Please donate to support our work

DogsBite.org is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity organization. Learn more »

31 thoughts on “2020 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman Charged with Murder After Violent Pit Bull Attack in Rockcastle County, Kentucky

Please review our comment policy.

  1. and i thought a new record was going to be set-for how far into january this country could get before its 1st dog caused fatality….guess not

  2. People are a source of danger. The person who arrived to visit the property was a source of danger. How? Because she arrived bringing her dangerous pet animal with her. She failed to positively, physically control her dangerous animal at all times. When she arrived, she willfully or negligently unleashed death upon another unsuspecting person who had no advance notice, no warning, just only solely sudden deadly attack followed by four minutes to lose consciousness from having his lifeblood drained from his brain by having the pet dangerous animal remove some of his arteries and veins from his body. What a way to leave this earth, four minutes of having chunks of flesh removed from arms, legs, neck, face, in pure terror until merciful loss of consciousness occurs. Sent to Heaven by the hostility of the surface of the earth brought personally, bodily to him by a person that did Not love her neighbor as herself. If she did love her neighbor as herself, she would not have terminally imperiled him with her dangerous pet animal. In the past two weeks, how many people only got mauled one-third of the way to death? How many will be in constant pain and disability for life? Because it is legal to select sometimes unpredictably dangerous animals as pets. Why? Because of popular demand. Why? because evil people exist, and they are desirous of selecting dangerous animals as pets.

    • Too many people don’t train their dogs, and they let their pets wreak havoc in other people’s lives.

      Why was her dog free to kill him? Why was her dog still loose when the police got there?

      I fully realize she likely couldn’t control her dog after it flipped its switch.
      Maybe this was the dog’s first episode of aggression. Still, she could have left her dog at home, boarded it, crated it, etc. Negligence resulted in death.

      • Rachel, it does not matter if it was her dog’s first episode of aggression, this is the whole point of the pit bull: explosive, unpredictable, and tenacious aggression. Had her dog been any one of many other breeds, he would not be dead or even mauled. You also give understanding to her inability to not control the animal after it flipped. Again, another point about pits is that they are impossible to control, even by their owners.

        I have no sympathy for this woman who owned the dog. I suspect as more information comes out we will find that her visit was a long, extended stay or that she was a live-in girlfriend.

  3. The lack of common Sense and compassion shown by the owners of these attacking dogs is staggering. These victims deserve so much more… I am sure we will hear about how this attack was out of character for the dog, the dog may even be a victim of circumstance. So needless, and scary.

  4. Another pit bull owner who probably thought their sweet wiggle butt wouldn’t hurt a fly. Now a man is dead and the owner is hospitalized for the trauma of witnessing her pibble maul a grown man until he was dead.
    Another family left behind to mourn a loved one who never should have died.
    Another wave of nutters screaming “blame the deed, not the breed”, “it’s all in how you raise them”, “my pittie is the best f**king dog ever” and all the other tired, worn out, sorry ass excuses they spew when a human being is killed by a pit bull.
    Pit bulls are not compatible with civilized society. They are powerful, dangerous, unpredictable, unstoppable, killing machines – which is exactly what they were selectively bred for. They do their job exceptionally well. The number of people who can competently handle them are few and far between. They are not family pets. They are not service dogs. They are not “breed ambassadors”. They suck. And anyone who defends the breed ( or any killer dog, for that matter) in the wake of the death of a human should reevaluate their humanity, if they have any at all.
    10 days into the new year and sweet, misunderstood, unfairly maligned pit bulls have a human death under their belt. Pardon me if I’m not shocked or surprised.
    Condolences to the family of the victim.

  5. Late Friday night: wymt.com reports that Melissa Wolke, 38, of Mount Vernon is charged with murder in the death of 55 year old Donald Abner. She was taken to Rockcastle County detention center.
    Lex18.com reports that she attacked the victim and had clumps of his hair in her hand, and that she sicced her dog on the victim.

  6. I hope the 2019 death by dog toll is not repeated in 2020… but we all know there is gonna be at least 35+ poor victims by canine homicide, stay safe my US comrades…

  7. And the first human casualtie of 2020 goes to……

    Drumroll…………….a Pitbull

    I kind of like these outcomes.
    This way, you get rid of the dangerous dog and their pitnutt owners all at the same time.
    Everyone wins, lol

  8. I must that that her mugshots from 2017 through 1/2020 show a progression consistent with “Faces of Meth.” Did anyone find any manufacturing of meth or other drug charges on her?

    • Yes. Especially since in this case it wasn’t just a pit bull that was out of control, it was also the pit bull owner out of control (refusing to control her dog, threatening officers, reeking of alcohol, bloodshot eyes) and reportedly using her dog as a weapon.

      The assault pibble. For when a firearm just won’t do.

      Lovely dog for lovely people. /s

  9. She doesn’t even care. Insane. Thank God she is in jail for the rest of her life, hopefully. I’m just shocked for the utter depravity of it all.

  10. It’s may not possible to determine when a dog attack is pure selfish negligence or willful ignorance or actually intentional murder.

    Had this woman stopped attacking his dead body and acted frightened when first observed, she could have claimed that this horrific death was merely a “fatal dog attack.”

    I wonder when a child is killed if one parent wanted to end support payments?

    Or when a homeless teenager is killed in a fenced yard in the dark, was that murder to cover up a sexual assault?

    Want to get back at a neighbor? You’d get arrested if you key their car, but you can let your born-to-leave-home-to-kill fighting dog kill their dog inside it own fenced yard, and in most situations you get a measly citation.

    At the very least, all owners and handlers of dogs that severely maim or kill humans, dogs, other domestic animals should be charged with felony animal neglect and abuse, and banned from any dog ownership or contact for life.

    If you spend time on any of the game dog forums, losing dog privileges would be the ultimate punishment for those who receive vicarious pleasure from the violence and cruelty their game dogs provide.

    • This is a very scary point to ponder. You are likely correct that some of the attacks were murder but unfortunately, the police have such little interest in investigating these and the DA offices have even less interest in filing charges. I am going to think about this angle anytime one of the owners was present during the attack and especially anytime that maid witness goes into “shock” and has to be taken to the hospital. As far as I’m concerned, going into emotional shock is a cover.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *