Delores Woolverton, 88, was allegedly killed by multiple dogs in Milam County.
Woman Found Dead
Cameron, TX - On December 19, 2024, the Milam County Sheriff's Office issued a release about an elderly woman found dead on December 18. At approximately 1:00 pm, deputies responded to a residence in the 500 block of Beverly Drive and discovered her body. An autopsy was ordered to determine her cause of death. The Rockdale Reporter identified the victim as 88-year old Delores Woolverton. The alleged dog attack occurred in Woolverton's yard. No other details were released.
Beverly Drive Death Investigation
December 19, 2024(CAMERON) The cause of death for a Rockdale woman is under investigation.
The Milam County Sheriff’s Office responded about 1PM Wednesday, December 18th, to a home on Beverly Drive, just outside the city limits of Rockdale, in reference to a deceased female. This investigation is active and open. An autopsy has been ordered to determine cause of death. Several dogs located on the property have been removed and secured out of an abundance of caution. No further information will be released until the investigation is complete. - Milam County Sheriff's Office
A local who commented on the sheriff's post, Cari, wrote, "They were not her dogs." In response to the question, "So the dogs did something?" Cari replied, "Yes, they killed her." Cari also wrote, "There were several dogs, all owned by the same person." The dogs were allegedly running loose at the time. Milam County is where the Texas felony dog attack statute "Lillian's Law" came from. In 2005, Lillian Stiles was mowing her lawn when she was fatally mauled by six loose pit bull-rottweiler mixes.
The felony "loose dog" law was enacted in September 2007. It is a second-degree felony if an owner fails to secure the dog and it fatally attacks a person outside of the owner's property. It was first tested in 2008 after four pit bulls killed 7-year old Tanner Monk in Breckenridge. The owners, Crystal Watson and Jack Wayne Smith, were found guilty by a jury after deliberating for less than one hour. Each were sentenced to 7-years in prison. In 2011, the 11th Court of Appeals upheld the verdict of the jury.
Autopsy Ordered in Woman's Death
December 26, 2024An autopsy has been ordered by the Milam County Sheriff's Office in the death of an elderly Rockdale woman last Wednesday who was allegedly attacked by dogs while in her yard on Beverly Drive.
The autopsy was ordered to determine the exact cause of death, said Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer, Brett Eberhart. He said more details will be released after the investigation.
Authorities had not released the woman's name by The Reporter's early deadline, but friends of the victim told The Reporter that it was Delores Woolverton, who was in her late 80s.
Several dogs located at the scene "have been removed and secured out of an abundance of caution," Eberhart confirmed. - The Rockdale Reporter
Part of the urgency of the Texas legislature in passing Lillian’s Law is that a jury acquitted the owner of the dogs that killed Stiles several months earlier. At that time, there were no state laws that specifically addressed canine-inflicted homicides. Jose Hernandez, 55, was charged with criminally negligent homicide, but prosecutors could not prove that Hernandez had previous knowledge of his dogs' vicious propensities. Thus, Hernandez walked out of the Milam County courtroom a free man.
Woolverton worked at the local nursing homes in Rockdale for over 35 years as a Medication Assistant and taking care of elderly people, according to her obituary. She was well known for "finding every garage sale and thrift store" she could. She met a lot of people over the years that knew she collected her “treasures” as she called them. She had many friends in the community. She leaves behind multiple children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She also had one great-great grandchild.
Alleged Large Dog Pack
Another commenter, Darren, responded to a post on the Rockdale TX Residents NEED to KNOW Facebook group. The post asked if anyone had information about the "mauling of Rockdale resident Delores Woolverton." Darren stated, "10 dogs killed a woman! That is all the detail that you need!" Like many rural and urban areas in the U.S. since the onset of Covid, reports of stray and roaming dogs have escalated. There were two reports about the rising number of stray dogs in Rockdale in 2024.
Multiple Unconfirmed Cases
We have multiple pending FOIAs for fatal dog maulings in 2024, including the death of Rogelio Garza, 59, in Hidalgo County, Texas last January. There was no cause of death released after the death of Ronald Coffman, 59, in Jacksonville, Florida in September, a man in Durham, North Carolina in September, a homeless man in San Bernardino, California in November, the death of Jamillah Price, 51, in Philadelphia in November, and the death of Velma Leake, 92, in Rochester, New York in December.
Delores Woolverton, 88, was allegedly killed by dogs in Milam County, Texas in December.
One local resident stated that a pack of 10 dogs killed the elderly Rockdale woman.
Related articles:
12/016/24: 2024 Dog Bite Fatality: East Texas Man Mauled, Killed by Two Pit Bulls in Beaumont
07/08/24: 2024 Dog Bite Fatality: Man Killed by Dog Pack on Corsair Road in Southwest Houston
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.
We already what the dog in question is .its not a big shocker it a pitbull who killed her.it kind of gross Delores lived to be 88 she didn’t died from cancer accident or old age but a ugly vicious pitbull ended her life.of course the owner if named is going to blame her for her own death because his sweet pitbull would never attack anyone without being provoke.