Crystal Pearigen, 36, was found dead in a Costco parking lot after being mauled by dogs.
Family Speaks Out
UPDATE 07/03/19: The family of a woman found dead in a Costco parking lot on June 16 has been located. Crystal Pearigen, 36, was killed by three dogs -- two pit bulls and a mixed-breed. KGET posted this update on June 25, along with a YouTube video. Crystal led a tragic life, including the loss of her mother, Rhonda Pearigen, who was murdered in 1997. After her mother's homicide, Crystal interacted with CPS, foster care and was later diagnosed with schizophrenia.
When Crystal's name was released by the Kern County coroner's office, the paternal grandmother of Crystal's only child came forward. "All I could think about was how hard her poor little life was -- and then to die like this. It has killed my heart," Jennie Greene said. Greene knew Crystal from when she was a teenager and went to school with Greene's son, who she later had a child with. Greene eventually took over the care of this child, Michael Keen, and raised him as her own.
In the video, Greene painfully reflects upon what the coroner's office told her. "The lady at the coroner's office said that she was mauled and killed -- attacked by dogs," Greene recalled. "And, that Michael would have to come sign papers when we figured out what we were doing. And she said that the coroner absolutely recommended absolutely no viewing of any kind. 'Please, don't put yourself through that -- or your family,'" Greene told KGET while holding back tears.
06/24/19: Mauling Victim Identified
Coroner officials have identified the woman found severely wounded and dead in a Costco parking lot on June 16. Crystal Pearigen, 36-years old, was discovered with "obvious" signs of trauma at about 6:00 am. Police confirmed that three dogs -- two pit bulls and a mixed-breed dog -- attacked Pearigen. The vicious attack began in a commercial area adjacent to Costco shared by several businesses. As the attack continued, Pearigen crossed into the Costco lot, where she later died.
The cause of death was determined to be "multiple injuries," according to the county corner's office. The manner of death was ruled an accident.
Police confirmed that two of the dogs -- a pit bull and mixed-breed -- belonged to a nearby business and escaped prior to the attack. Police have not named the dogs' owner or the business. The third dog, another pit bull, was a stray. Surveillance footage captured by another nearby business showed two of the three dogs involved in the attack, as well as a woman walking alone that may be the victim. Police have been unable to locate any family members of Pearigen.
06/17/19: Woman Discovered Dead
Bakersfield, CA - Authorities confirmed that three dogs killed a woman in Northwest Bakersfield this weekend. According to Bakersfield Police spokesman Nathan McCauley, a pit bull and a mixed-breed dog escaped from a nearby business before the attack and the third dog, another pit bull, was a stray. The victim, who is in her 30s or 40s, is a Bakersfield resident. Police have not released her identity. A bystander discovered her body just before 6:00 am Sunday morning.
An earlier report by the same news group, 23 ABC, said the attack happened in the Costco parking lot off of Rosedale Highway. The woman's body was discovered with significant and "obvious" signs of trauma. At that time, the Kern County Coroner's Office was still determining the cause of death, though police suspected it was a fatal dog mauling. Animal control officers located and impounded all three dogs. Investigators are still seeking witnesses of the deadly attack.
More details were published in Bakersfield.com. McCauley said the business owner surrendered his two dogs to police. One of his dogs was already euthanized for being outwardly violent, McCauley said. Neither the man's nor the business' name was released. The remaining two dogs are being held at Bakersfield Animal Care Center. Both are also expected to be euthanized. The identity of the victim, described as a transient, will be released by the coroner's officer, police said.
Late Evening Updates
Late Monday, 23 ABC published surveillance video provided by a nearby auto shop showing one of the three dogs, which officials confirmed attacked the woman. Police believe the attack started in a commercial area adjacent to Costco shared by several businesses. As the dogs continued to attack, the woman tried to escape through a fence surrounding the Costco parking lot that had previously been slashed. She was discovered dead inside the Costco parking lot Sunday morning.
Jaime Camorlinga, the owner of Central Valley Performance auto shop who provided the footage, told 23 ABC he'd seen the two dogs before. "I've seen those two particular dogs walk around once in a blue moon," Camorlinga said. "I never thought about them as dangerous or anything." He also addressed the fence line surrounding the Costco parking lot. "I think that people cut that fence to have easy access to cross, instead of going all the way around [the parking lot]," Camorlinga said.
Camorlinga later released a second surveillance video showing two of the three dogs, along with footage of woman walking alone that may be the mauling victim. "She's somebody's daughter for sure," he said. "That's got to be heartbreaking for the family." KBAK arrived to the area just after Costco fixed the slashed fence. "They patched it yesterday and they reopened it again -- it was reopened this morning," Camorlinga said. People are cutting through to get to Rosedale Highway.
Other nearby businesses include Bakersfield Kennels, Bakersfield SPCA, auto repair shops, a trucking company, a distribution company, a waterworks company, an upholstery shop and more.
From left: slashed fence, surveillance footage and commenter who previously saw the dogs.
Businesses near a Costco parking lot where dogs fatally attacked a woman in Bakersfield.
View the DogsBite.org Google Map: California Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.Related articles:
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02/18/19: 2019 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman in Anza Pit Bull Attack Dies of Injuries After Weeks...
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.
It is going to be interesting to see how this case plays out in the courts if it ever makes it there. I am sure Costco will get sued despite this business having nothing to do with this attack. Whichever business two out of three of the pits came from should be financially liable for this death and their landlord may have some liability.
I have a friend who’s a personal injury lawyer. In cases like this one, he will find out who the landlord is, and go after than landlord’s insurance policy.
BTW, this strategy worked in a recent pit bull mauling case involving a toddler. The child had leaned over a wall to greet the neighbor’s pit bull. And, quoting my friend the lawyer, the dog “ripped his face off.”
The lawyer won a $500k judgment against the property owner’s insurer. Didn’t matter that the pit bull owners were renters. The goal was to follow the money, in this case, the insurance company.
Your lawyer friend is right. Shotgun suing everyone in sight tends to put an end to eejits with dogs.
I knew a security company with poor temperament, badly trained dogs (mainly”rescued”from owners that could not control their agression) and the shotgun suits against the guards meant experienced dog handlers wouldn’t work there, housing complexes cancelled their contracts, etc.etc and the payouts even with NDAs became so expensive they had to do away with their dog units, altogether.
When it becomes impossible to rent an apartment, live in a neighbourhood, get insurance etc. most people are going to think twice about how pibblety wibblety puppety wuppety is impacting their ability to survive.
One of the linked news stories had a quote from officials saying this was an “extremely, extremely rare event.” No, not really.
Because this was a transient woman, I bet this sorry will fade away. And every possible excuse will be made for those dogs attacking her. The article already spoke about investigators not knowing if the dogs were for fighting or were abused or neglected. As if some extenuating circumstance like one of those could be the only reason that dogs would kill. When we really all know it is not.
I hope she has some family that sue the hell out of the owner of these dogs.
I guess gives lie to the old statement that it is only infants or the elderly that are killed by these monsters.
was she an employee going to work, or what
She was not an employee, they said she was a homeless woman.
If the commentator is right that the canines she photographed earlier in the week were the same animals that killed the woman on the weekend, the brown ‘mixed breed dog’ is clearly a pit bull mix. That head might conceivably have come from one of the very few other breed types that have that short, blocky skull – but given that it was owned with a pit bull and that pit bulls are cheap and plentiful in an era when all other breed types are not (ie, the Chows, Labs, and others that might have contributed that skull are not typically easy or cheap to acquire now), it’s almost certainly a pit bull mix.
If those are not the same dogs, I would find it very interesting that the SPCA shelter is nearby. Who else, after all, describes a dog as a “mixed breed” these days? Especially if they’re already stuck admitting their other dog is a pit bull?
Imagine the outcry, the upheaval, the panic that would ensue if this woman had been killed by a trio of coyotes. Even if the offending animals were caught and destroyed, can you picture what the result would be? Residents would want every coyote in that community found and either relocated or destroyed. Terror would reign. People would demand that action was taken to prevent such a future event. But since this killing was done by dogs… and not just any breed of dog but the most protected/promoted/worshiped breed of dog in the nation… the result will be totally different. Instead of people asking, “Are there more out there that will do this?” people will make every possible excuse to defend the breed. And life will return to normal, with rampant overpopulation of pit bulls and the SPCA right down the street doing everything they can to get one into the home of every family in that community.
Or just imagine this had been a licensed exotic like a tiger or bear. You can bet your asset that these animals would be BANNED THE NEXT DAY !
Has there been an uodate on the womans identity? Transient or not this is so horrific for someone to ne killed by vicious dogs.
2 deaths of Americans from measles since 2005.
CDC : “Vaccinate! Vaccinate! This is preventable!! We need to protect the most vulnerable in society! We need to pass more laws mandating vaccines! We must get this under control!!
417 deaths of Americans by pit bulls since 2005.
CDC : *dead silence*
Echoing Sellis’ comment, imagine if this poor, innocent woman’s cause of death was determined to be measles. The CDC would swoop in and there would be endless coverage about how we need to vaccinate against such a tragic and preventable disease and this shouldn’t be happening in developed countries.
But 417 deaths (and counting), mostly of the most vulnerable in society (children and the elderly), in the jaws of pit bulls, and those deaths mean nothing? I don’t get it.
I am in NO WAY trying to start a vaccine debate. Not even a little bit. I know it’s a highly contentious subject. I am trying to show the yawning maw that exists between what the CDC considers a public health threat and what it couldn’t care less about. I would say that 417 deaths (and counting) is pretty damned significant. Lives are lives. Preventable deaths are preventable deaths. Pit bulls kill children and adults on a regular basis. I would damn well consider them a public health threat.
I won’t hold my breath waiting for the CDC to take action.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. Right here and right now:
The root of this problem is the out-of-control worship of dogs. IMHO, dogs need to be put back into their proper place. As in, they’re animals, not humans, and certainly not children or “fur babies.”
Because they’re animals with teeth, they should be treated with caution at all times.
My Quiet Neighbor, I agree. “Worship” is absolutely the correct term for how many think of dogs these days. I’m 41 years old and watched this troubling change happen in my lifetime.
Absolutely. It’s nuts. Sanity and rational thought has gone to the wayside. When we dehumanize actual humans, and anthropomorphize animals – especially predatory animals – society is lost.
Saving maulers is the latest on trend fad, and victim blaming is accepted. It’s disgusting. This “the animal didn’t know any better” BS is old and sad. Like we, as humans don’t know what a dog is capable of.
The degradation of society seems to be inversely proportional to the rise of dog worship. People walk by a man dying in the street in NY:
(https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Weekend/dying-homeless-man-stopped-mugging-sidewalk/story?id=10471047 ) but they fight tooth and nail to save a pit bull that slaughters a mother or child. It makes me sad and sick.
That crazy woman who doesn’t think these dogs should be euthanized because SHE had a positive experience with them is an example of the problem. It’s like saying “I met Jeffrey Dahmer and he was so nice to me! He couldn’t have killed all those innocent men!”
The trail of misery, medical bills, PTSd, trauma, pain, and death that pit bulls have left on society should speak volumes to their “sweet wiggle butt” nature. Unfortunately, the inmates are running the asylum.
At last, the victim’s name. So sad to think of the fear, panic and loneliness in this lady’s last hours.
The facebook page for Bakersfield Kennels is infested with pits. You wouldn’t think a kennel would be so irresponsible to let their dogs run loose but pit owners are famously irresponsable. Does it seem odd that the ideneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Sorry my keyboard stuck.
I was trying to say it seems odd they are hiding the identity of the dog owner