Posted on October 12, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Tomball Woman, 59, Killed by Pet Rottweiler in the Backyard of Her Home in Northwest Harris County

Jessica Wauters, 59, was killed by a pet rottweiler in the backyard of her home.

Woman Killed by Rottweiler
Tomball, TX - A 59-year old woman is dead after being attacked by one of her own dogs in her backyard, according to Harris County Precinct 4 deputies. Deputies responded to a residence in the 8200 block of Calico Canyon Drive after receiving a call from the victim's 30-year old son, who found his mother unresponsive. Upon arrival, deputies found the woman surrounded by blood. Multiple dogs were in the backyard, deputies said. One of the dogs, a rottweiler, had blood around its mouth.

The victim was transported to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The rottweiler was euthanized (apparently at the scene), and two other dogs were transported to animal control. The sizes and breeds of those dogs were not released. Investigators are now waiting on autopsy results to see if the other two dogs were involved in the fatal attack. This is the sixth fatal dog mauling in Harris County since November 2021. Most of the attacks occurred in jurisdictions outside of Houston.

“The entire incident is under investigation. We’re still working on a few things but it appears to be consistent with an attack by the rottweiler dog,” Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman said. KPRC interviewed Bob Holmes, a dog trainer who operates K-9 Obey LLC. Holmes said that rottweilers are an aggressive breed, due to being bred historically for guarding purposes. He also made the interesting comment of how rottweilers can start treating their owner "like an employee."

“They’ve been bred to be working dogs and they possess a little bit of aggression because they were also trained and bred historically to be guard dogs,” said Holmes.

“Sometimes they will assume the role and guard the house from strangers. Because if they start becoming a little bit aggressive, they will start treating their owner like an employee,” said Holmes. - K9 trainer, Bob Holmes, KPRC interview

KHOU reports the victim has been identified as Jessica Flores Wauters. She was found Sunday at an undisclosed time covered in blood, as was her pet rottweiler. "The victim was still alive," Constable Herman said. She was transported to a trauma center in The Woodlands, where she died of her injuries. KHOU also reports that all three dogs have since been euthanized, indicating the other two dogs in the backyard participated in the fatal mauling or cannot be excluded from participating.

Harris County Fatal Dog Maulings

In November 2021, Tiffany Frangione, 48, was killed by her own two dogs in the backyard of her Houston home. In February 2022, Drué Parker, 4, was killed by four pit bulls while visiting his aunt's home in Baytown. In June 2022, Nicolas Vasquez, 51, died after being brutally attacked by three pit bulls in Huffman. In August 2022, a 43-year old man was killed by dogs in Channelview. In February 2023, a 69-year old man was killed by two pit bulls that got into the backyard of his Houston home.

Just yesterday in Katy, which is part of western Harris County, two pit bulls attacked three people, including a Harris County Sheriff's Office deputy, leaving an 83-year old man with critical injuries. The attack was captured on a neighbor's Ring doorbell camera. The man's step-daughter grabbed an umbrella and started beating the pit bulls. A bystander jumped out of a car to help and was bitten too. A Harris County deputy, who was bitten multiple times, open fired on the dogs, killing them both.

The most recent fatal dog mauling in Harris County, Texas is the sixth since late 2021.

"Max" and "Riena," a male and female rottweiler, on the victim's Facebook page 2014-2015.

Home in the Miramar Lake subdivision where Jessica Wauters was killed by her pet rottweiler.

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: U.S. Fatal Rottweiler Attacks By State

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 October 2, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Man, 47, Severely Mauled by Pit Bull in September Dies While Hospitalized in San Antonio

Paul Anthony Striegl Jr., 47, dies while hospitalized after being mauled by a pit bull.

Mauling Victim Dies
San Antonio, TX - A 47-year old man is dead after sustaining severe injuries from a large pit bull on September 5. Paul Anthony Striegl Jr., died at Brooke Army Medical Center on October 1. His attack marks the fifth consecutive dog mauling in San Antonio, which began on February 24, when Ramon Najera Jr., 81, was killed by two pit bulls in the 2800 block of Depla Street. Firefighters "were fighting off these pit bulls with pickaxes and pipe poles to try to get to the patients,” officials said afterward.

City Investigating Dog Attack on City’s Northeast Side

SAN ANTONIO (September 5, 2023) — A dog attack happened this afternoon, September 5, at 9511 Heidelberg. Two American Staffordshire Terriers severely attacked a man at a mobile home park. The victim is a man in his 40s.

The man was sitting in his backyard when the dogs, residing at the mobile home next door, were let outside. These dogs appear to have escaped the next door fence, which led to the attack.

The victim was bitten on both arms and the stomach, causing serious injuries. He is in critical condition in the hospital.

Neighbors and nearby persons intervened to rescue the victim from the dogs. The two American Staffordshire Terriers are currently in the custody of Animal Care Services (ACS). The dogs remain under the 10-day state-mandated quarantine at ACS. The dogs are an unsterilized male and an unsterilized female. - City of San Antonio

The attack occurred while Striegl was in the backyard of his home in the 9500 block of Heidelberg Street around 11:30 am. Striegl was sitting in a chair, smoking a cigarette when the neighbors two pit bulls -- a pair of breeding XL pit bulls -- slipped under the chain link fence that separated the two properties. Of the two pit bulls, a male, named "Ghost" and a female named "Venus," only the male inflicted the attack. According to neighbors and friends, Striegl was well acquainted with both dogs.

During the attack, Striegl's roommate, Chuck Sutton, 62, ran outside with a gun to stop the mauling. "It was just a nightmare," Sutton said. "I knew that day that the damage had been too much." According to the police report, both of Striegl's arms were "destroyed" by dog bites, reports the San Antonio-Express News. Firefighters had to apply tourniquets on his arms to control the bleeding. Striegl's condition at the hospital seemingly stabilized, but then he developed multiple fungal infections.

"No flesh. No muscle. Nothing. No arm left but bone," Sutton said describing Striegl's injuries. "Have you ever seen what a bear can do to a human body?" he asked the reporter. "That's about the best I can describe it."

Jonathan Adair, 46, and a life-long friend of Striegl said the infections worsened his condition, and that he suffered heart, kidney and liver failure, and a collapsed lung. He had to be placed onto a breathing machine. The dogs' owner, Gregory Leon Palmer, 54, called the attack "just a terrible thing." Palmer was at work when his dogs attacked. He blamed his girlfriend's elderly mother for letting the dogs outside without his knowledge. He also alleged the victim reached his hand over the fence-line.

In mid-September, a San Antonio Municipal Court judge ordered Ghost to be euthanized. By that point, Striegl's left forearm had been amputated up to the elbow. The other pit bull, Venus, was sterilized before Palmer could reclaim her. At the time of the attack, both dogs were 3.5 years old and unsterilized -- Palmer had been breeding his dogs, as depicted on his Facebook page. Venus was in heat at the time too, reports the Express News. Thankfully, neither of these dogs can be bred again.

During the dangerous dog hearing, investigator Meryem Martinez played an audio recording of an account provided by Striegl from his hospital bed. “I was by the fence playing with the dogs. He got jealous. He got mad. He nipped at her. I told him quit, stop it." That is when Ghost bit him once, Striegl said. "Once a dog bites you one time and you get freaked out, then they freak out even more," he said. Striegl, who is seen with a pit bull on his Facebook page, called the attack a "freak accident."

Brandon Posey, a fire department paramedic, also testified during the hearing. In addition to both of Striegl's arms "destroyed" by dog bites, and the application of tourniquets to them, there were "obvious fractures to his left forearm, with large chunks of muscle and skin missing on both arms," Posey said. Due to his injuries, paramedics could not put intravenous lines into either of Striegl's arms. Instead, they placed IVs in his feet to administer medication and whole blood, Posey said.

The Five Maulings

On February 24, Ramon Najera Jr., 81-years old, was killed by a pair pit bulls in the 2800 block of Depla Street. Part of the attack was captured on video that leaked to social media. Three other victims were also injured by the dogs. The pair of pit bulls had a history escaping their property, biting people and aggressive acts. San Antonio police arrested and charged Christian Alexander Moreno, 31, and his wife, Abilene Schnieder, 31, with two felony counts each under the Texas dog attack statute.

On July 16, a 13-year old boy was bitten over 50 times by a pack of pit bulls -- XL pit bulls/XL bullies. The attack occurred inside a home in the 22200 block of Escalante Run at approximately 1:30 pm in the afternoon. The boy was life-flighted to University Hospital due to his injuries. The boy's parents were not home at the time; he had been left under the care of a grandparent. At least three of the six dogs involved were euthanized. All of the dogs, apparently, "were raised for retail," reports KSAT.

On August 16, Max de Los Santos, 76-years old, was severely attacked by a pit bull and German shepherd in his own front yard. The attack occurred about 2:30 am in the 7400 block of Fieldgate Drive. "I could see blood gushing out, from the knee to the ankle the whole bone was exposed. Two minutes later and they would have killed him. He was in bad shape," said neighbor Rodolfo Pantoja. Doctors had to amputate his right leg. The criminal investigation of the dogs' owner is ongoing.

On September 3, a 68-year old man was attacked by a dog in the 5000 block of Blossom Canyon at about 8:30 am. "The victim suffered multiple puncture wounds to both of his legs and his groin area, as well as to his head. The victim also reported that this is not the first time the dog has been aggressive towards them," the Bexar County Sheriff's Office said. Police arrested the dog's owner, Kelly Max Oshaughnessy, 33, for Injury to an Elderly/Serious Bodily Injury and Dangerous Dog Attack.

Summary

Since Najera' death in February, city officials, the animal control division, and local and state legislators from San Antonio have been focusing on the dangerous dog/biting dog problems in the city. Media outlets have been scrutinizing these aspects as well. The degree of injury seen in these five maulings is a strong indicator of just how bad the problems are. These are death and amputation injuries inflicted by powerful, high-risk dogs, chiefly pit bulls and their XL pit bull counterparts.

No felony charges are expected after Striegl's death, but prosecutors should charge Palmer under the felony dog attack law because his dogs escaped his fencing and inflicted horrific injuries to a man who was on his own property. His injuries were so gruesome that the only way paramedics could get an intravenous line into him to administer medication was through his feet. He also sustained an arm amputation, chunks of flesh torn off his body, the misery of organ failure and death by infection.

"Bitten, sick, dying, dead. This tragic end didn’t have to be. Dogs brought about this end. It’s not enough that you’re in your own backyard minding your own business, when you are viciously, gruesomely attacked by a pit bull, in San Antonio, Texas." - Paul Striegl Memorial - Pit Bull Attack San Antonio, GoFundMe.com

San Antonio mauling victim dies while hospitalized

Male pit bull, "Ghost," seen on the dog owner's Facebook page on March 21, 2023.

Five consecutive severe dog maulings have occurred in San Antonio since February.

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

Posted on September 26, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Toledo Woman, 70, Killed by Family Pit Bull-Labrador Mix in Backyard of Home

Diane Knepper, 70, was killed by her pit bull-mix in the backyard of her home on Grantley Road.

Toledo Woman Killed by Dog
Toledo, OH - A 70-year old woman is dead after being mauled by a pit bull-mix. The attack occurred in the backyard of her home in the 4200 block of Grantley Road. Workers from a lawn care company found her body. Toledo police and fire crews responded to the scene just before noon. Police said the victim had "significant injuries possibly caused by her dog." Fire and paramedics were able to move the dog away from the victim in order to render aid to her. She was declared dead at the scene.

The Lucas County Coroner later identified the victim as Diane Knepper. Her cause of death was determined to be multiple blunt and sharp force injuries.

The victim's identity was not initially released, pending notification of next of kin. Lt. Paul Davis, the Toledo Police Department Public Information Officer, said that detectives are conducting a death investigation. Kelly Sears, the dog warden of Lucas County Canine Care and Control, said the suspected canine is a Labrador pit bull-mix, reports the Toledo Blade. News video shows the dark-colored dog behind bars in the warden's truck wearing a red leash. The dog belongs to the victim.

Toledo police released the 911 call to a local media outlet. One hears a frantic lawn care employee reporting the attack. "We're here to mow a customer's grass. There's a dog in the backyard, and the lady's down, face down in the ground," the person states. "The woman next door just said he's been trying to fight the neighbor's dogs, so she must have been trying to control her dog," the person states. They found Knepper on the ground holding her dog's leash. Police continue to investigate.

Toledo Dog Bite Fatalities

After no reported fatal dog maulings in Lucas County over the 15-year period of 2005 to 2019, there have been four fatal attacks in a 2-year period. All of the victims have been adults, 26-70 years old. All of the dogs involved have been pit bulls, of which 75% were family pit bulls. Most recently, Bonnie Varnes, 58, was mutilated and killed by her daughter's pit bull named "Amenia." The dog attacked her as she led the dog into her backyard. Her daughter described Amenia as being vicious “at times."

A Toledo woman was killed by her pit bull-mix in the backyard of her home on Grantley Road.

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

Posted on September 26, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman Killed by Multiple Dogs in Texarkana; Found Dead Inside a Vehicle on Her Property

Dog Owner Charged with Negligent Homicide After Woman's Death

Brenda Witt, 60-years old, was killed by multiple dogs in Texarkana on Sunday.

Dog Owner Charged
UPDATE 10/13/23: On Wednesday, October 12, Chris Scott turned himself into the Miller County Sheriff's Office on the charge of negligent homicide in connection to the mauling death of 60-year old Brenda Witt in September. Scott is the owner of five pit bull-mix dogs -- a mother and four offspring -- that attacked Brenda. After returning from church that day, her daughter found Brenda dead inside an old vehicle on the property, where she had tried to take shelter from the violent dogs.

During the investigation, two other people came forward who claimed they had been bitten by the same dog pack in the past. In Arkansas, negligent homicide is generally a Class A misdemeanor with a penalty of up to one year in prison. Negligent homicide becomes a felony if the operator of a vehicle, an aircraft, or a watercraft is under the influence of a substance or is "fatigued" and causes the death of a person, which would not otherwise constitute murder or manslaughter charges.

Editorial Note: part of the history of this case has been behind a paywall at the Texarkana Gazette. An important detail that other news outlets did not report is that Scott told investigators he owned the female pit bull-mix, and that she had a litter of "eight" puppies about eight months ago. Scott found homes for four of the puppies, but the other four "ran around the neighborhood in a pack," reports the Gazette. Scott told investigators that "he could not even pet the dogs," Sheriff Easley said.

In March 2023, Scott posted images of his female pit bull-mix and her eight puppies.

09/26/23: Woman Killed by Multiple Dogs
Miller County, AR - On Sunday, September 24, 2023, at approximately 6:50 pm, Miller County Sheriff's Deputies were dispatched to a residence on County Road 18 regarding a deceased person. Upon arrival, deputies were able to identify the victim as Brenda Witt of Genoa, Arkansas. Based upon evidence at the scene, investigators determined she was the victim of an animal attack. The suspected dogs involved were located and detained with assistance from Texarkana Animal Control.

Though the sheriff's office had not received previous reports about this "pack" of dogs, since Witt's death, other reports have surfaced. The sheriff's office stressed that no animal control department services the county. Texarkana, the county seat of Miller County, assisted. The breeds of dogs were not released, nor was a description of the dogs. The victim's brother, Tony, organized a fundraiser to help pay funeral costs. "She tragically lost her life 9/24/2023 in a horrible dog's attack," he wrote.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE 9/25/2023

****Prior to this incident, NO reports had been made regarding these specific animals. However, since this incident, other reports have been made in reference to this "pack" of dogs.

****Also note, Miller County does not have an animal control department that directly services the county. In this matter, Texarkana, Arkansas Animal Control did assist in the capture and detainment of the animals.

PRESS RELEASE

On Sunday, September 24, 2023, at approximately 6:50 in the evening, Miller County Sheriff's Deputies were dispatched to a residence on MC 18 regarding a deceased person.

Upon arrival, Deputies were able to identify the victim as Ms. Brenda Witt of Genoa, Arkansas. Based on the evidence found at the scene, Detectives were able to determine Ms. Witt was the victim of an animal attack. The suspected canines involved in this offense were located and later detained with assistance from the Texarkana, Arkansas Animal Control Di vision. The canines are being held and examined to determine their involvement in this offense. At this time, the investigation is still on-going.

A local resident states that Witt is 60-years old. While not verified by the sheriff's office, the resident states the deadly dog attack occurred outside during the daylight hours while Witt was in her yard or the vicinity of it. Witt tried to take refuge in an old vehicle on the property, which had no battery in it, so she could not honk the horn, the resident wrote. "She was in serious condition and had no cell phone to call for help with. That is where she was found this evening by her family," the resident wrote.

Back in January, 66-year old Doris McBurse was found dead inside a vehicle on her property after being attacked by one of her blue nose pit bulls in Pitts, Georgia. The dog had previously been chained on the property, but the animal broke free that day and attacked her. She and her husband had owned the dog for several years. Her husband, Harris McBurse, had been breeding and selling pit bulls for some time. He advertised both red and blue nose pit bulls for sale on his Facebook page.

Pit Bull-Mixes Identified

On Tuesday evening, Miller County Sheriff Wayne Easley confirmed that all five dogs involved are pit bull-mixes, according to a report by KSLA. The dogs are currently in custody at Texarkana Animal Control. At least two other people previously bitten by the dogs have come forward. The victim's daughter had gone to church that Sunday, leaving her mother at home. When she returned from church, she found her mother dead inside of a car on the property. Multiple dog bites were visible.