Coco, 86-years old, died after a rampage attack carried out by two family pit bulls.
Corresponding Post
Oviedo, FL - On the morning of May 22, a Seminole County Sheriff deputy responded to a home in the 4600 block of Tiffany Woods Circle. Upon arrival, the deputy was met by individuals "yelling and screaming saying that the two dogs had gone crazy" and that "multiple people had been bitten," according to the sheriff's report. Three family members were transported to a hospital with severe dog bite injuries. The elderly family member died while still hospitalized on June 20.
Despite the dramatic nature of this multi-victim family pit bull attack, there were no media reports. We learned of it after requesting public records.
The deputy observed "an elderly female laying on her side on a futon," states the report. She was surrounded by a large amount of blood. "Her right arm was obviously broken with the bone sticking out of the skin near the wrist." There was a large amount of blood around her head area due to a facial bite, according to the report. This victim was 86-year old Modesta Socorro Portes Morilla, affectionately known by her family as "Coco," and the dog owner's grandmother.
The deputy then located another victim, the mother of the dogs' owner, Yessenia. The woman had a "curtain wrapped around her lower right arm" and blood on her feet, states the sheriff's report. She told the deputy the dogs had "bitten her repeatedly." She said for an "unknown reason" the two dogs attacked her mother. Both she and her husband (Nelson Sr.) were outside when she heard her mother screaming. When the couple tried to protect her, the dogs attacked them.
"Yesterday in tragic accident my dad Nelson, my mom Yessenia, and my grandma, Coco, were all viciously attacked by our two pit bull dogs, who they raise since there since little puppies so this was very unexpected. They have all suffered severe injuries from these painful bites, my dad losing part of his right ear. All three are currently hospitalized and unfortunately Coco is in intensive care, intubated and awaiting surgery to repair a broken wrist. My dad and mom are caregivers for Coco who suffers from Alzheimer’s, and are now unable to care for her, as they themselves need to recover from the sustained injuries to their arms. My dad will be not be able to return to work for a while so we ask that you please help with whatever you can assist with their medical bills. Every little bit helps. We would also appreciate much needed prayers. Thank you so much. The link to the Go-Fund me account will be in my bio." [sic] - Nelson Caamano Jr., May 24, 2020.
The owner of the dogs (Nelson Jr.) told the deputy that he and his brother had been asleep in their bedrooms when they heard their grandmother screaming. "Nelson reported that he used a frying pan on the dogs to try to get them to stop attacking," states the report. His father also received multiple bites while he attempted to save his grandmother. Nelson Jr.'s parents and Coco were taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center "due to the trauma of the injuries," states the report.
Seminole County Animal Services took both dogs into custody, states the report. We also received the "Event Report" from the Seminole County Sheriff's Office, which is a written log file as the event unfolds. At 7:52 am, a 911 caller states, dog is "killing everyone." Two minutes later, a caller states, "There is blood everywhere" and dogs "attacking grandma" and "dog attacking husband" and "pit bull." The family was able to secure the dogs in the bathroom before responders arrived.
Rampage Attack
What happened in the Caamano home that day is characterized as a "rampage attack," when a pit bull attacks and seriously injures three or more people. This attack involved a pair of pit bulls, unlike the single male pit bull that attacked four family members, killing one, back in February. "The initial investigation indicates the dog, which was owned by the victims, was unprovoked and attacked for an unknown reason," stated a news release by the Plainfield Police Department.
The victim that died in Plainfield was the dog's owner, a 25-year old male. Rampage attacks carried out by pit bulls are not limited to the elderly.
The rampage attack at the Caamano home was described similarly. Yessenia told the deputy the pit bulls attacked her mother for an "unknown reason." It took two adults fighting off the dogs and a third adult, the dogs' owner, using a frying pan on the dogs to stop the violent attack. According to photos located on the family's Facebook pages, one of the pit bulls, named "Tony," is about 5-years old. It is unknown how old the second pit bull was or how long it had been with the family.
Coco died of "complications of multiple dog bites," according to the autopsy report. She suffered "multiple dog bites to face and neck," multiple bites to her arm with an open fracture to her right wrist, "dog bites to right leg" that developed into sepsis with complications, multiple contusions and abrasions. Dementia and chronic obstructing pulmonary disease were contributing factors in her death, states the medical examiner's report. The manner of death was ruled an accident.
The Dogs' Owner
What is striking is how open this 23-year old owner was after this rampage attack. We did not discover his post until after obtaining records from the District Nine Medical Examiner's Office. Nelson Jr., made an honest plea to help his parents and grandmother who had been severely injured by the family's two pit bulls. Nelson Jr., his parents, siblings and Coco all lived at the home with the dogs. The family raised $7,745 in a fundraiser after the attack that is no longer active.
What this family in Oviedo experienced is horrific. According to Nelson Sr., his wife had to be readmitted to the hospital due to "serious infections." One commenter stated the following in Spanish on his page (that we can only translate with Google): "Nelson, I feel in my soul what happened, to you, your wife and mother-in-law … I already contributed something to your portal. Let's see if they can count as a step, so that other people who have these dogs are more aware."
Awareness Indeed
Multiple female senior citizens were killed by pit bulls belonging to their children this year, including 76-year old Karen Wilkerson, killed by her daughter's two pit bulls in Oklahoma; 84-year old Carolyn Varanese, killed by her son's adopted pit bull in Florida; 72-year old Barbara Cook, killed by her daughter's two pit bulls in Louisiana; 70-year old Katie Amos, killed by her son's pit bulls in Illinois; and 64-year old Geraldine Hamlin, killed by her son's two pit bulls in Louisiana.
Multiple male citizens, 60-years and older, were killed by pit bulls belonging to younger relatives as well, including 61-year old Stephen Pemberton Sr., killed by his stepson's two pit bulls in Illinois and 76-year old Harvey Harmon Jr., killed by four dogs, including two pit bulls belonging to his nephew in Mississippi. At least two of these victims, Coco and Varanese, suffered health problems that required caregivers. These ages and medical conditions are highly incompatible with pit bulls.
Unreported Fatalities
There have been at least five unreported dog bite fatalities during this Covid-19 year, 14% of the total recorded deaths so far (5 of 37). Four deaths involved pit bulls and one death involved a bull terrier. Not all deaths have a dedicated blog post either, like this case we added to the 2020 Summary page on October 10. That death involved a spayed family pit bull killing an infant. Again, no media reports. It is also disconcerting when a full-fledged rampage attack goes unreported.
We had to contact three different agencies in Florida to obtain information for this report. Thus far, we have nine large records requests still outstanding -- some pertain to multiple years. We are sending more next week too. Six record requests have been completed since August. One uncovered another death in 2019, also inflicted by a family pit bull. With all of the different state privacy laws, it is unknown how many of our outstanding requests will actually be fulfilled.
Summary
The family pit bull rampage attack in Oviedo required three ambulances. The Event Report stated a fourth victim was transported to the hospital too. While looking on Broadcastify.com for the audio dispatch log files for the responding fire department, we noticed that all files correlating to the time of this rampage attack were missing -- a coincidence? Irregardless, emergency responders should develop a new protocol for multi-victim rampage attacks. A "dog bite" protocol does not suffice.
After a family pit bull attack hospitalized three family members, a fundraiser was created.
One pit bull belonging to the family, a male named "Tony." No other dog photos were located.
View the DogsBite.org Google Map: Florida Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.Related articles:
07/22/20: 2020 Dog Bite Fatality: Unreported Fatal Pit Bull Mauling of 2-Year Old Boy in Stockton
05/15/20: 2020 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman Dies After Suffering Life-Threatening Injuries...
04/07/20: 2020 Dog Bite Fatality: Man Dies Seven Days After Violent Pit Bull Mauling...
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.
Well, if this isn’t irony of ironies, then I don’t know what is. This Nelson character raises two pit bulls that kill his grandmother and severely injure his mother and father. Then he has the absolute gall to request the general public help with medical bills that resulted from idiotic choices made by none other than Nelson himself.
What is wrong with young people these days?? I’m sorry Coco is dead and that his parents were injured. But I think Nelson better think of better ways to pay the bills than to ask anonymous outsiders to do so.
I know. I thought I would edit Nelson Jr.’s statement with all caps of what he should have said:
“Yesterday in tragic ATTACK my dad Nelson, my mom Yessenia, and my grandma, Coco, were all viciously attacked by MY two pit bull dogs, who I raise since there since little puppies so this was very unexpected BUT NOT ENTIRELY BECAUSE THEY ARE PIT BULLS. They have all suffered severe injuries from these painful bites, my dad losing part of his right ear. All three are currently hospitalized and unfortunately Coco is in intensive care, intubated and awaiting surgery to repair a broken wrist AND HER FACE AND NECK. My dad and mom are caregivers for Coco who suffers from Alzheimer’s, and are now unable to care for her, as they themselves need to recover from the sustained injuries to their arms. My dad will be not be able to return to work for a while so I ask that you please help with whatever you can assist with their medical bills. Every little bit helps. I would also appreciate much needed prayers. Thank you so much. The link to the Go-Fund me account will be in my bio.”
Clearly, some change needs to be made to laws so that serious and fatal dog attacks are required to be publicly reported. The public has a right to be fully informed of the risks posed by certain dogs — not least of all because publicly funded animal shelters are often responsible for encouraging people to adopt such dogs.
Seminole County abuts the City of Orlando. Have you considered contacting the Orlando Sentinel or local news organizations with a news tip on this incident?
Where are the files regarding the emergency response? If I were a taxpayer there I would want to know why three ambulances were sent out and no information kept. What happened to the dogs? Euthanized i hope but young Nelson doesn’t seem To have a clue. What was he doing with those dogs?
Yes we all taxpayers and 3 ambulance were sent cause 3 of us was severely injured I don’t think they can put all of us together in one ambulance, and yes the dogs where Euthanized and My son Nelson did not raised our dogs we all did me, my husband and my kids including my beloved mother, we would never thought this would happened please stop assuming this was a horrific accident please no more.
Oh, my word, owning pit bulls is no accident!
Another textbook case of un- and/or predictably dangerous canines raised correctly, and then, solely because they are un- and/or predictably dangerous canines, maiming and killing the people that they knew and lived with for their entire lives. There are people who love dangerous animals more than they love themselves and more than they love other people. Such people exist not because they have a thinking disorder. Instead, such people exist because they have a spiritual disorder. Love of self and other people becomes totally misdirected toward dangerous animals. Thousands and thousands of severe maulings will continue to occur in this country annually, as long as people who are spiritually disordered, thus causing strong desire to maintain the threat, are allowed by law to possess dangerous canines. The law of this land allows any and all human beings to be under constant risk of this grave threat, and some local law entities actively seek to keep any manifestation of the threat a secret.
I absolutely agree with your statements presented. “spiritual disorder” “love of self” “law of this land”
Laws need to be changed to protect people more. Considerate pitbull owners should put a wire muzzle on their dogs when being walked or put in doggie care centers to protect other people’s pets and the workers.
So nieve are these dog owners who believe their dog(s) would never do anything like kill because they’ve always been so sweet and loving and wouldn’t hurt a flea. If people would open their eyes and actually delve into court cases they would learn a lot more and become open minded about why these dogs do not make a good pet for the elderly, babies, and children to be around. It is the most vulnerable who are mainly attacked and killed. To have more than one of these dogs in the home is really asking for trouble to happen.
These dogs were specifically bred to fight. Something triggers in their brain to attack and they don’t stop once they begin. Police had to shoot them to get them to stop.
Also, many people who own pitbulls DO NOT and ARE NOT responsibly dealing with this kind of dog allowing them to roam freely outdoors unattended. People and or their pet are attacked on sidewalks and streets while walking their dog on a leash. The pitties are not on a leash to keep them restrained. Owners must be more responsible with this kind of dog when around people/pets.
This is absolutely horrific. I’m so sorry that Ms. Coco lost her life in this brutal mauling. I’m not surprised at all that the attack was unprovoked, they almost always are. I’m just glad the family admitted it, otherwise we’d have pit nuts playing guessing games on how grandma stepped on the maulers’ tails with her cane and ‘startled’ the things into rampaging.
On another note, these unreported attacks seriously scare me. I wonder how many more dog fatalities occur that go unreported. It’s crazy to think that a person can be killed by a dog and the media not say a word. They should all be NATIONAL NEWS!
So, what we’re talking about here is a spree killer, in FBI profiling terms.
That happens to be a pitbull instead of a human.
And another vulnerable senior citizen died, not quietly and peacefully at home, or in a hospice or hospital but torn to shreds as if she’d been thrown in a gladiatorial arena with a wild animal.
Which, in a sense, she was.
The best thing Hollywood could do at this point is to stop promoting these beasts and make an honest documentary horror film about at least one of these cases.
I’m so sick of these attacks being called an accident. It’s no more of an accident than when a pointer points or a retriever fetches. And they can ask the pit lobby for money. Own the breed, pay for its deed.
What really annoys me are the organizations who advertise the pit bull dogs as people friendly and make great family pets. Truth is these organization conveniently remove traces of past history of a potential pit bull dog or mixed dog getting adopted out and are sent out of state and placed in shelters to hopefully get a home and keep them alive. People NEED to know and have a RIGHT to know, so they do not risk getting anyone in their family attacked or killed or outsiders too. All states need stronger laws about this in place.
Shelters lie. That’s all you need to know.
Although I am not a lawyer and don’t play one on teevee, I think that these shelters and organizational liars could be held liable for false advertising.
“very unexpected”… REALLY? then he is ignorant about the pit bull breed from sticking his head in the sand because there is absolutely not ONE detail about this entire incident which can be honestly considered unexpected-and that’s just the cold hard truth
I love how these owners endanger the puplic with their dogs and couldn’t care less that people fear these unexplored ordnances been forced among them, but then they get mauled and savaged by their own killer dogs and suddenly…..BOOM , A GO FUND ME PAGE .
Peddling for puplic assistance .
Smh
yeah its a ‘biznis’ -they consider themselves entrepreneurs
Is this a good way to make quick cash !?
Get a Pitbull……wait for inevitable, and then set up
a GO FUND ME PAGE !?
Asking for a friend …..
To paraphrase Chris Rock, those pit bulls didn’t go crazy. Those pit bulls went pit bull.
(Sorry, but that extra comma in the original comment was killing me.)