbite.org/2018/05/dog-bite-fatality-ardmore-woman-killed-by-dogs.html
Those dogs are either Turkish Kangal mixes or Anatolian shepherd mixes
The Anatolian shepherds are becoming more common. We have a pair next door and the male especially gets really crazy. As they breed with other dogs it’s going to become a problem.
if you look closer you can see the female dog that’s been nursing puppies standing under a tree that’s probably their mother she looks very Anatolian Shepherd
The cause of death is out. She was killed by dogs.
Colleen: you are doing some of the most important journalism in the USA today. Thank you.
Also the cockroach capital of America, Houston sounds like a real shit hole. Let’s see when the owners of those dogs are ever even named.