Posted on September 13, 2018 by Colleen Lynn

Coroner Rules Cause of Death Heart Attack After Pit Bull Attacks Two in Morgan County, Missouri

A woman, 61, was found dead after being attacked by a pit bull she was dog sitting.

Post-Fatality Dog Bites
UPDATE 10/07/18: Last week, we were finally able to talk to the county coroner. He confirmed the victim suffered a fatal heart attack and was bitten by the dog afterward. The bites were inflicted post-mortem. Despite the conflicting media reports, one news report did clearly state this. Initially, police did not know the order of the events, not until the autopsy was complete. To add more confusion, this pit bull attacked the man who tried to help the woman and also had a history of attacks.

09/13/18: Woman Found Dead
Morgan County, MO - On September 1, the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department received a 911 call from a man who reported that a 61-year old woman had been viciously attacked by a large pit bull at a home in the 30000 block of Proctor Road. The woman was dog sitting the pit bull at the owner's home. The man went to the home to check on the woman, Morgan County Sheriff Norman Dills said. He found her on the ground, and when he tried to help her, the pit bull attacked him.

Responding paramedics found the woman on the floor, but could not treat her due to the aggressive pit bull that was guarding her body. In addition to the September 1 attacks on the woman and man, who required surgery for his wounds, the pit bull attacked two other people previously, Sheriff Dills said. Deputies were forced to gun down the dog to reach the woman. When emergency responders were able to reach her, they discovered she was deceased.

On September 5, Captain J. D. Williams identified the victim as 61-year old Deborah Russell. The medical examiner determined the cause of death was a heart attack and not the injuries sustained in the vicious attack. Instances involving fatal heart attacks and vicious dog attacks are included in DogsBite.org statistical data when the victim sustains serious bite injuries, like the vicious attack of David Brown and his wife by a family pit bull in Owensboro, Kentucky in February of this year.

Deaths like Russell are examined on a case-by-case basis. The requirements are a vicious attack causing serious injuries when the underlying cause of death is a heart attack. Over the 13-year period of 2005 to 2017, canines killed 433 Americans. Only 1.4% (6) of those deaths involved fatal heart attacks where the victim suffered bite injuries ranging from serious to catastrophic. Typically, but not always, coroners remark that bites are a contributing cause of death in these cases.

The gist of what the sheriff is saying in the Lake Expo piece -- and in earlier news articles -- is that the woman was attacked and injured by the dog and suffered a fatal heart attack. The dog was in the home alone with the deceased victim for about an hour before being discovered. According to the coroner, the bite injuries were not lethal. The idea that a coroner could not determine pre- from post-mortem bite injuries, as Sheriff Dills states, is the only part of this case that lacks reason.

Baseline reporting requirements:
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.

Posted on September 4, 2018 by Colleen Lynn

Originating County Shelter of Fatally Attacking Pit Bull is Logan, WV

Robin Conway, 64, was mauled to death by a pit bull she adopted two weeks earlier.

Victim and Killer Dog
UPDATE 09/27/18: On September 27, we were alerted to an updated portion of a Baltimore Sun article that contained descriptive information about the male pit bull that attacked and killed Robin Conway on September 3, two weeks after Conway rescued the dog from death row. "Ramsey said Conway had been in contact with a West Virginia rescue group for some time about the all-white male pit bull initially named Snowball that she eventually brought home," reports The Sun.

Usually, news sources show the first and last update in the time stamp -- but not The Sun. So we did not review this article again until today. With this new information, we were able to quickly locate the pit bull and validate Robin Conway as its new owner. On August 21, Conway is photographed with an all-white pit bull named Snowball, which was pulled from the Logan County Pound in West Virginia by Laura Shamblin-Smith's rescue then transported by Robin Kilgore.

Several days earlier, Selena Marcum of The Paws Squad, who frequently pulls death row dogs from the Logan County Pound, put out an "urgent call" for Snowball -- previously named Bullet. Marcum stated the dog was an owner surrender that had been given up two times previously. Snowball was living on "borrowed time," Marcum wrote, and had been the longest stay at the shelter. "Good with male and female dogs and loves human attention," Marcum wrote.

On August 9, Marcum wrote that Snowball is only slated for rescues -- not available for adoption. The Logan County Pound apparently does not adopt out pit bulls or disagreed with her assessment of the dog. On August 1, the dog's previous owner states in comments: "Yes this is my pit, his name is Bullet not Snowball, Angel Harley Sumpter states. "I was letting a friend keep him cause I can't have a pet where I live." It is unclear if Sumpter knows that Bullet killed Conway.

Watch behavior videos of Snowball before being "saved" from death row: Video 1 | Video 2

Robin Conway seen with the pit bull named Snowball, AKA "Bullet," on August 21, 2018.

A recent GoFundMe page by Shamblin-Smith, who is based in Amma, West Virginia, states that donations for her rescue efforts are "tax exempt." The fund is titled: Wheels 4 Paws. It is unclear at this time if Shamblin-Smith is one of many drivers for North Carolina-based Wheels 4 Paws, which offers "freedom rides" for unwanted and death row dogs in southeastern states up to northeastern states. They also do "emergency" cross-country transports, according to the nonprofit's website.

Finally, while Marcum of Paws Squad credit's Shamblin-Smith for the lifesaving "pull" of Snowball on August 21, a fundraiser for "Snowball's Vetting Costs" shows that Ray of Hope Dog Rescue, a Howard County, Maryland-based rescue, takes credit for "pulling" Snowball on the same day -- two days before his August 23 scheduled euthanasia date. Though all players are eager to take credit for the "pull and save," they are just as eager now to delete pages associated to Snowball.

Snowball seen at the Logan County Pound, posted July 25, 2018 (right), and other photographs.

09/06/18: No New Information
The Howard County Police Department has still not released information about the shelter or rescue that adopted out a pit bull that killed its owner two weeks later. On Labor Day, Robin Conway, 64, was mauled to death by a male pit bull she went out-of-state to adopt two weeks earlier. The adoption date coincides with August 18, where NBC and Telemundo news stations teamed up with shelters nationwide for the fourth annual "Clear the Shelters" adoption drive.

A report from Fox Baltimore states, "Family members say Conway found the dog two weeks ago at an out-of-town shelter and saved the animal from being put to death." This pit bull, presumably, was a death row dog. Despite hundreds of unwanted pit bulls in shelters closer to Conway -- eager to be adopted on August 18 -- the victim went out-of-state to get this particular dog. The results were deadly. The animal mauled her to death just after she took the dog for an evening walk.

The term "out-of-state" pertaining to rescue pit bulls is more loaded that it sounds. Hypothetically, the dog was on death row at a southern high-kill shelter until a rescue transport swooped in and gave the dog a "freedom ride" up North, where it wound up on death row (again) in a Northeastern shelter. While sitting on that death row, the dog was pulled by a different out-of-state rescue and passed through two different states before being delivered to its umpteenth "forever home."

Early reports indicate Conway was fostering the dog, which is another "fast fix" to stop the euthanasia clock for aggressive pit bulls. But the clock always keeps ticking, because virtually no foster can handle such a problematic dog for more than a few weeks. When the foster returns the dog, the "urgent death row dog" calls go out again for a new foster to stop the clock again for a few weeks. It's unknown what happened in this case, but there is a world of possibilities.

Also, the victim's sister, Susan Eve LeClair, offered up a press conference to an array of news stations Tuesday professing that not all pit bulls are bad." No one has ever said, "all pit bulls are bad." The argument is that the public -- and even trained professionals -- cannot tell the difference between a good pit bull and bad pit bull. The attack methods are the same: A "no warning," unprovoked attack with explosive aggression followed by the dog executing the killing bite.

In 2012, the highest court in Maryland issued the seminal ruling declaring "pit bulls inherently dangerous" in Tracey v. Solesky. The Court's decision was in part due to their attack method and the severe and fatal injuries pit bulls inflict. The Court did not ban pit bulls. They attached strict liability to the owner when a pit bull attacks. "When an attack involves pit bulls, it is no longer necessary to prove that the particular pit bull or pit bulls are dangerous," the Court wrote.

"Everybody's different. Every animal's different. Some animals have their problems that you don’t see on the outside." - Susan Eve LeClair

The state legislature muted the high court's ruling in 2014 after two years of high profile legislative attempts to derail the ruling and replace it with a statutory dog bite law. People like Conway and LeClair celebrated afterward. Four years later, and less than 24 hours after her sister was killed by a pit bull, LeClair sticks to her propaganda-based logic that every "dog is an individual." Even the CDC admitted 18 years ago, "there appears to be a breed-specific problem with fatalities."

09/04/18: Adopted Pit Bull Kills Owner
Columbia, MD - A 64-year old woman is dead after being attacked by a pit bull she adopted two weeks ago, states a news release by the Howard County Police Department. Robin Conway had adopted the pit bull out-of-state. On Labor Day, police were called to a home in the 6300 block of Tamar Drive for a report that a woman had been attacked and badly injured by a pit bull she recently adopted. Officers found Conway deceased in her backyard with "significant injuries."

A family member discovered Conway in her backyard about 7:20 pm with the dog standing over. The person tied the dog to a fence post and called 911. The pit bull was "barking and lunging," and still attached to the fence post, when paramedics and police arrived. It was ultimately euthanized. Police are awaiting autopsy results from the state medical examiner's office to determine the cause of death. Police have no additional information about the adopting agency at this time.

Dispatch recordings on Broadcastify.com paint an ugly picture of what first responders arrived to. "The caller is saying he thinks his wife was attacked by a dog and might be dead." There was confusion over what to do with the dog after paramedics arrived too. "It’s not safe for anyone to handle this dog right now. They are going to have to come out," presumably referring to animal control. The news release issued by police infers the pit bull was put down at the scene.

WBAL-TV interviewed the victim's sister, Susan Eve LeClair. "This is one animal she thought she could save. An animal that needed to be rescued. (And that) animal unfortunately killed her," LeClair said. Conway brought the dog home two weeks ago and began "providing foster care," reports WBAL-TV. LeClair pleaded that her sister's death should "not to be taken as something to be held against all pit bulls" less than 24 hours after the male pit bull "unfortunately killed her."

News Release: Columbia woman reportedly mauled to death by dog; Robin Conway, 64, had recently adopted pit bull out-of-state.

Howard County police were called to a residence in the 6300 block of Tamar Drive Sept. 3 for a report that a woman had been mauled to death by a pit bull she adopted two weeks ago. Officers found Robin Conway, 64, deceased in her back yard with significant injuries. The cause of Conway’s death will be determined in an autopsy by the state medical examiner.

A family member reported finding Conway injured in her yard around 7:20 p.m., with the dog standing over her. The witness called 911 and tied the dog to a fence post until assistance could arrive.

Police and paramedics responded and pronounced Conway deceased at the scene. The dog, still attached to the post, was barking and lunging on the leash and had to be subdued by animal control officers and ultimately euthanized. A necropsy will be performed to determine if the dog had rabies or any other medical issues.

There were no previous calls to animal control related to this address prior to this incident. Police do not have information about the dog’s adoption, except that it came from out-of-state.

Police are conducting a standard death investigation and awaiting autopsy results to confirm the cause of Conway’s death. - Howard County Police Department

Conway's death recalls a similar fatality in Maryland. In January 2015, Eugene Smith, 87, was critically injured by his rescue pit bull while taking down his Christmas tree. When police arrived, the pit bull was still actively attacking Smith. Officers were able to "disengage" the dog. Smith was taken to a hospital with severe injuries where he died. The male neutered pit bull was 4-years old. Smith had adopted the dog from an undisclosed Baltimore area rescue seven months earlier.

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: Maryland and D.C. Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.

Posted on August 23, 2018 by Colleen Lynn

2018 Dog Bite Fatality: West Price Hill Woman Killed by Her Pit Bull; Police Call Case 'Complex Investigation'

West Price Hill home where Della Riley, 42, was mauled to death by her own pit bull.

Seizure a Speculation
UPDATE 08/27/18: Della Riley, 42-years old, was dead by the time police arrived at her Dewey Avenue home. Arriving officers encountered a dog, which police described as a pit bull, standing over an unresponsive female. Officers shot and killed the dog after it "aggressively charged" them. The coroner determined the cause of death was due to trauma from a vicious dog mauling. When police fired on the dog, a bullet ricocheted and struck the victim who was in a post-mortem state.

Additional information became known over the weekend. Jon Seymoure, who lives next door, admitted on camera that he "guessed" Della Riley had a seizure episode that set off the fatal pit bull attack. He also admitted that her young son did not understand what had happened. "He was about 4-years old. To tell his neighbors, but I don't think he understood what was going on," Seymoure said. "If she had a seizure, then the pit bull must have gotten afraid," Seymoure said.

"It's sad to know your own dog could turn against you and snap like that ... It's sad to think that he don't have a mother anymore." - Jon Seymoure

Once again, there is absolutely no evidence the victim suffered a seizure before her own pit bull fatally attacked her. The medical examiner made no mention of a seizure or a history of seizures. From 2005 to 2017, 54 dog bite fatalities involved a dog killing its primary owner. Pit bulls inflicted 63% (34) of these deaths, over 8 times more than any other breed. Pit bulls killed their owners in all adult age groups vs. attacks without pit bulls, where 90% of owners were ≥ 50 years old.

First or Second Attack?

From August 30, 2014 to December 18, 2014, Della Riley's Facebook page shows several photos of a male pit bull, named Graffiti, lying close to her son. On December 27, 2014, Riley posts an injury photo after Graffiti attacked her right arm and wrote: "This is what my dog did to me not to long ago. he didn't mean to do it to me he is a friendly and a lovable dog. Pit bulls are mid understudied dog" [sic]. Riley also states, "The dog is gone I'm not going to get another dog."

One of her friends reminds her in a comment that pit bulls "will turn on you any second" and that the dog could have mauled her baby. "The dog is gone. I had somebody take him to the pound," Riley replied. Riley never posted another public photo of her pit bull afterward. We do not know if the fatal attacker was Graffiti or a new pit bull she acquired after 2014. Media reports indicate there were two dogs in Riley's Dewey Avenue home during the attack: a pit bull and a rottweiler.

In a number of cases where victims were fatally mauled by their own dogs, the canine(s) had a history of aggression, including a serious attack on their owner beforehand -- attacks requiring surgery and hospitalization. Furthermore, Riley states back in 2014, "I'm not going to get another dog." Yet, she had two in her home when her own pit bull ripped her throat out in front of her son on August 22, 2018. In fact, she owned the top two killing dog breeds, a pit bull and a rottweiler.

Photographs from the mother's Facebook page from August 30, 2014 to December 18, 2014.

Nine days later, on December 27, 2014, the pit bull named Graffiti attacked Della Riley.

08/23/18: Pit Bull Fatally Attacks Owner
The Hamilton County Coroner confirmed that a West Price Hill mother was mauled to death by her own pit bull on Wednesday. The coroner identified the woman as 42-year old Della Riley. The coroner also stated that Riley suffered a bullet wound from a ricochet when police shot and killed the dog. Police fired on the canine after it "aggressively charged the officers." The woman was already dead when the bullet struck her, authorities said. The woman also owned a rottweiler.

First responders were initially dispatched to the home about 1:00 pm Wednesday after a report of a person suffering a seizure. The victim's 5-year old son ran from the house, asking neighbors for help. Jon Seymoure, who lives next door, told Fox 19 yesterday, "The mother had a seizure and the dog attacked her. From what I hear, he ripped her throat out." Apparently, the little boy witnessed the horrific attack. His father arrived while police were still processing the scene.

Media Release - August 23, 2018 - Death Investigation

Cincinnati, OH - On August 22, 2018, at approximately 1:00 pm, the Cincinnati Fire Department (CFD) responded to 1635 Dewey Avenue for the report of a person having a seizure. Upon arrival, CFD discovered a female being attacked by a dog inside the residence and requested assistance from the Cincinnati Police Department (CPD). District Three officers responded and encountered the dog standing over an unresponsive female. As the officers entered the residence to render assistance to the victim, the dog aggressively charged the officers, at which time they discharged their handguns, striking and killing the animal.

Upon further investigation by the Hamilton County Coroner's Office, it was determined that the female was deceased prior to the arrival of CPD. The Office of the Hamilton County Coroner, Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco, conducted a post-mortem examination that determined the cause of death was due to trauma sustained by the victim who had been viciously mauled by the dog. It was also determined that one of the rounds fired by the responding officers at the dog traveled through a nearby mattress, ricocheted off the floor, and struck the female victim in the abdomen. It was confirmed during the autopsy that the bullet struck the body in a post-mortem state. | View full news release - Cincinnati Police Department

08/23/18: Pit Bull Suspected in Death
Cincinnati, OH - Fox 19 confirmed late last night that a woman was found dead after neighbors say she was attacked by her own pit bull. The attack occurred about 1:00 pm in the 1600 block of Dewey Avenue in West Price Hill. Neighbor's say a small boy ran out of the home, saying that someone was having a seizure, and a neighbor called 911. The Hamilton County Coroner said a dog was guarding the woman when paramedics arrived, so police shot and killed the animal.

"The mother had a seizure and the dog attacked her. From what I hear, he ripped her throat out." - Next door neighbor Jon Seymoure

Police are calling the case a "complex investigation" and continue to examine what exactly occurred inside the home. The 5-year old boy is the son of the woman, according to the Fox 19 report. "It's a tragic thing that it happens like that," said neighbor Marietta Alexander. She said the boy's father came home while police were still processing the scene. She expressed heartbreak knowing that a small boy witnessed it all. "I feel bad for the boy, I really do,"Alexander said.

Pit bulls have been involved in several fatal dog attacks where the victim had a history of seizures. As many of these attacks are unwitnessed, it is unknown if the attack caused the seizure or if the seizure caused the attack, or if there was a seizure at all. Our nonprofit has no other dog breed on record, except pit bulls, involved in a fatal dog mauling where a seizure might have preempted the attack. Some of these victims include: Jamie Owsley, Tonia Parks and Kelli Chapman.

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: Ohio Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Colleen Lynn

2018 Dog Bite Fatality: Rocky Mount Man Found Dead Inside Home with Pit Bull Injuries

Rocky Mount Police found Gurney Walker, 75, dead inside a home with pit bull injuries.

Victim Identified
UPDATE 08/22/18: Police released the name of an elderly man who was killed by a pit bull over the weekend. Gurney Walker, 75, was found dead inside a home at 408 Buena Vista Avenue about 2:35 am Saturday morning. Police were called to the home for a suspicious event, reports WRAL, but they did not elaborate on who called for help. Cpl. Brad Summerlin of the Rock Mounty Police previously stated that Walker was "staying at the home" of the owner of the pit bull.

When officers arrived at the scene, the pit bull was inside the home. The Pitt County Medical Examiner's Office performed an autopsy on Walker's body Sunday, reports WITN. The cause and manner of death results remain pending. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Rocky Mount Police Department at (252) 972-1411, Twin County Crime Stoppers at (252) 977-1111 or Text-A-Tip (Text RMPOL) your message to CRIMES (274637). Your text is anonymous.

08/21/18: Rocky Mount Man Found Dead
Rocky Mount, NC - A 75-year old man was found dead at a home with injuries inflicted by a pit bull, Rocky Mount Police said. Authorities responded to a residence in the 400 block of Buena Vista Avenue about 2:35 am Saturday and discovered the man deceased inside. Police said the man had sustained injuries from a pit bull. The victim's identity was not released. His body was taken to the Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy. Police continue to investigate his death.

This is the third fatal pit bull attack in North Carolina in nine months. On August 9, a 66-year old woman, still unnamed, was killed by two pit bulls while walking in a Lake Tillery development in Montgomery County. Last November, 65-year old David Baber of Hamlet was killed by two of his five dogs, a pit bull and a mixed-breed, in his fenced-in backyard in Richmond County. A 9-year old boy witnessed the attack and threw bricks at the dogs to no avail, trying to get them to stop.

A License to Kill

On Wednesday, the Rocky Mount Telegram added new information. In a press release issued by Rocky Mount Police, Cpl. Brad Summerlin said the man was "staying at the home" of the owner of the pit bull on Buena Vista Avenue when the fatal attack occurred -- yet another common fatal pit bull mauling scenario. Summerlin said he doesn’t believe the owner of the pit bull will face any criminal charges. “The dog has been seized and is in quarantine at this time,” Summerlin said.

Since January 1, 2018, canines have killed at least 20 Americans. Pit bulls were involved in three-quarters of these attacks. Criminal charges have been brought in only one case, 5% of fatalities this year. One might presume the lone criminal case involved an at large pit bull mauling and killing a woman walking down the street in broad daylight, such as in the deaths of Karen Brown and more recently in Lake Tillery. That is a false presumption. Having pit bulls is a license to kill.

View the DogsBite.org Google State Map: North Carolina Fatal Pit Bull Attacks.

DogsBite blog ::

Coroner Rules Cause of Death Heart Attack After Pit Bull Attacks Two in Morgan County, Missouri

2018 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bull Adopted Two Weeks Earlier Kills Woman in Columbia, Maryland

Originating County Shelter of Fatally Attacking Pit Bull is Logan, WV

2018 Dog Bite Fatality: West Price Hill Woman Killed by Her Pit Bull; Police Call Case 'Complex Investigation'

2018 Dog Bite Fatality: Rocky Mount Man Found Dead Inside Home with Pit Bull Injuries