Posted on June 18, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bull-Type Dog Kills its Unconscious Owner in Beckley, West Virginia

Robert Showalter, 71, was killed by his pit bull while undergoing a medical emergency.

Man Killed by Own Dog
Beckley, WV - On June 16, WVVA reported that a man was killed by his pit bull a week earlier, while undergoing a medical emergency. Robert Showalter, 71, had been sitting on his porch with a neighbor when he fell unconscious. The neighbor ran next door and called 911. When firefighters and EMS arrived, a pit bull breed dog belonging to Showalter was seen latched onto his throat. They contacted police for back up. The arriving officer shot and killed the dog to stop the attack.

The attack occurred on June 8 in the 100 block of Wilson Street. Beckley police said Showalter was transported to a local hospital, where he later died. His obituary states that he died that afternoon. Fatal attacks inflicted by pit bulls by latching onto a person's neck who is unconscious or undergoing a medical emergency, such as a seizure, have occurred multiple times in the past. We can only add that Beckley firefighters and EMS must have been horrified by what they saw.

No other information was released, and no other media agency investigated the incident. Comments on the WVVA Facebook post were predictable. Though, none addressed that this was an owner-directed fatal attack while the owner was undergoing a medical emergency. Only one similar case we have recorded since 2007 has been carried out by a breed other than a pit bull, a rottweiler. Beckley is a city in and the county seat of Raleigh County in Southern West Virginia.

View the DogsBite.org Google State Map: West Virginia Fatal Pit Bull Attacks.

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 June 14, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Child Killed by Family Dog While Visiting Grandmother's Home in Jeff Davis County, Georgia

Riley Miller was killed by a family dog while visiting his grandmother's home in Jeff Davis County.

Boy Killed by Dog
Denton, GA - On April 19, a child was killed by a family dog while visiting his grandparents' home. The attack occurred just before noon at a home on WH Smith Road in Denton, according to audio dispatch log files from Jeff Davis County Fire. Riley Miller, 1-year old, was attacked by the dog in a playground area set up in the grandparents' yard for their grandchildren, Sheriff Preston Bohannon said. The dog was a family pet that stayed both in the house and the yard, Bohannon said.

“He was just a family pet,” Sheriff Bohannon told the Jeff Davis Ledger. “The kids played with the dog. What triggered him, God only knows.”

When the dog attacked the child, the grandmother got a gun and shot the dog, but the dog fled inside the home, Bohannon said. When deputies and first responders arrived, the dog was still inside the home. Bohannon and another first responder immediately administered CPR to the boy, but it was too late. When Bohannon and the other deputies shifted their attention to the dog, the dog ran out of the house through the front door. Officers were forced to dispatch the animal.

There were no media reports about this fatal dog mauling. The Ledger apparently only became aware of his death two months later. Riley's obituary was first published in April. Bohannon said the dog was a "mixed-breed" with "some bulldog bloodline in him." In Georgia, that translates into a pit bull-mix. The child's mother, who is a dog groomer, posted a cautionary warning about pit bulls on her Facebook page several days after her son's death indicating the dog was a pit bull.

"I know I'm going to have people's opinions about what I'm about to post but you have a pit or any dog for that matter," she wrote. "My mother in-law's pit never showed aggression towards my kids because he's been around them since he was a puppy," she wrote. "I would never have thought I would have to bury my youngest," she said. She also posted in April that she and her husband wanted to become involved in charity awareness against dogs attacking small kids and adults.

Lastly, since Bohannon mentioned a "bulldog bloodline," one grandparent on the paternal side gave away six pit bull puppies back in October 2022. When asked by a potential adopter, "What breed?", the grandmother responded, "mixed gotti razor edge red nose." That is one pit bull bloodline, "Razor Edge Gotti," crossed with a red-nosed pit bull of an unknown bloodline. In some regions in the US, especially the southeast, pit bull owners refer to the dog's bloodline only.

The boy's mother posted a cautionary warning to parents about pit bulls after her son's death.

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

Posted on June 7, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman Dies After Attack by Daughter's Pit Bull-Mix She was Dog Sitting in Corpus Christi

Rita Vasquez, 58, died after being attacked by her daughter's pit bull-mix while dog sitting.

Woman Dies in Hospital
Corpus Christi, TX - A 58-year old woman is dead after being attacked by a dog she had been watching for her daughter. On May 31, Rita Vasquez picked up the black-and-white pit bull-mix from her daughter's home to dog sit for the day. The attack occurred at about 11:54 am in the backyard of Vasquez's home in the 6500 block of Lyons Street. Joel Skidmore, the Corpus Christi Animal Care Services program manager, said that Vasquez sustained severe injuries in the attack.

"Sadly, the injuries that the victim sustained were categorized as severe," Skidmore said. The dog in question was still in the backyard when animal care services arrived at the scene, he said. They impounded the dog and brought it to the shelter facility for quarantine. "The owner was very cooperative," he said. She surrendered the dog to our agency. "Animal care services humanely euthanized the dog the same day it happened," Skidmore said. The dog tested negative for rabies.

According to Skidmore, the dog did not have a violent history. Skidmore was resourceful when responding to how his agency investigates severe and fatal attacks involving humans and animals, "It's not based on breed," Skidmore told KIII TV. They examine the circumstances about that specific incident. "Everything's looked at as an individual," he said, such as the victim and the dog involved. In this "specific situation, the dog owner is not facing any repercussions," he said.

The Nueces County Medical Examiner's Office has not yet determined the exact cause of death but has said the bite injuries Vasquez sustained were a contributing factor. Vasquez's obituary states that she leaves behind three daughters. One of them, Roxanne, organized a GoFundMe to help pay for funeral costs. "Our beloved Mother, Rita Maria Vasquez, tragically, suddenly lost her life on June 2, 2023," states the fundraiser. It's unclear which daughter owned the attacking dog.

Skidmore also stated in the KIII TV interview that this was the first fatal human mauling that had occurred during his tenure at Corpus Christi Animal Care Services. Our records show that the last case we recorded in Corpus Christi and Nueces County was the death of a woman also named Rita in 2014. Rita Woodard, 64, was attacked by at least four pit bull-mix dogs she was fostering. Her death was ruled, "critical coronary artery atherosclerosis following multiple dog bites."

Family Comments

Family members spoke to KRIS TV. Though no one witnessed the attack, family members speculate that Vasquez was breaking up a fight between the pit bull-mix she was dog sitting and the two chihuahuas in her home when the pit bull-mix turned on her in a "redirected attack" that resulted in severe injuries and her death. Thus far, no evidence has been presented stating that either of the two chihuahuas sustained injuries in this alleged, pre-cursor dog-on-dog attack.

Dog Sitting Fatalities

Vasquez's death marks the fourth fatal dog mauling since March when the victim was dog sitting at the time. In May, 46-year old Tamieka White, a Marion County sheriff's deputy, was killed at her home while dog sitting a pit bull-mix for a friend. In April, 22-year old Dezmond Trawick was killed at his home while dog sitting four pit bulls belonging to his brother. In March, 38-year old Kristen Potter was killed by a pair of great danes she agreed to feed while their owner was away.

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

Posted on May 10, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Marion County Deputy Killed by Violent Dog, Her Son Injured, While Dog Sitting the Animal

Tamieka White, 46, a Marion County sheriff's deputy, was killed while dog sitting for a friend.

Deputy Killed by Dog
Indianapolis, IN - A Marion County sheriff's deputy is dead and her son is hospitalized after being attacked while dog sitting the animal in their home. 46-year old Tamieka White was pronounced dead at the scene Tuesday night. Indianapolis police officers were dispatched to the 1700 block of Forsythia Drive at about 8:00 pm Tuesday on reports of an aggressive dog. Officers located the adult female victim lying on the ground with injuries inside a garage adjacent to the residence.

Officers attempted to enter the garage but were stopped by an aggressive dog. Officers shot and killed the dog. White had been with the Marion County Sheriff’s Department since 2007 and worked in the Judicial Enforcement Division. “Deputy White was a bright light to all that knew her,” said Sheriff Kerry Forestal. “We are immensely grateful for her nearly 17 years of service to our agency. We will work to uphold her legacy as a courageous and dedicated public servant.”

Police found White's 8-year old son inside the residence, who had also been bitten by the dog. He was transported to a local Level 1 trauma center with non-life-threatening injuries and is listed in "good condition." IMPD Maj. Mike Leepper said that three other dogs were found inside the home, and only one of them belonged to White. She had been dog sitting three dogs, including the attacker, for a friend, according to police. The dogs were taken into custody by authorities.

"IACS said three live dogs, one dead dog, and one cat were impounded from the east side home following the deadly attack. IACS said all of the dogs, including the deceased dog, appeared to be “pit bull-type dogs.” IACS cannot confirm the breed without a DNA test, but does not plan on testing for the exact breed." - WXIN, Joe Schroeder, May 10, 2023

According to media reports, a man went to the scene Tuesday and told police the dogs belonged to his girlfriend, and he wanted them back. Police told him the dogs would continue to be held by animal control. Just three days earlier, on May 6, IACS was called to the same home on a report of two loose, aggressive dogs. The officer found two dogs in front of a broken fence on the side of the home, and a third dog in the backyard. The owner was also apparently notified about this.

WTHR reports that the fatal attack occurred in the fenced-in backyard. According to neighbors, White's son ran from the home and began knocking on doors asking for help. "He was in shock," said the neighbor. "He kept repeating several things over and over concerning his mom." The neighbor said the dogs weren't familiar. White confirmed to the neighbor she was dog sitting the day before the attack and also said she was going to fix the fence the dogs had broken through.

As recently as December 2022, White was tagged in a Facebook post about a litter of pit bull puppies by seller/breeder, Danica. "They are ready to go! Inbox me! There are 4 boys and 3 girls!" Danica said the dogs were "standard bullies," one of the four sizes of the American bully. Danica also commented on a photo on White's Facebook page that shows the "light skin" puppy from the December post. "She sooo spoiled I love it!" Apparently, White acquired that dog from the litter.