Kimberly Williams, 60, died after being mauled by two pit bulls while dog sitting in Indianapolis.
Family Confirms Pit Bulls
UPDATE 08/05/24: The daughter-in-law of a woman killed by dogs has posted how the incident unfolded. "On Friday night, while house-sitting for a friend who was in the hospital, she was caring for his two pit bulls. Unbeknownst to her, these dogs had a history of aggression and had previously attacked someone," she wrote. After not responding to messages, a friend went to the home to check on her "and made a devastating discovery." The dogs were covered in blood, and she was deceased
"On Friday night, while house-sitting for a friend who was in the hospital, she was caring for his two pit bulls. Unbeknownst to her, these dogs had a history of aggression and had previously attacked someone.
When a concerned friend noticed she had stopped responding to messages, she decided to check on her. After receiving no answer at the door, she walked around to the back of the house and made a devastating discovery.
There, she found my mother-in-law, who had been fatally mauled by the dogs. Both animals were still outside, covered in blood, until animal control arrived to contain them.
She passed away embodying the thoughtful and loving person she was, always willing to help a friend in need. Our family is heartbroken by this senseless tragedy." - Daughter-in-law @courtneyg92
Over the weekend, we ran searches on the homeowner on the Indiana court portal. In addition to felony charges between 1997 and 2008, charges from 2013 stood out. He was charged with multiple animal control violations, including: Violation Of General Quarantine, Owner Responsibility For Animal Attack, Animal At Large/Chase And Attack Person, two counts of Rabies Vaccination Required, Rabies Tags Required, and Permanent Identification of Dog required. All charges were dismissed.
Presumably, the dogs involved in the 2013 violations were different than the dogs involved in her death; though the latter could be offspring. We did not locate more recent animal control violations on the portal website. The other aspect the daughter-in-law verified is that the victim was house-sitting because the owner is in the hospital. The victim was discovered in the home's fenced-in backyard. The dogs remained confined to the yard after the attack. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Victim Identified
The victim has been identified as 60-year old Kimberly Williams. She was house sitting and dog sitting for the owner when the dogs attacked her, IMPD said. Indianapolis Animal Care Services (IACS) said that Williams had watched the dogs before. Despite the dogs being identified as pit bulls in the IMPD dispatch logs, as well as by a family member, police are calling the dogs "mixed-breeds," perhaps because the dogs are "pit bull-American bully" crosses or "pit bull-American bulldog" crosses.
IMPD also said they continue to investigate the history of the dogs. "Any loss of life is tragic, especially one with so much mystery behind it," IMPD Sgt. Anthony Patterson said. "[We are] not sure why [the] dogs would attack. Not sure if these animals were vicious or had a history of any of that. That’s something our detectives are working on right now." However, the unpredictability of deadly and explosive pit bull aggression is well-documented by the high courts. Both dogs have been euthanized.
Victim Lived at Home
WTHR reported that both dogs were pit bulls. Williams had worked as a dog groomer for 40 years. Not only was she familiar with the dogs, she lived at the home with the dogs. The homeowner and dogs' owner was in the hospital having open heart surgery, WTHR reports. Family members said that Williams had just given the dogs a bath when something went wrong. Luther Wagner reportedly owns the house and the dogs. But, Timothy Wagner is listed as the homeowner on the property records.
One of Luther's friends, Richard Slusher, stopped by the house on Monday. "Luther feels bad about it," Slusher said. "It's not like he meant it to happen. It's just a freak accident," Slusher said, repeating the exhausted cliche excuse used by pit bull owners since the 1980s after their dog kills a person, most often a person who is familiar with the dog. The male and female pair of pit bulls, "Cracker" and "Cookie," had been raised at the home since they were puppies, he said. "They were good dogs."
08/03/24: Woman Killed by Dogs
Indianapolis, IN - A woman is dead after being mauled by two dogs while dog sitting. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police (IMPD) were dispatched to the 600 block of Olin Avenue on the city's west side at about 6:16 pm Friday evening. Police said the woman was watching the dogs while the owner was away. Screenshots posted from the Citizen app show an IMPD Southwest Dispatch log stating, "Police and EMS are responding to a report of an unresponsive person in a backyard with two pit bulls."
Animal control was called to "handle the aggressive dogs." Police were "preparing to force entry to ensure access to the unresponsive person in the backyard," states the dispatch log transcript. "Police secured the scene, and fire and EMS" were then directed to enter through the front door. The victim has not been identified. Footage from CBS4 Indy shows the home on Olin Avenue, which has a large fenced-in backyard. The dogs were apparently loose in the backyard, not loose on the street.
There was no indication of foul play. The Marion County Coroner's Office was also called to the scene. In January 2024, Willie Mundine, 85-years old, was killed by two roaming pit bulls on the east side of Indianapolis. The same roaming dogs had attacked multiple people in the days leading up to killing Mundine. In May 2023, Marion County sheriff's deputy Tamieka White, 46-years old, was mauled to death while dog sitting a trio of pit bulls at her home on Forsythia Drive, also on the city's east side.
Kimberly Williams was mauled to death by two dogs while dog sitting in Indianapolis on Friday.
A family member confirmed the victim was fatally mauled by the owner's two pit bulls.
View the DogsBite.org Google State Map: Indiana Fatal Pit Bull Attacks.Related articles:
01/31/24: 2024 Dog Bite Fatality: Elderly Pastor Dies After Violent Dog Attack in East Indianapolis
05/10/23: 2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Marion County Deputy Killed by Dog, Son Injured, While Dog Sitting
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.
I’m not a dog person but there no way.I’m going to dog sit for two pitbull I don’t care how well trained the pitbull are and lovely they are I’m not risking my life.I wonder who the dogs belong too are they her daughter her son her in laws or her neighbors.boy she must scared dying by vicious dog breeds.remember people no matter how well trained the pitbull are most pitbull will killed you.
I’m not a dog person either. Used to be, but no more.
And here’s the thing about dog sitting: I used to do it, and those dogs were okay for the most part. But there was one that thought of me as a chew toy. No, it wasn’t a pit bull, it was a basset hound.
Nowadays, I stay good and far away from all dogs. They’re simply not worth the risk.
@YQN, same here! I used to consider myself a dog person, I’ve owned two dogs. No more. I can’t stand most people’s dogs. No one is able to do the basic training it takes to make a dog enjoyable to be around. And don’t get me started on the neighbor’s barking dogs and the ones that don’t pick up after them!
There is a dog law I always obey. That is to never babysit pitbull type dogs. Many dog boarding facilities refuse them. Here’s the scenario. The owners are going out of town, and no facility will take the dogs. They call relatives and friends in desperation. Sometimes they have to leave without advance warning.
I certainly don’t know the breed in this case was pitbull type dogs.
I simply know the odds say it was. I feel badly for the person killed in this manner and her family. If people are killed on jobsites, government gets involved. Not true in private “accidents”.
According to what I saw elsewhere, the woman was a sixty year old. The pitbulls got dirty in her garden and she was trying to bathe them. One bit her, and the other one jumped in to continue the mauling.
If you find this is incorrect information, please delete it.
Anyone without training in dog behavior has no business bathing someone else’s dogs. I personally have a lot of dog training, and I wouldn’t have done it. For starters, one does not attempt to bathe another dog while one is running loose. One dog must be in a crate, a different room, tied up elsewhere,etc.
Of course, I don’t think like most people. I know what dogs can do. Use muzzles. I’ve told vet clinic staff to muzzle my dogs if they are worried about my dogs’ behavior. One vet tech sat on the floor to pull blood from my GSD. No muzzle. No restraint. My dog didn’t care.
It sounds like Indianapolis police officers are aware by now there are killer dogs in the community. I’m sure systems are in place to prevent them from doing much about it.
the daughter posted a tiktok i’ll find the link
https://www.tiktok.com/@courtneyg92/photo/7399059324544339230
https://www.tiktok.com/@courtneyg92/photo/7399378955268115742
“They were good dogs.”
I can’t believe it needs to be said, but,
good dogs don’t kill people.