Posted on December 12, 2013 by Colleen Lynn

2013 Dog Bite Fatality: Baby Dies in Columbus, Injuries Consistent with Dog Attack

Autopsy Results
UPDATE 12/11/13: Autopsy results confirmed that dog bites caused the death of a 3-month old girl. Franklin County Coroner Jan Gorniak said that Mia Gibson died from internal injuries due to dog bites. The baby died on Tuesday at Nationwide Children’s Hospital at about 7:45 am. Her mother found her on the floor next to the living-room couch where her father was sleeping just before 7:00 am. Mia had fallen from the couch and was fatally injured by the family's two dogs.

12/10/14: Baby Dies, Dogs Suspected
Columbus, OH - Columbus news organizations report that a baby girl was killed today by family dogs while her father slept on the couch. According to Columbus police, homicide detectives were called to a home on Lake Shore Drive in Hidden Lake Condominiums shortly before 8:50 am to investigate the death of a 3-month old baby. Franklin County Coroner, Dr. Jan Gorniak, told NBC4 that the young child, identified as Mia Gibson, sustained injuries consistent with a dog attack.

An autopsy will be conducted Wednesday to determine the exact cause of the baby's death.

Sgt. Steven Little, of the first-shift homicide squad, told the Columbus Dispatch that Mia was on the couch with her father, who was asleep, when she apparently fell off the couch and the dogs caused injuries that led to her death. Mia's mother, Sabrena Gibson, 34, was in her bedroom when one of the dogs at the bedroom door woke her. She went into the living room and discovered her daughter injured. Mia’s father, Chris Kusumi, 33, told detectives he had slept through it all.

Little said it appears the dogs caused the baby's death. Though the baby had no major visible trauma, she did have several small puncture wounds on her body. Animal control seized two dogs, both Japanese shiba inus, from the home. Detectives do not anticipate charging either parent. The case will be forwarded to the Franklin County prosecutor's office to decide if criminal charges are warranted. "It’s just an unfortunate situation and it’s a sad situation for the family," Little said.

Posted on December 10, 2013 by Colleen Lynn

2013 Dog Bite Fatality: 2-Year Old Girl Mauled to Death by Dogs in South Chicago

Family Calls for Justice
UPDATE 12/10/13: Authorities continue to investigate the death of Jah'Niyah White. She died on Saturday while staying at her maternal grandfather's home after suffering injuries from a dog attack. Family members gathered in front of his home on Monday in the freezing cold to mourn the child and call for justice. Jah'Niyah's mother, Kashairah Gardner, and family members attached balloons, photos and pink paper to a street signpost on East 91st Street and Buffalo Avenue.

It's a way to remember her, to keep her close to our hearts - Lakeeta Gardner

The child's family does not understand why no one is in jail after her death was ruled a homicide. "I want him locked up," Britt Williams-Nelson said, who is the child's paternal grandmother. "I want the police to be over here and see him and take him into custody ... It's been ruled a homicide. Why is no one in jail?" she demanded. "I want justice for Jah'Niyah," she said. "The person that did this to Jah'Niyah? I want to see them behind bars for what they did to my granddaughter."

Kashairah said she left her daughter at her father's house Friday night. She said she left work early Saturday, "haunted by an eerie feeling," states the Tribune article. When authorities told her about her daughter's death, "They told me my baby was gone, just gone," she said. When asked by reporters if she had ever worried about her father's two pit bulls, Gardner shook her head through tears. Gardner said her daughter "was attached to them, and they was attached to her."

12/09/13: Two Pit Bulls Seized
The Chicago Tribune reports more information about the little girl's family members and circumstances surrounding her death. Jah-Niyah White, 2, was pronounced dead on Saturday after suffering multiple injuries from a dog attack. Britt Williams-Nelson, the child's paternal grandmother, told the Tribune when reached by phone: "I've been up for the last 48 hours," she said mournfully. "I can't sleep. I can't eat. I can't do anything except worry about my baby."

Williams-Nelson resides in Phoenix, a suburb south of Chicago. At the time of the attack, Jah-Niyah was staying at her maternal grandfather's home in the 3300 block of East 91st Street in South Chicago. The Chicago Police Department continues to investigate her death. No arrests or charges have been filed as of Monday morning. The city's Department of Animal Care and Control seized two dogs from the grandfather's home; the girl's family said both dogs were pit bulls.

Police contacted the city's Department of Animal Care and Control, who took custody of two dogs, one named "Brownie" and another named "General Chico,"’ according to a police report. Officials with the Department of Animal Care and Control have not returned several telephone calls today. The family said both dogs were pit bulls, an adult female dog and her puppy. - Chicago Tribune

The Tribune also reached Jah'Niyah White's mother, Kashairah Gardner, 20, by phone this morning, "I'm doing okay," she said. "I'm hanging in there." Jah'Niyah's father, John White, 21, lives and works in Missouri, but arrived at his mother's Phoenix home last Thursday, bringing Christmas presents for his daughter. Williams-Nelson said the girl's parents are no longer together, but remain good friends. Williams-Nelson said her son "can't stop crying" since the child's death.

Williams-Nelson and her husband cared for the child at least once a week. "We were part of her life as much as her parents were. My husband loved (her) more than life itself," Williams-Nelson told the Tribune. She also said she had 4,000 photos of the child on her cellphone and is currently surrounded by a room filled with Christmas presents that were intended for Jah'Niyah. Kashairah Gardner, sadly, is now arranging to give to needy children the gifts she purchased for Jah'Niyah.

Circumstances Surrounding Her Death

Chicago Police detectives were called to the East 91st Street home at 2:45 pm Saturday to assist Chicago Fire Department. According to a police report, the 50-year old man who called police led officers to the bathroom of his third floor apartment, where the child was found "lying on the floor on her back with a white towel around her neck." The man told police officers she was "bouncing on a bed when she fell off and struck her head on the corner of a dresser," the report stated.

The man's relationship to the child was not given in the police report.

Officers saw that Jah'Niyah was still breathing and felt a pulse. Paramedics began rushing her to University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital. On the way there, however, she "went into defibleration (sp)" and paramedics had to go to the nearest hospital, Jackson Park Hospital, where she later died. A doctor told police that Jah'Niyah had several lacerations and puncture wounds on the back of her head and her neck, and that her left ear lobe was missing, the report stated.

12/08/13: Girl Killed by Dogs
Chicago, IL - In a developing story, a 2-year old girl was mauled to death by one or more dogs at a South Chicago home yesterday. Jah’niyah White died at Jackson Park Hospital on Saturday at 3:40 pm after suffering a head injury at her maternal grandfather's home in the 3300 block of East 91st. An autopsy conducted Sunday found the girl had been neglected and died from multiple injuries she sustained in a dog attack, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.

The medical examiner’s office ruled her death a homicide.

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is investigating the girl's grandfather for allegations of abuse. A spokeswoman said the agency has had no prior contact with the family. The grandfather has not been charged with a crime. Jah’niyah's father, John White, said she did not live at the 91st Street home, but was staying there while her mother was at work. He said he was told the girl fell. Erin Lewis, a family friend, said, "Everybody is just really in pieces right now."

"Visiting" the Dog's Owner

So far in 2013, 41% of all victims of fatal dog maulings were either visiting or living temporarily with the dog's owner at the time of the deadly attack. 83% of these victims were children, 7-years and younger. Over half of these victims, 58%, were under the care of a family member, relative, friend or babysitter at the time of the fatal attack. One of these incidents (8%) involved a chained dog and a young child. Excluding the death of Jah'niyah White, 91% of these attacks involved pit bulls.

Breed information still remains unavailable in the most recent U.S. dog attack resulting in death.

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

Recent Cook County fatalities:
08/17/12: 2012 Dog Bite Fatality: Chicago Man Killed by Pit Bull(s) in His Home
01/18/10: 2010 Dog Bite Fatality: 56-Year Old Man Killed by Daughter's Six Pit Bulls

Photo: Daily Mail

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Colleen Lynn

2013 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman, 75, Killed by Bullmastiff-Mix in Arkansas Gated Community

Joan Kappen, 75, was savagely killed by a loose bullmastiff-pit bull mix.

Rumors are True
UPDATE 01/03/14: According to an affidavit, the bullmastiff-pit bull mix that fatally attacked 75-year old Joan Kappen on November 21 in Hot Springs Village is from the same litter as a bullmastiff-pit bull mix that killed 5-year old Ayden Evans on June 9 in Jessieville. The locations of the attacks are separated by under 10 miles. The rumors that circulated just after Kappen's death are true: Two dogs from the same litter within a 5-month period killed two different people.

The affidavit also revealed that the dog that killed Kappen, named "Patrone," had a history of aggression. "Brande Coy knew or had to reason to know that the bullmastiff/pitbull mix breed dog (Patrone) had a propensity to attack, cause injury, or endanger the safety of other persons without provocation," the affidavit states. Brande Coy is wanted for manslaughter in connection to Kappen's death. Her daughter Emily, the dog's owner, has a warrant for harboring a vicious dog.

Brande Coy told investigators that Patrone had bitten her sister in the face two months before Kappen's attack (one month before the attack, Brande posted the image of Patrone to her Facebook page: "My Guardian..."). Emily Coy revealed to an animal control officer that the dog would "bite out of fear." The affidavit also states that Emily had been bitten on two separate occasions, and that she was aware that Patrone had bitten a neighbor in the face in July 2012.

"Brande Coy recklessly allowed the dog to attack another person. Brande acted recklessly by allowing the dog out in a public area unsupervised and unsecured. According to witnesses, the dog had also been allowed out in a public area unsupervised and unsecure on at least one occasion to the incident involving Kappen ... The action of recklessly allowing the dog out in a public area unsupervised and unsecured contributed to and resulted in the death of Kappen."

While the reckless behavior of Brande and Emily Coy might come as a shock to some readers, especially in light of the fact that they also knew that Patrone was a littermate of the dog that killed Ayden Evans, it is not a shock to us. Two horrifically irresponsible, if not psychologically imbalanced, individuals in complete denial about their large aggressive dog. Welcome to the world of owners of dangerous dogs. Innocents like Joan Kappen pay with their limbs and lives.

Joan Kappen was not bitten by Patrone, she was mutilated, according to her husband.

While writing this post, more damning news came in. THV11.com obtained additional information from the Saline County Arrest Warrants for Brande and Emily Coy. Details include that the attack on Joan lasted up to 30 minutes before Brande placed the 911 emergency call. She remained in the home "washing her face, hair, and changing clothes - until emergency personnel responded on scene about 16 minutes later." All the while, Joan Kappen lay mutilated and dying in a ditch.

Strike: "psychologically imbalanced." Add in its place: "narcissistic and psychopathic."

The newly released details also sheds light on Emily's shocking level of denial. The 2012 facial bite involved a woman who had "regularly" cared for Patrone: "The woman said in July 2012, she reached down to pet Patrone when he bit her in the face. She said that Emily witnessed the bite and helped stop the bleeding, but refused to pay for any medical attention. Emily said the woman had come to her home, yelling and making threats, which is why Patrone acted out of defense."

A statement from a Hot Springs Village police officer reveals more denial. The officer said about two years ago, when he worked with Emily at a local café, she "showed up to work with bandages on her arm and leg." According to the officer, Emily told him and other employees that Patrone had bitten her, causing the injuries. When asked about that incident during the current investigation, Emily denied saying Patrone had bitten her and said the bites were from another dog.

See in full: Brande Coy Arrest Affidavit filed on January 2, 2014

01/02/14: Manslaughter Charges
Brande Michelle Coy, who was taking care of her daughter's bullmastiff when it fatally attacked 75-year old Joan Kappen, has been charged with manslaughter, according to the Saline County Prosecutor's Office. Warrants were also issued to Coy for unlawful dog attack and harboring a vicious animal. A warrant was issued to her daughter, Emily Ann Coy, for harboring a vicious animal as well. Manslaughter is a Class "C" Felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

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12/09/13: Victim's Son Files Lawsuit
Local news reports that the son of a 75-year old woman killed by a loose bullmastiff in the gated retirement community of Hot Springs Village, Arkansas has filed a lawsuit against the dog's owner and the owner's mother. Charles "Chuck" Hippenstiel, special administrator for the estate of his mother, Joan Kappen, seeks a jury trial and $2.5 million compensation. His attorney, Michael Lipscomb of Little Rock, filed the civil lawsuit on December 5, in Saline County Circuit Court.

As expected, the lawsuit names the owner of the dog, Emily Coy, and her mother, Brande Coy (where the photo on this post originates, Brande's Facebook page). The lawsuit alleges the Coys were negligent in multiple ways, including "releasing without restraint a 130 pound dog on a public way and harboring a dangerous animal," states the Fox16.com news article. Joan Kappen was attacked and killed by the Coys loose bullmastiff on November 21 while taking her daily walk.

12/03/13: Husband Calls for Breed Ban
Hans Kappen of Hot Springs Village continues to advocate for breed-specific laws after a loose bullmastiff savagely struck down his wife on November 21. A neighbor near to the attack wrote into DogsBite.org last week: "Her husband could only identify her by her shoes and her glasses that lay near by," the person stated. Kappen told THV11 Tuesday, "We need to get these types of killer dogs" off the street. "They are not considered pets, they are killer dogs," Kappen said.

"Contact your lawmakers here in Arkansas, around the United States, anywhere in the world so this does not happen again." - Hans Kappen

THV11 also interviewed several Hot Springs Village residents who agree that regulations are in order after Joan Kappen was attacked and killed by a bullmastiff while taking her daily walk. "I was horrified that such a thing could happen in any community let alone a retirement community where you have a bullmastiff running around," Penny Eagle said. "It shouldn't be allowed. There should be some type of ordinance where you shouldn't be allowed to have those types of animals."

Kappen will attend a property owners association meeting on Wednesday to pursue this cause.

11/22/13: Stricter Dog Laws Needed
The husband of a woman brutally killed by a loose bullmastiff this week in Hot Springs Village while she took her morning walk continues to speak out about stricter laws. Hans Kappen believes that if tougher laws had existed, his beloved wife would still be alive today. The Saline County dog ordinance is all of three pages; the county doesn't have a leash law or fencing requirements either. Thus, no criminal charges are expected after an off-property attack resulted in a human death.

"What kind of country is this? What protection do we have?" - Hans Kappen

Hans promises to fight for a leash law in his community and also believes there should be laws regulating the ownership of dangerous dog breeds, the breeds disproportionately responsible for severe maulings, maimings and fatalities. Currently in Saline County, there are laws against "vicious" dogs, which we refer to as "hindsight" laws. The dog is labeled "vicious" after it inflicts serious injury to a person. So, first attacks by known dangerous dog breeds are acceptable.

Arkansas Dog Bite Fatalities

During the 8-year period of 2005 to 2012, Arkansas had three dog bite fatalities: Matthew Hurt, 2-years old (Nevada Co. - 2009), James Dowling, 4-years old (Franklin Co. - 2011) and Deborah Roberts, 45-years old (Jefferson Co. - 2012). There have been three dog bite fatalities in Arkansas since June of 2013. The population of this state is only 3 million. The death by dog bite incidence rate per 100,000 in Arkansas has sharply inclined since we released the state map post in May.

11/21/13: Victim's Husband Speaks Out
The husband of a woman mauled to death by a dog today while walking in the Hot Springs Village gated retirement community hopes that someone is held responsible for her death. Hans Kappen had been married to his wife Joan for just over a decade. Hans told reporters that his wife had been walking the same route for 7-years and never had a problem until today, when she was not "bitten" by a dog, but savagely attacked, struck down and killed by an aggressive loose dog.

"They didn't just bite somebody, they killed my wife." - Hans Kappen

News reports now say that it was a "family member" of the dog's owner that was attacked when she intervened to try to control the animal -- aka the "dog sitter." In a separate article, Hot Springs Village residents were "surprised" to learn that police said no criminal charges are warranted for an unprovoked, off-property attack that killed an innocent woman. Arkansas is essentially a One Free Bite state. When there is no "history" of viciousness, dog owners are not accountable.1

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11/21/13: Woman, 75, Killed by Dog
Hot Springs Village, AR - An elderly woman was attacked and killed by a neighbor's dog early Thursday morning. 75-year old Joan Kappen of Hot Springs Village was walking on Ornado Lane at the time of the attack. She was transported to Mercy Hospital where she died of injuries inflicted by the dog. According to police officials, the dog was under the care of a woman while the owner was away. When the dog sitter tried to gain control of the animal, she was also attacked.

The dog's owner is Emily Coy also of Hot Springs Village. Her attacking dog was euthanized.

Hot Springs Village, the largest gated community2 in the U.S., is located in Garland and Saline counties. In June, 4-year old Ayden Evans was killed by a bullmastiff-mix while temporarily staying at his aunt's house in Jessieville, an unincorporated community in Garland County, just under 10-miles away from the gated community. Two weeks ago, 4-year old Levi Watson was brutally killed by three pit bulls in White County, Arkansas while visiting a residence with his mother.

1Jurisdictions within Arkansas vary about the one bite rule, as attorney Kenneth Phillips explains on his web page. Further, there are a number of Arkansas jurisdictions that flat out ban specific dog breeds.
2The elderly victim was not safe from a deadly dog mauling while walking in her own gated retirement community.

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Colleen Lynn

2013 Dog Bite Fatality: Boy Dies After Attacked by Pit Bulls in White County, Arkansas

No Criminal Charges
UPDATE 11/19/13: County detectives have completed their investigation into the mauling death of 4-year old Levi Watson, who was fatally injured by up to three pit bulls on November 8. According to the White County Sheriff's Office (WCSO), no charges will be filed against the dogs' owners or the child's mother. WCSO and prosecuting attorneys reviewed the evidence in the case and determined that it did not support criminal charges for either party. All three dogs were put down.

11/09/13: Family Members Mourn
In an evening update from KARK 4 News, no new details were shared about the deadly attack of Levi Watson of Bradford. Information, however, was learned about the boy's family. His father has 14 brothers and sisters, thus the number of aunts, uncles and siblings are extensive. Chelsea Watson, who has been outspoken on Facebook, is Levi's half-sister and the younger of the two women in the video. Relatives continue to try to piece together the moments before the attack.

11/09/13: Police Confirm Pit Bulls
White County authorities have identified the 4-year old boy killed by up to three dogs on Friday and confirmed that the attacking dogs were pit bulls. The child's name is Levi Watson; he lived with his mother Deborah Sizemore in Bradford, Chief Deputy Phillip Miller with the White County Sheriff's Department said in a statement Saturday. The dogs' owner is Bradford resident Justin Corbit. According to his Facebook page, Corbit graduated from Bradford High School in 2009.

Levi Watson, 4, is the 376th American killed by pit bulls since we began the Archival Record.

11/08/13: Young Boy Killed by Dogs
White County, AR - In a developing story, a young boy died of injuries inflicted by dogs on Friday at a White County residence. The boy was "visiting" a residence on Piker Lane in Bradford when the attack occurred, according to the White County Sheriff's Department. Chief Deputy Phillip E. Miller said the boy was about 4-years old and was visiting the home with his mother, when the boy exited the house and was attacked. Three dogs were present, Miller said, none were leashed.

KATV.com adds that the boy exited the home and entered into a fenced-in area where the dogs were kept just before 3:30 pm. That is when the dogs attacked. The child was taken by ambulance to the White County Medical Center in Searcy where he later died. Deputies confiscated three dogs from the residence; Miller would not confirm their breeds. Two adults were home at the time of the attack, the boy's mother and the dogs' owner. Authorities have not released the boy's name.

Recent Arkansas fatalities:
06/13/13: 2013 Dog Bite Fatality: Child Temporarily Staying with Aunt Killed by Neighbor's Dog
09/11/12: 2012 Dog Bite Fatality: Jefferson County Woman Attacked by Own Pit Bulls Dies
08/13/11: 2011 Dog Bite Fatality: 4-Year Old Boy Killed by Grandfather's Rottweiler in Ozark

Photo: Facebook

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