Ronda Persall, 57, was killed by her neighbor's "yard dogs" in western Cullman County.
Woman Killed by Dogs
Cullman County, AL - Over the weekend, a woman was killed by multiple dogs belonging to her neighbor. Cullman County Coroner Jeremy Kilpatrick identified the victim as 57-year old Ronda Persall. She was attacked sometime around 2:30 am Sunday after the dogs escaped a fenced area. She was pronounced dead at the scene when the coroner arrived around 3:00 am. The attack occurred in the Jones Chapel community on Country Road 1030 where Persall lived.
ABC 33/40 spoke to the dog's owner, who would not show his face on camera. The owner said he's known Persall for over a decade. "Now I gotta live with that, I've got to live with that forever," he said, referring to his pack of dogs killing her. "Sooner or later, I've got to explain that to my children. All they know is, Miss Ronda is not here." The owner described Persall as "a really good woman, she was kind hearted," and "good to everybody." He added, "she was always helpful."
The attack occurred on the dog owner's property. The owner said he was awakened by a commotion around 2:30 am. He ran outside and saw the dogs attacking his neighbor. He rushed over to help her and was also bitten by the dogs. "I grabbed her up, picked her up and started kicking the dogs back," he said. He then called 911. He didn't want to wait for the ambulance, so he drove her to meet them. "She was tore up," he said. "She'd been attacked pretty bad."
The Cullman County Commission released a statement:"With heavy hearts, the Cullman County Commission and Animal Control staff must report that a Cullman County citizen, Ronda Persall, lost her life in an unfortunate attack by multiple dogs on the dog owner's property. The dogs involved in the incident are confined and being tested during this ongoing investigation. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family during this difficult time."
Dogs Escaped Fenced Area
WBRC also spoke to the dogs' owner, who could not explain how his dogs escaped the fenced area and attacked the woman. “They can’t dig through it. There are boards all around it. They couldn’t chew through it. It’s a metal fence,” he said, describing his fence line. "It' a mystery how they got out," he said. "She was laying over here beside the car and the dogs had surrounded her and they were biting her. I picked her up out of them. They started biting on me," he explained.
The owner told WBRC he ended up shooting at least 12 dogs that he described as "yard dogs." Cullman County’s Animal Control Director, who was at the scene Monday, said that two lab-mix dogs were pulled off the victim. The owner told WBRC the whole ordeal "traumatized the smoke out of me." He recalled his longtime friend as having a few oddities. "She was eccentric I guess you'd call her," he said, "but she was good as gold." It's unclear what led up to the fatal attack.
Western Alabama Attacks
Three week ago, and less than a two hour drive west, two women were attacked by a pack of dogs near Red Bay. Michele Sheeks was attacked on April 28. She was airlifted to a hospital in Mississippi, where she remains today. On April 29, Jacqueline Summer Beard, an Alabama public health employee, went to the dog owner's home to investigate the first attack and was killed by the same dogs. The owner of the dogs, Brandy Dowdy, was arrested and charged with manslaughter.
Related articles:
05/08/22: 2022 Dog Bite Fatality: Public Health Employee Killed by Pack of Dogs in Alabama
09/23/21: 2021 Dog Bite Fatality: Phenix City Man, 70, Dies After Brutal 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.
Seems odd to me that this woman was out at 2:30am, especially when she knew her neighbor had at least 12 junkyard dogs. Sounds like he was painting the victim to be “eccentric.” Was this a case of her doors not being secured and the dogs muscling their way in?
As for the attack occurring on her neighbor’s property, we know packs of dangerous dogs drag their victims. How did he have time to shoot the 12 junkyard dogs? Had he already called 911?
Sadly since the death was on the dog owner’s property I doubt there will be charges.
I suspect the dogs attacked the victim on her property and dragged her over but this will probably go down as “trespassing” and “the dogs doing their job”. For some reason canine booby traps are A-OK as far as the law is concerned. Rig up a shotgun trap and you will go to prison fpr many years. Have a dozen or so attack dogs and usually you wont even get charged.
This person was a big part of my family this is still very painful to us there will be justice this man has had several in counters with animal control over these dogs they are what I call dope dogs they give off signals when someone pulls up there are not contained ever!
“Death by dog” should be considered manslaughter.
That fence may be made of metal but it doesn’t look very sturdy. It looks flimsy. Is he implying that maybe the victim set them free? He’s so effusive with his praise for the victim I’m wondering if he’s not talking out of both sides of his mouth.
He’s covering his, ahem, posterior.
“He didn’t want to wait for the ambulance, so he drove her to meet them” … yeah sure-he just didn’t want a bunch of personnel showing up on scene nosin’ around before he or someone else in his household had time to straighten up a few things on the property
And we know how it goes-even when investigators went to check out the scene they weren’t going to find any evidence that attack began on her own property because they wouldn’t look for any such evidence
She might have heard dogs attacking another animal or pet and went to try and help too and they could also break into her home like Nunzia mentioned-and if she lived alone we will probably never know
And that whole calling her eccentric-he is trying to paint her as a crazy nut that did crazy things so as to create a certain narrative in case a real investigation takes place to try and explain what situation put the woman outside at 230 am
Still not a word on the investigation to the family not one peep I’ve even contacted our sheriff and never got a response guess since it’s not there family it don’t matter
2:30am??!!
Did she hear something and go out? Or couldn’t stand the excessive barking and so, went out to tell the dogs to shut up?
Lab mixes. Uhm….Okay…Sure.
Mystery? It’s not a mystery that pitbulls and huskies can scale 6ft fences. It happens so often it’s practically a selling point.
Is there any concrete proof she was ever in the dog owners’ yard?
Another nice older lady killed by a pack of dogs.
I am awfully tired of the “thoughts and prayers” blather….action needs to be taken.
Yes that is what our family needs is action!! We want justice
I got $1,000 that says the “lab mixes ” were pit bull mixes! The public is taking their cues from the shelters! I had a lab Rhodesian ridgeback mix and was accused of having a pit bull mix by my insurance agent. I offered to send pictures of my dog but after I went on a rant about the shit bulls he decided I really didn’t have a pit bull! He said that he had a lot of pit bull mixes trying to be passed off as labs! I actually took that puppy to the vet to make sure it wasn’t a pit bull because he was a Rhodesian ridgeback mix and I didn’t know what they were back then! Now though everyone seems to be calling any black pit bull mixes a “lab mix”. I’m sure there will never be as many lab mixes responsible for killing people as in the next few years!