Beverly Hayden, 89, was killed by her own pit bull in Cass County, Indiana.
Sheriff's Press Release
Cass County, IN - An 89-year old woman is dead after being mauled by her own pit bull, according to the Cass County Sheriff's Office. Deputies were dispatched to the south 200 block of County Road 400 West at about 5:49 am for a report of a woman attacked by her own dog. Arriving responders found the woman in the living room of her residence. She was pronounced dead at the scene by Cass County Coroner George Franklin. She was identified as 89-year old Beverly Hayden of Logansport.
A family member was present at the time but could not stop the attack. Her 100 pound pit bull fled the residence after the attack. "The dog is described as a one-hundred-pound black pit bull with a white chest," states the Cass County Sheriff's Office press release. "The dog was not wearing a collar. A large-scale search, which include a Logansport Police Drone was conducted around the area to locate the dog to no avail." Authorities remind the public to "not approach the animal on your own."
Death Under Investigation by Cass County AuthoritiesFirst responders were called to the south 200 block of County Road 400 West in Cass County at approximately 5:49 am on December 6 for an elderly female that had been attacked by her dog. Arriving units located an 89-year-old female in the living room of her residence. The female was pronounced deceased at the scene by Cass County Coroner George Franklin.
Investigators found Beverly Hayden had been attacked in her living room by her one-hundred-pound pit bull dog. A family member was present but unable to prohibit the attack. After the attack, the dog escaped the residence and is still loose in the area. The dog is described as a one-hundred-pound black pit bull with a white chest. The dog was not wearing a collar. A large-scale search which include a Logansport Police Drone was conducted around the area to locate the dog to no avail.
Agencies assisting the Cass County Sheriff's Office were the Logansport Police Department, Cass County Animal Control, Cass County EMS and the Cass County Coroner's Office.
The next of kin have been notified.
This is an on-going investigation and no foul play is suspected. If anyone locates the dog, they are asked to immediately call 911 to report the animal so that animal control can respond to capture the dog. Please do not approach the animal on your own. - Sheriff Ed Schroder, December 6, 2023
WRTV initially published a photograph of the dog, "Oden," then removed it. The photo was originally shared by Kylie Hayden. Several hours ago, she updated the post to say, "DOG FOUND! Thank you to everyone for the prayers and help! Update: comments are turned off due to one-sided opinions. Please respect our family as we mourn and try to take care of our family." Thus, after a family pit bull killed her relative, family members are not interested in hearing about the pros or cons of pit bulls as pets.
The Cass County Sheriff's Office issued a press release after a pit bull killed its elderly owner.
View the DogsBite.org Google State Map: Indiana Fatal Pit Bull Attacks.Related articles:
05/10/23: 2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Marion County Deputy Killed by Violent Dog, Her Son Injured...
11/19/21: 2021 Dog Bite Fatality: Grandmother Killed by Family Pit Bull in Matthews, Indiana
07/01/20: 2020 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bull Attacks, Kills Owner in Jeffersonville, Indiana
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.
Again and again a pitbull killed their owner.you can never ever stop a pitbull from attacking someone you will never win.why on earth would someone choose a pitbull as a dog it’s a dangerous breed no matter the love patience time effort sweat and tears you put in to raised a good dog.some pitbull not most will “snap out of nowhere “ and the dog cult will blame the owner/victim and have no clue why the sweet pitbull would snap and killed.
I gasped when I read the dog’s weight. 89-year-old lady with a 100-lb. pit bull?! Elderly people become more fragile with age. Brittle bones, thin skin. They bruise easily. Why would anyone think a large dog would be good for them? A small, gentle lap dog would be a much better choice. One that couldn’t harm or kill them. Absolutely horrendous and heartbreaking story!
Or no dog at all. At advanced ages, people are prone to falls, and small dogs are very easy to trip over.
As for large dogs, my parents’ final dog was a Labrador retriever. It was way too much dog for them, and it also bared its teeth and growled at me. Suffice it to say that I was relieved when it finally died.
There’s got to be more to this story. 89 yr old people generally don’t go out and get a dog, esp one like this. My money’s on it was the relative’s dog but they didn’t have anywhere to live…
A friend of the family said( on Facebook) that the savage beast belonged to the victims grandson. The mother of the grandson is the victims daughter and was the person present when the savage attack happened. The grandson has pictures of the beast on his FB page.
How many pitbull fatalities are we up to so far this year? 50? 60? It certainly seems even more than last year. That these dogs aren’t banned everywhere is beyond outrageous.
Authorities should have reminded the public to SHOOT ON SIGHT.
That brings up something I’ve been puzzling over.
From Kylie Hayden’s original FB posting, before the dog was found:
“If anyone sees this dog his name is Oden . Please contact 574-355-6662 or 574-870-0987 AND 911!!!! with the location so Oden can be taken in to be tested. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO APPROACH, PET & or PICK UP!!!!”
Surely the dog was not being sought just “to be tested” (the victim was dead). This is either an out-and-out lie — perhaps to mollify any “dog lover” who saw the dog and worried it might be euthanized if reported — or represents some serious delusion that the “pet” really was going to be rehabilitated in some way.
It seems like Kylie was deliberately leaving it ambiguous as to what danger the dog posed precisely to keep the dog from being harmed — when, clearly, a “shoot on sight” alarm would have been in order.
Lovely message on FB from the Grandson, owner of the savage beast. “my grandma had night terrors she woke up screaming and fell over the chair fell on her and hit both of them he went into defense mode thinking she was being attacked by the time he realized it was her the damage was done he loved her and he was sweet he didn’t have alpha in his life like his brothers do my dog don’t speak on something you don’t know the story about i don’t even need to explain it to someone like you bc obviously your mentally ill
So sad. Of course, the dog was not owned by grandmother. I suppose the relatives
lived with her and took care of her. The dog lived there too and was not kept in a safe place. I wonder why the dog took off after the killing. Why was he loose? Who was responsible for him?