Posted on August 26, 2015 by Colleen Lynn

2015 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bull Kills Woman, Injures Another in Davie County, North Carolina

The three recent fatal pit bull attacks mapped - breeders of fighting dogs territory.

Survivor is Pit Bull Owner
UPDATE 08/25/15: New information has been released about the fatal pit bull attack in North Carolina. On Monday, Cathy Wheatcraft, 48, was fatally attacked by her neighbor's pit bull. She had just gotten her mail and was walking back to her home when the dog attacked, according to Davie County deputies. The dog "drug her down the yard and fatally bit her," Sheriff Andy Stokes said. The pit bull also attacked neighbor Sheena Truesdale, 31, who tried to help the victim.

"[The pit bull] growled and charged me, caught me in my shoulder and that's what made me fall to the ground. We were fighting and then he caught my inner thigh." - Sheena Truesdale, survivor and pit bull owner

Truesdale tried to get into a nearby car to escape the animal, but the pit bull continued coming at her. After she got into the car and tried to shut the door, the pit bull latched onto her arm again. The dog was still latched on, trying to pull her out of the car, when a Cooleemee police officer arrived. "If it wasn't for that police man who showed up, [the pit bull] would've got me out of the car, my arm would've been much worse and I would probably be dead myself," Truesdale said.

The fatally attacking pit bull was declared a "nuisance animal" in May after escaping its owner's property and attacking a dog. In a strange twist, the victimized dog belonged to Truesdale. At some point before attacking the two women Monday, the pit bull escaped its owner's home through a window. Truesdale is a pit bull fan and owns three of them. Despite what she witnessed and underwent, she does not believe "pit bulls are aggressive dogs." Her death wish is her own.

View The Fox 8 segment shows that the pit bull jumped out of a window 10 or 11 feet up.

08/25/15: Declared a 'Nuisance Animal'
The Davie County Sheriff's Office has identified the fatal dog mauling victim as Cathy Wheatcraft, 48-years old. The woman was savagely killed by her neighbor's pit bull Monday night in front of her home at 243 Clark Road near Cooleemee. At the time of the deadly attack, she was checking her mailbox. The pit bull also attacked a neighbor who intervened to help, 31-year old Sheena Truesdale. She was transported to a local hospital and is in stable condition, officials said.

The fatally attacking pit bull belonged to Latisha Young who lives nearby. The dog was normally kept inside her home, but in this case "escaped through a window" while its owner was away at some point before killing one woman and injuring another. Just 3-months ago, the same pit bull was declared a "nuisance animal" after it escaped Young's property and attacked another dog. This time the pit bull escaped its owner's property and attacked two human beings, killing one.

Hardly fits the 'nuisance animal' description.1

The fatal attack of Cathy Wheatcraft marks the third pit bull fatality in this region since early July. On Saturday, in upstate South Carolina, 25-year old Nicole Cartee was killed by her family pit bull named "Spike" in Spartanburg. The dog had been with her family for over a decade. On July 7, Joshua Strother, 6-years old, was killed by his neighbor's pit bull in Hendersonville, North Carolina. The pit bull that killed Joshua was rehomed by the Asheville Humane Society 3-weeks earlier.

The Onslaught Continues

Today, over in Greenville County, South Carolina -- also in this same region -- a female deputy shot and killed a pit bull that was attacking two women. The pit bull had nearly severed one of the woman's arms before the deputy arrived. After shooting the dog, she applied a tourniquet to the woman’s upper arm and her leg. Master Deputy Jonathan Smith said, "She saved the lives of two people because the injuries were so severe." The dog had been residing with one of the victims.

08/24/15: Pit Bull Kills Woman
Cooleemee, NC - Another person has been killed by a pit bull in North Carolina. On July 7, Joshua Strother, 6-years old of Henderson County, was killed by a pit bull that was adopted out by the Asheville Humane Society 3-weeks earlier. The most recent fatal pit bull attack occurred in Davie County. Sheriff A.C. Stokes said the attack occurred at about 7:00 pm at 235 Clark Road near Cooleemee. The woman, in her 40s, was checking her mailbox when the pit bull attacked her.

Sheriff Stokes said the dog was killed by a Cooleemee police officer, who was the first officer to respond to the scene. - MyFox8.com, August 24, 2015

A neighbor who heard the woman screaming ran to help and discovered her in the yard -- the person then called emergency responders. Another neighbor also came to help and was attacked by the dog. She was transported to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Her medical condition is unknown. Sheriff Stokes said it was the neighbor's pit bull that killed the woman. The news report video on WXII states that they spoke to the dog's owner who said her "pit bull killed a woman."

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

1But a shocker it was given any designation at all!

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Colleen Lynn

2015 Dog Bite Fatality: Pet Pit Bull Kills 25-Year Old in Spartanburg County, South Carolina

Nicole Cartee with her pit bull named "Spike" (Uploaded to Facebook 2/12/2012)

No Criminal Charges
UPDATE 08/25/15: Lab results for the pit bull that violently attacked its owners, killing one, came back negative for rabies. The male unaltered pit bull named "Spike" had been with the family for over a decade when it "snapped" Saturday killing Nicole Cartee, 25-years old, and seriously injuring her mother. Jamie Nelson, the director of Spartanburg County Environmental Enforcement told WLOS that the vicious attack was "horrific" and "there was a large amount of blood."

Nelson said that Nicole's mother actually owned the dog and that her most recent injuries from Spike did require surgery. Nelson said that no criminal citations would be issued to the mother. The family pit bull had previously attacked the mother requiring hospitalization, but the incident was not reported to authorities, according to Patrick Powell, who had been Nicole's boyfriend for many years. Patrick said the two had recently separated, but were planning on reuniting.

Patrick said that Spike's aggression had been an issue for a long time. He had urged the family to do something about the dog "before it kills somebody." Patrick disagreed with Nicole and her family about the dog. "Nicole loved that dog. Nicole treated that dog as if it was her baby," Patrick said. "Me and Nicole bumped heads with that dog. Me and her family bumped heads with that dog. I said for years that dog is aggressive. That dog has got to be done with," Patrick said.

Despite what Nelson told WLOS about Nicole's mother -- "This is a tragedy, where the mother has lost a daughter and the mother herself has gone through a horrific experience" -- every ounce of this fatal dog attack was preventable. A young woman lost her life to a known aggressive pit bull that had previously attacked her mother and whose boyfriend, and his mother Beverly Powell, had warned her family about for some time. There is no bringing Nicole Cartee back. Death is final.

Evening Update - Previous Attack

Lastly, a new Spartanburg Herald Journal article clarifies the previous attack on Nicole's mother. After checking records, authorities found no evidence of prior attacks by the family pit bull at the victim's home or her prior residences. Patrick, however, said that Spike attacked Nicole's mother a few months ago. Her injuries required stitches, but she never reported to anyone that the injuries came from her own dog. Instead, she told hospital staff it was from an "unknown stray dog."

08/25/15: History of Aggression
New information has been released about a 25-year old woman who was viciously attacked and killed by her pit bull in Spartanburg. The male unaltered pit bull named "Spike" had been with the family for over a decade. The family had raised the dog since it was a puppy. On Saturday, the family pit bull "snapped" and began attacking Nicole's mother. When Nicole tried to rescue her mother, the dog turned on her, killing her. The pit bull tore into her head, neck and body.

"The biggest thing apart from it being a fatality is that it was three victims at one time, and it was a family pet." -Jamie Nelson, August 23, 2015

The pit bull violently attacked three family members, fatally injuring Nicole, seriously injuring her mother, requiring hospitalization and possible surgery, and also attacked Nicole's sister who was treated on scene. Nicole's boyfriend of 10-years, Patrick Powell, said the two had recently separated, but were planning to reunite. The same family pit bull had previously attacked Nicole's mother leaving her hospitalized, but this was never reported to authorities, Patrick said.1

Beverly Powell, Patrick's mother, told the Spartanburg Herald Journal that she warned the family to get rid of the pit bull after it attacked Nicole's mother the first time. This issue is very important to Beverly, as she was once attacked by a different pit bull in her own yard. Beverly managed to escape that pit bull without permanent injuries. "The sadness is that I told Nicole's mother, 'What is it going to take for you to get rid of this dog?' And now it's killed her daughter," Beverly said.

08/22/15: Pit Bull Kills Woman
Spartanburg County, SC - The Spartanburg County Coroner's Office was called to the scene of a dog attack Saturday evening. The animal attacked three people, according to Jamie Nelson, the director of Spartanburg County Environmental Enforcement. Porsche Nicole Cartee, 25-years old, was pronounced dead at the scene by Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger. A physical examination will need to be conducted to determine the cause of death, Clevenger said.

Clevenger identified the attacking dog as a pit bull and said the other two people injured in the attack were family members. The fatal dog attack took place at a home on Beverly Hills Drive, a block descriptor was not provided. Nelson told Fox Carolina that the pit bull has already been euthanized and is scheduled for rabies testing Monday. The last South Carolina fatal dog attack occurred in June 2013, the pit bull mauling death of Arianna Merrbach, 5, in Florence County.

Death Statistics - August Update

Porsche Nicole Cartee is the 467th person killed by a pit bull, according to Fatal Pit Bull Attacks - The Archival Record. DogsBite.org launched that website in 2011. Through a multitude of modern news reports, several medical studies and archive collections, including the Library of Congress, we have discovered 467 individuals killed by these dogs since 1833. Cartee is the 275th fatal pit bull attack victim since the CDC stopped collecting a rich data set for these victims in 1998.

Since January 1, 2015, canines have attacked and killed 20 people in this country. Pit bulls contributed to 85% (17) of these deaths. Rottweilers, the second most lethal dog breed in the U.S., contributed to 10% (2). In the fatal dog mauling deaths of Neta Lee Adams, 81-years old (Washington, Georgia) and Gaege Ramirez, 7-years old (Canyon Lake, Texas) no dog breeds were ever identified by authorities, but certainly pit bulls were rumored to be involved in both.

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

Some of the victim's Facebook Likes below, including Pit Bulls and Parolees (Tia Torres) and Pinups for Pit Bulls. The latter group recently spoke at a June 19 forum -- Asheville Humane Society's "Project Pit Bull" campaign -- and tried to sell to local homeowners, landlords, neighbors and "even the pit bull wary" that BSL does not keep people safe and that pit bulls are wonderful pets. Less than 3-weeks later, a little boy is killed by a pit bull rehomed by Asheville Humane.

1Pit bull owners will indeed lie to authorities after being attacked by their own dog. Usually, they make up a story about being attacked by a "stray" or a dog that ran away. Even after a first violent attack by their pit bull, they remain in denial that this "can happen to me" (again) or "can happen to another family member." Tia Torres should devote a whole season to this dangerous, pathological denial. The series should be titled, "Yes, this can happen to me."

Posted on July 25, 2015 by Colleen Lynn

2015 Dog Bite Fatality: Pack of Dogs Kill Woman in Wagoner County, Oklahoma

Dogs Kill Woman archived
Redbird, OK - An 67-year old woman is dead after being brutally attacked by a pack of dogs Friday. Witnesses said the attack occurred on South Main Street. Wagoner County Sheriff Bob Colbert identified the victim as Carolyn Sue Lamp of Coweta. Sheriff Colbert said she was walking, collecting cans when she was attacked and killed by three dogs. One witness came to her aid and tried the pull the dogs off her, but by the time deputies arrived she was dead, lying in a ditch.

Sheriff Colbert does not believe anyone will claim ownership of the dogs. "But our investigation will continue, and we will present our findings to the district attorney and see if there will be any charges," Colbert said. KJRH.com identified the dog breeds as three pit bulls and a rottweiler. Residents told them the scene was gruesome and that Lamp was unrecognizable after the attack. Like in many fatal pit bull attacks and pack attacks, the dogs ripped off all of her clothes too.

Fox 23 news reporter Eddie Randle spoke to Sheriff Colbert and several deputies who said that all of the dogs were pit bulls. Colbert also said that last year, Lamb asked the nearby residents if she could feed these same dogs (apparently they were strays). "Its ironic," Colbert said, "this lady offered to help these same dogs that a year later took her life." No one who lived nearby claimed ownership, but told Randle that they do feed them. All of the dogs were seized and quarantined.

Long Time Stray Dog Problem

A variety of news sources and residents are commenting about the long time problem of stray dogs or owned dogs running loose in the area. Sheriff Colbert is aware of the problem, but said that the sheriff's office cannot help with animal control. Oklahoma state law only allows for cities with a population of 250,000 or more to be assigned an animal control officer. Small communities like Redbird (population 137) have no agency to call for help. Now an innocent woman is dead.

Tulsa 8 News interviewed two residents, one of whom tied to help Lamp, but she was already dead when he found her. "Oh yeah, she was dead, she wasn't breathing. You could look at her and tell that she wasn't breathing," he said, who asked to remain anonymous. Annette Panter, who lives just down the street, said as recently as this morning she shot at about 4 or 5 dogs. Panter said she always carries a gun because of the frequency of encountering aggressive stray dogs.

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

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Colleen Lynn

Pit Bull Owner Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison

Annie Williams, 71, was mauled to death by a pit bull in Shaker Heights, Ohio.

Owner Gets Prison
UPDATE 04/20/16: In February, felony manslaughter charges were brought against two dog owners in Cuyahoga County. Earlier this month, Leon Morton, 49, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter after a pit bull under his care brutally attacked and killed 71-year old Annie Williams in front of her great grandchildren in Shaker Heights last July. Today, Cuyahoga Common Pleas Judge Stuart Friedman sentenced Morton to 30-months in the Lorain Correctional Facility.

Prosecutors had initially sought the same charge against Bobbie Green, 71, but in a recent plea agreement lowered this to negligent homicide, a misdemeanor. Green pleaded guilty to the charge several weeks ago. Judge Friedman sentenced Green to 6-months in prison, suspended with 2-years probation. Part of Green's probation includes not owning or caring for any dog, "I don’t care if it's a puppy," Friedman said. Green sat stone-faced while Friedman read her sentence.

A Small Victory for Ohio

Morton's conviction marks the first felony conviction for a fatal dog attack in Ohio since we began collecting a data set for all fatal dog maulings in January 2005 (a felony case in Montgomery County is ongoing). It is likely the only dog attack-related felony conviction in Cuyahoga County since 1993, when Jeffery Mann was convicted of murder after he ordered his pit bull to attack his girlfriend, Angela Kaplan, or held her as the dog attacked. Mann was sentenced to 15-years to life.

02/24/16: Criminal Charges Filed
Seven months after a pit bull attacked and killed 71-year old Annie Williams in a Shaker Heights residential neighborhood, two people now face charges in connection to her death. Bobbie Green, 70, and Leon Morton, 49, have been indicted on involuntary manslaughter and reckless homicide charges. On July 12, 2015, Williams stopped by their home on Pennington Road to pick up her two great granddaughters. Before she made it to the front door, she was viciously attacked.

Annie's great grandchildren had been with their father at Green and Morton's home. The pit bull belonging to the pair attacked Annie as soon as she stepped out of her vehicle that she parked in their driveway. Several children witnessed the horrific attack, including a 13-year old who was inside Annie's car. Nearby neighbors rushed to help Williams; one even shot the dog injuring it, but it was too late. Annie died from bite wounds and crushing injuries to her neck, throat and body.

07/23/15: Family Seeks Change
After a beloved grandmother was horribly mauled to death by a pit bull, her family is setting up a foundation called, Any Salvation. Annie Williams, 71, was picking up her two great granddaughters from a home in Shaker Heights, where they were with their father, when a pit bull belonging to someone in the home brutally attacked her in the driveway. A 13-year old, who was in Williams' car at the time, and her two great grandchildren, ages 7 and 8, witnessed the horrendous attack.

Family members are now looking for someone in real need to give Williams' furniture, clothing, some household items and appliances to. "Since she was such a caring and giving woman, what better thing to do than to give it to someone who needs it," said her granddaughter, Tequila Williams. Another one of her granddaughters, Secunda Starr, added, "I want somebody that will benefit from it greatly and really take care of it and need it. I want someone to actually need it."

Family members also hope to make legislative changes in pit bull ownership. "We're all going to be very proactive in making sure that what happened to our grandmother does not continue to happen to other people," Tequila said. "What does it take for legislation, for representatives, for the law to see that this is an animal that no matter how kind you are to it, it cannot be controlled?" Annie is the 5th person killed by a pit bull in Ohio since the state dropped its pit bull law in 2012.

Follow, Scorched Earth, the Politics of Pit Bulls, to stay informed about pit bull issues in Ohio.

07/14/15: Cause of Death Released
A county medical examiner said that 71-year old Annie Williams who was attacked by a pit bull died from bite wounds and crushing injuries to her neck, throat and body. On Sunday, Williams stopped by a relative's home in Shaker Heights where the pit bull lived. The dog viciously attacked her in the homeowner's driveway as soon as she exited her vehicle. A 13-year old inside Williams' car witnessed the violent attack, along with at least two other children at the relative's home.

Additional Developments

The most recent Fox 8 update includes clarifications about family members. Williams was at the home to pick up her two great grandchildren. Tequila Williams is one of several granddaughters. Another granddaughter, Secunda Starr, was at the home and witnessed the attack. Starr said the pit bull was on the home's front stoop just before the attack. "The dog immediately skipped a step and jumped off and attacked my grandma," Starr said. She tried to pull the dog off Williams.

The female relatives that Fox 8 interviewed said the same pit bull had recently attacked another dog in the home. Tequila wants those responsible to accept responsibility. "I want justice, the people responsible to accept responsibility," she said. Tequila is horrified in the manner of her death. "I’m just so sorry this happened to her. She was a beautiful woman and didn’t deserve to die this way," she said. She prays that while being attacked she did not suffer too long.

Yesterday's update from WKYC shows the doghouse in the backyard of the home and a gaping hole in the chain-link fence. Dog ownership details, however, still remain murky. 19 Action News identified Jerome Green as the owner of the home on Pennington Road. Green might eventually be on the hook for civil damages if the dog's owner remains unidentified. Police are investigating other animal complaints in the neighborhood to see if any are related to Sunday's lethal attack.

07/13/15: Woman Dies After Dog Attack
Shaker Heights, OH - An elderly woman has died after a vicious dog attack. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office identified the woman as 71-year old Annie Williams. The attack occurred Sunday in the 3600 hundred block of Pennington Road. The 911 caller identified the attacking dog as a "beige pit bull." The dog was fired upon by someone at the scene. Williams was taken to South Point Hospital where she later died. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday.

"The dog just ran off. I don't know if they found the dog. It was a beige pit bull ... he's got blood all around its mouth." - 911 caller #1

Cleveland.com clarifies that it was a neighbor who initially shot the pit bull. Shaker Heights police later located the dog in a backyard and shot and killed it. Darlene White, 45, witnessed the attack from her home two doors down. From her window she saw Williams on the ground. Several neighbors rushed to help. Another neighbor shot the dog as it continued attacking Williams. White said she heard police fire three gunshots. She said the entire attack lasted about 10-minutes.

"She was just basically laying there, lifeless ... All I know is there was blood everywhere. He did a nasty job." - Witness Darlene White

White said she has only seen the pit bull a few times, it's usually chained up behind her neighbor's house, she said. At least two people called 911. Cleveland.com has the recording of the second caller. "There is a dog on a person across the street," the caller told dispatch. "He's on top of a lady. Somebody is trying to get him off, they can't get him off!" she said. "It's a pit ... Somebody just shot him ... I heard a gunshot and ran back inside. I'm not going back out there!" said the caller.

ABC 5 reports that police confirmed the dog was a pit bull. 19 Action News reports that the victim was at the home picking up her two great granddaughters from their father when the dog attacked. A 13-year old relative was also inside Williams' car during the horrific mauling and the ensuing gunfire. Family members said the dog's owner lives in the home where Williams was picking up the two children. The pit bull was not licensed in Cuyahoga County, 19 Action News reports.

Tequila Williams, one of her granddaughters, said, "I didn't get to see her before this happened. She was always there for everybody. A stranger in the street, it didn't matter who it was. She was the sweetest person and her grandkids loved her," Tequila said. Shaker Heights police continue their investigation and are awaiting autopsy results from the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office. William's violent mauling death marks the third U.S. fatal pit bull attack in a 10-day period.

Late Afternoon Updates

In an afternoon update by ABC 5, Tequila Williams said her two daughters, 7 and 8-years old, witnessed the violent attack from the window of their father's home. Williams was at the home to pick them both up. "My 8-year-old daughter answered the phone screaming and crying saying, 'Grandma, the dog just killed grandma, it bit her in the neck and they're trying to stop the blood,'" Tequila said. She also told ABC 5 that she was unaware the pit bull was even at the house.

"I asked [my daughter] where did this dog come from and she said that they kept it, it was in the backyard and they never let it out and only their father and grandmother were the ones allowed by the dog," Tequila said. A recent AP report states that Shaker Heights police Cmdr. John Cole said that that no one has been arrested and no one living in the home has claimed ownership of the dog. Cole stated that the attack occurred on the driveway of the property of Williams' relatives.

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

DogsBite blog ::

2015 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bull Kills Woman, Injures Another in Davie County, North Carolina

2015 Dog Bite Fatality: Pet Pit Bull Kills 25-Year Old in Spartanburg County, South Carolina

2015 Dog Bite Fatality: Pack of Dogs Kill Woman in Wagoner County, Oklahoma

2015 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman Dies After Vicious Pit Bull Attack in Shaker Heights, Ohio

Pit Bull Owner Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison