Posted on November 13, 2017 by Colleen Lynn

2017 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman Found Dead After Suspected Dog Attack in Johnson County, Arkansas

Sharon Lindemann, 75, was discovered dead on her driveway in Hartman, Arkansas.

Dog Attack Suspected
Johnson County, AR - On October 30, the Johnson County Sheriff's Department responded to a call of a deceased woman on Private Road 2227. Sheriff Larry Jones said the victim had deep gashes on her arms and legs. A family member identified her as Sharon Lindemann, 75-years old. Lindemann lived with her sister at the home near Hartman and west of Clarksville. Her sister arrived home from work that day about 4:15 pm and discovered her dead in their driveway.

"My sister's unconscious in the driveway," she screamed. "I don't know what's wrong, but she's got a big gash in her neck." - 911 call, victim's sister

Her sister, Dawn Garland, believes she was attacked by vicious dogs. She said Lindemann often took a walking stick with her outside for protection against roaming dogs. The county does not have a leash law. In fact, according to Sheriff Jones, the county does not have a dog ordinance at all. Her body was transported to the Arkansas Crime Laboratory for an autopsy. Johnson County Coroner Pam Cogan stated that the victim had bites and injuries consistent with a canine attack.

"When I got there, she was laying in the gravel driveway and had obvious wounds and gashes to her limbs -- mostly from what we could see to her arms, her legs," Coroner Cogan told KATV. "Most of it was to the front of her and the gashes and wounds were consistent with what I would consider to be a canine." While no dog was discovered at the scene, Cogan said she saw paw prints around the body. Neighbors also told her they had seen loose dogs roaming the area.

Cogan has been the Johnson County coroner for the last four years. Thus, she also oversaw the mauling death of 63-year old Frederick Crutchfield in nearby Coal Hill. He was killed by three family pit bulls in February 2015. Coroner Cogan told KATV that Lindemann's death was the most horrific she has ever had to investigate. "Just from the perspective of the amount of pain that the person must have gone through, and it was certainly a lot of injuries to the body," Cogan said.

Arkansas State Crime Lab

The Arkansas State Crime Lab said the cause of death was by "multiple blunt force and penetrating injuries" -- standard language used in fatal dog maulings. "There was penetration all the way down to the bone in some areas," Sheriff Jones said. He added that yesterday, a Hartman farmer shot and killed two vicious pit bulls about two miles from where Lindemann was found. The farmer shot the dogs after they killed his horse. Jones does not know if the attacks are related.

"We got a call from an individual that lives there on Main Street in Hartman that reported his horse had been killed by 2 pit bulls." - Jones

Though it is unclear why, the crime lab's report did not list this as an animal attack. This may be because it was a preliminary report. We certainly hope Sheriff Jones examines the two dead pit bulls and collects their DNA. His reluctance to call this a dog attack -- going against the coroner's expertise -- is a bit baffling. We hope we are not looking at another sheriff who mistakenly believes this may be a large cat attack. There really is too much information available to make this error.

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 November 9, 2017 by Colleen Lynn

2017 Dog Bite Fatality: Senior Citizen Attacked and Killed by Own Dogs in Hamlet, North Carolina

On Saturday, two dogs attacked and killed their owner in Hamlet, North Carolina.

Victim Identitifed
UPDATE 11/09/17: Hamlet Police have identified the dog mauling victim as David Robert Baber, 65-years old. On November 4, two of Baber's dogs, a male pit bull and mixed-breed dog, brutally attacked him in the backyard of his own home on West Hamlet Avenue. A 9-year old boy tried to stop the attack by throwing bricks at the dogs to no avail. He later told the Richmond County Daily Journal the dogs would not stop attacking him. "They bit his neck. He’s got a hole in it," he said.

Baber owned five dogs that he walked each morning. He could only walk them in pairs of two and could only walk his "energetic" male pit bull alone. According to the little boy's mother, April Parnell, prior to attacking Baber the same two dogs had been fighting earlier that day. Parnell said that Baber broke up the dog fight by inserting himself between the animals and throwing punches at the dogs. Hamlet Police continue to search for relatives of Baber to inform them of his death.

In 2015, two pit bulls belonging to Ricky Davidson viciously attacked 79-year old Kenneth Ford in Pahrump, Nevada. He died just over a month later while still hospitalized at University Medical Center in Las Vegas. Just before his death, Nye County was granted temporary guardianship of Ford and his estate because no family members could be located to oversee his medical care. It is presumed that Nye County ultimately took permanent guardianship after Ford's death as well.

11/06/17: Can't Locate Relatives
On Monday, Hamlet Police Chief Scott Waters said they still have not located any relatives of a man who was mauled and killed by his own dogs Saturday. The attack occurred in front of a 9-year child who tried to stop the dogs by throwing bricks at them. So far, investigators have checked with the Adult Services division of the Richmond County Department of Social Services, the Veterans Administration and Walmart, where the man had been employed before retiring.

"We’re running into a lot of obstacles" and may have to release the man’s name in order to find his relatives. - Police Chief Scott Waters

The little boy, named Kanorie, and his family live next door to the mauling victim. His mother, April Parnell, said her family and the man were close. He often walked her children to the bus stop in the morning and escorted them home after school. April said the man had a daughter who lived elsewhere, reports the Richmond County Daily Journal. Waters called Kanorie a "hero" for his brave actions Saturday. "I just thank God above that the dogs didn’t turn on him," Waters said.

11/04/17: Man Killed by Own Dogs
Hamlet, NC - A man is dead after being mauled to death by his two dogs, a black-and-white pit bull and another dog. The fatal attack occurred early Saturday afternoon in the owner's fenced-in backyard at 308 West Hamlet Avenue. A 9-year old child witnessed the attack and threw bricks at the animals, trying to get them to stop. “I threw bricks at the dogs to try and get them off of him,” Kanorie Parnell said. “Only they wouldn’t get off of him. They bit his neck. He’s got a hole in it."

The 69-year old owner had five dogs. He could only walk them in pairs of two and could only walk his "energetic" male pit bull alone.

By 1 pm, about 10 vehicles from first responders lined West Hamlet Avenue, reports the Richmond County Daily Journal. By 1:15 pm, officers captured the pit bull; it took longer to capture the second dog. At 2 pm, officer's removed the man's body. By 3:30 pm, Hamlet Police Chief Scott Waters said all of the dogs had been taken to the Richmond County Animal Shelter, reports the Daily Journal. Hamlet police are notifying next of kin and have not yet identified the victim.

Kanorie and his mother, April Parnell, live next door to the man. April said Kanorie was visiting the neighbor when the two dogs attacked and killed their owner. April also provided the names of the two dogs involved -- Little J and RJ. She said both dogs had been fighting earlier that day. April said her 69-year old neighbor broke up the dog fight by throwing punches at them, separating them. Later in the day, the same two dogs attacked their neighbor, she told the Daily Journal.

Although information is limited at this time, this case could involve rescue dogs or dog "collecting." The man had five dogs. He could only walk them in pairs of two and the pit bull alone. This could be an indicator of dog aggression by more than one of his dogs, though it could be strength-based too. The man is described as "small," possibly he could only handle two dogs at a time. Also, Little J and RJ, by their names alone, appear to be related (intentional or unintentional breeding).

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

Posted on November 5, 2017 by Colleen Lynn

2017 Dog Bite Fatality: Newborn Mauled to Death by Family Dog in Cleveland, Ohio

The Cleveland home where 2-week old Sophia Booth died after suffering a dog bite.

Baby Identified
UPDATE 11/05/17: Cleveland Police stated in a news release the attacking dog was a 4-year old German shepherd. They also identified the 2-week old newborn. "The dog escaped from the kitchen area where he was fenced in, and bit the baby girl who was in a bedroom on the first floor. The baby, who has been identified a 2-week old Sophia Booth, was taken to MetroHealth Medical Center where she died," reports Cleveland 19 news. The family shepherd was taken into custody.

The attacked happened at 6:53 pm on Carrington Avenue, Cleveland police spokesman Det. Reginald Lanton said. Police responded to a report of child who suffered head trauma from being bitten by a dog, Lanton said. The case will be presented to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutors Office. Police provided no information about the history of the dog -- if the dog had a documented history of aggression or not. The extent of the baby's head trauma injuries is also unknown.

In 2014, a pit bull jumped over a "baby gate" in a Dayton home and fatally attacked a 7-month old child under the care of Kimiko Hardy. Leading up to the baby's death, the pit bull had attacked a mailman and a neighborhood dog. After the dog incident, Hardy attended required classes on "responsible dog ownership." Yet, she still failed to properly secure her dog in the presence of a baby. A jury later found her guilty of six felonies. Hardy was sentenced to three years in jail.

11/04/17: Dog Bite Kills Baby
Cleveland, OH - A 2-week old baby is dead after being bitten by a family dog Friday night. The attack occurred at 6:53 pm at 13304 Carrington Avenue in the Puritas-Longmead neighborhood, according to Cleveland Police. The baby was transported to MetroHealth Medical Center, where it died just before 9 pm, according to police. Cleveland Homicide detectives are investigating the baby's mauling death. Police authorities have not yet released the gender of the newborn.

Video from News 5 Cleveland describes the dog as a German shepherd. A "warning" guard dog sign was seen on the home's front window.

This dog was known to be aggressive. Neighbors described the dog as "vicious and aggressive" toward people and other dogs that would walk by the home. "It was like a junkyard dog," said neighbor Tommy Varga. "Ready to attack -- constantly." Varga said he never walked in front of the house; he walked across the street because of the dog. It's unclear if any neighbors ever reported this dog to animal control authorities. It's unclear why this animal was anywhere near an infant.

Ohio's Fatal Dog Attacks

So far in 2017, Ohio (population 11.61 million) leads all states with 4 fatal dog maulings versus Texas (population 27.86 million) and Georgia (population 10.31 million) each with 3 dog bite deaths. The other alarming fact about this baby's death is that nearly one third (29%) of all determined fatal dog attack victims so far this year have been babies 8-months old or younger. The state of Ohio is disproportionately responsible for these newborn dog bite deaths as well.

In September, about 70 miles south of Cleveland, Knox County Prosecutor Chip McConville said that no charges would be filed after a father woke up to his newborn so mutilated by a family pit bull that he did not even attempt CPR. After searching the father's Pike Township home, police found dozens of empty beer cans, drug paraphernalia and a back room littered with "so much urine and feces in it that I could not breathe due to the odor," an investigator stated at the time.

Posted on November 2, 2017 by Colleen Lynn

Family Files Lawsuit After Toledo Woman Dies of Injuries After Being Knocked to the Ground by a Pit Bull

The estate of Shirley Wright is suing those believed to be the keepers of the dogs.

Lawsuit Filing
Toledo, OH - Last Wednesday, the family of a Toledo woman who died a month after she was badly injured by a dog filed a civil complaint in Lucas County Court of Common Pleas. Rebecca Best, the executrix of the estate of Shirley Wright, alleges in the complaint that Susanne Barwiler is the owner of the home where defendants Anthony Foust and Holly Foust reside, located on Ogden Avenue in Toledo, and that Barwiler herself resides in the home for at least part of the year.

"Defendants, Susanne Barwiler, Anthony Foust and Holly Foust, are, upon information and belief, were owners/keepers/harborers of a vicious dog(s)," states the complaint. The Lucas County Coroner ruled in August that Shirley Wright, 89, died June 8 due to "gastrointestinal hemorrhage, deceased was knocked down by neighbor’s dog." The manner of death was ruled accidental. This type of injury resulting in death falls under "struck by dog," not death due to dog bite injuries.

"On or about May 6, 2017 at approximately 5:00 pm, Shirley Wright was doing yard work on her property, which was located adjacent to the defendant's property at 626 Ogden Ave., Toledo, OH 43609. Defendant, Anthony Foust, was sitting on his front porch with his two pit-bull dogs. As Ms. Wright was walking towards the driveway, one of the defendant's dogs charged at her, jumping up on her left side, biting her, mauling her and causing her to fall to the concrete.
As a direct consequence of the attack, Shirley Wright, suffered severe and painful injuries, the complications of which directly resulted in her death. Her injuries included but are not limited to right hand swelling with fractured middle finger; a fracture of the right shoulder; and a fracture of the right hip."

Plaintiff Rebecca Best is seeking an amount "greatly in excess of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00) per defendant," states the lawsuit, "as well as for all costs of this action, any and all applicable interests, plaintiff's reasonable attorney fees, as well as any and all other such relief as this Honorable Court deems appropriate, just, and equitable." The lawsuit filing, which demands a jury trial, was assigned to Judge Linda J. Jennings and will be heard at a date in the future.

CDC Wonder Database

DogsBite.org does not include "struck by dog" deaths in our dog bite fatality statistics or cases involving non-bite or minor bite injury. However, we do track them when we learn about them. The way that we check our statistics every few years to ensure we are not underreporting is through CDC Wonder Search, which includes the combined number of individuals killed after being "bitten or struck by a dog" (Code W54). CDC Wonder results do not separate out the two scenarios.1

Thus, CDC Wonder results should always be slightly higher than ours, as we exclude "struck by dog" and non-bite injury deaths. - DogsBite.org

Other cases we have written about previously that could qualify as "struck by dog" deaths include a 33-year old letter carrier who died after a rottweiler ambushed him, causing him to fall and suffer a fatal head injury. The attack occurred in 2010 in Oceanside, California. In 2009, Plainfield Animal Control Officer Theresa Foss was hospitalized with a head injury after being knocked to the ground by an aggressive pit bull on September 29. She died while hospitalized on October 8.

One of the Foust's Pit Bulls

A family member posted one of their pit bulls to Facebook on January 24, 2017. The dog is seen sitting on the porch of their home on Ogden Avenue. Wright was attacked by one of the pit bulls just over three months later. The lawsuit states the defendants "were negligent by failing to keep and maintain reasonable control of their dog(s) while unconfined and/or untethered, thereby allowing them to roam free with the potential to cause physical bodily harm to another person."

1Causes of death are classified in accordance with the International Classification of Disease. The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) began using ICD-10 (W54) to classify underlying cause-of-death in 1999. For classifying nonfatal conditions, the use of ICD-10 went into final effect 10/1/2015 for all U.S. hospital billing.

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