Posted on February 21, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman, 58, Mauled and Killed by Her Daughter's Family Pit Bull in Toledo, Ohio

On Monday evening, a woman was mutilated and killed by a family pit bull in Toledo, Ohio.

Pit Bull Kills Woman
Toledo, OH - On Monday, a woman died after being attacked by a family pit bull. The attack occurred at a home in the 800 block of Wright Avenue, just before 6:00 pm. Toledo police and fire crews found 58-year old Bonnie Varnes severely mutilated and unconscious in the backyard of her home. Varnes was transported to the University of Toledo Medical Center, where she later died. A Toledo police detective at the scene told WTOL News the dog appeared to belong to the victim.

Dr. Diane Scala-Barnett, the Lucas County coroner, confirmed that a woman had been killed by a pit bull but did not have additional details, reports the Toledo Blade. Online records show that Varnes and her daughter both lived at the home. Social media pages showed that each owned a female brown and white pit bull. Varnes owned “Peaches” and her daughter, Amelia, owned a similar appearing pit bull, “Amenia.” Initially it was unclear which pit bull mauled and killed Varnes.

An update from The Blade states the attacking dog was registered to the victim’s daughter, who also lives at the home, police spokesman Officer Andrew Dlugosielski confirmed. Thus, Amenia appears to be the fatal attacker. Amelia Varnes, 30-years old, declined to comment to reporters. The circumstances of the attack remain unclear, police said. The whereabouts of Peaches during the attack are also unclear. Social media posts indicate that Peaches is at least 10 years old.

Attack Captured on Video

A report from McClatchy National states the deadly attack was captured on video and confirms that Amenia was the attacker. Video footage obtained by the Toledo Police Department showed Varnes taking Amenia outside the back door on a leash. As she did, the dog pulled her down and began to attack. A neighbor spotted her body in the yard as the dog ran around her, states a police incident report. The neighbor called Amelia first then called 911 and went over to Varnes’ home.

Arriving officers found Varnes lying face down in her backyard. Officers spoke to Amelia, who said that she returned home after receiving a call from her neighbor. When she arrived, she found her mother covered in blood in their yard. She told police her dog, Amenia, was also covered in blood, according to the report. She locked Amenia in the garage. She put her other pit bull, “Poochie,” in a bedroom. The daughter described Amenia as being vicious “at times,” states the news article.

The last time Amelia saw her mother alive was around 8:30 am on the day of the fatal attack, according to police. Varnes had worked for Washington Local Schools as a bus driver for over three decades. In a statement to WTVG, the company said, “Bonnie worked for WLS for over 30 years and was a deeply loved, valued member of our transportation team. We are devastated by this loss.” The animal is currently in the custody of Lucas County Canine Care and Control.

Toledo Pit Bull Fatalities

During the 2021 pandemic, two adults were killed by pit bulls in Toledo less than a month apart. Emily Kahl, 31, was killed by her roommate’s pit bull on July 18 after the dog clamped onto her neck. Her roommate claimed the dog was only “trying to save her.” On August 12, Javon Stokes, 26, was fatally bitten in the neck by a pit bull while visiting the dog owner’s home on Potter Street. The co-owner of that pit bull also claimed the dog was “trying to help Stokes and wake him up.”

Left: The suspected attacker, Amenia, -- AKA "Amina," and/or "Mama's Mimi" and/or “Bug.”

Bonnie Varnes had posted a number of Facebook posts and memes advocating for pit bulls.

On December 27, 2022 the victim reposted a "pit bull nativity" scene from "Staffy Six Pack."

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

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 February 10, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

Elderly Man Shares Account and Aftermath of Having His Lip Ripped off in a Vicious Pit Bull Attack on April 15th, 2018 in the ‘Little City’ neighborhood in Bangor, Maine

By Otto Snow

Otto Snow, a life-long chemist and activist, shares account of vicious pit bull attack.

I am Otto Snow. On April 15th of 2018, I was the victim of an unprovoked attack by a pit bull and my lip was bitten off my face. I was walking with my friend John to get a pizza at Tri-City pizza. We were walking on Earle Avenue in the Little City neighborhood of Bangor, Maine.

We had entered Earle Avenue from Warwick Street and were walking towards Tri-City pizza. We could see an unleashed dog up ahead coming out of a driveway and running in the street. We continued walking and when we reached the driveway the dog was running across the yard and running around a man at the top of the driveway. We made some small talk and continued walking as the man was preoccupied with the very excited unleashed dog.

John and I kept walking. John stopped walking and turned. I stopped and turned. Wham! A dog lunged from behind me and tore off my lip. Blood gushing out of my face. For an instant, I thought there was a man standing behind the dog, but then he would have pulled on the leash, it doesn’t make sense. I rescued dogs, my father rescued dogs, and Dr. Young, my buddy who I came and stayed with when I arrived in Bangor, rescued dogs. I am not a newbie to handling dogs. Dr. Young mentioned that the dog was excited and was lunging for my throat.

I staggered off the street and fell onto the lawn, covering my face from further attack. I am screaming. I did not know how serious the injury was but needed to stop the bleeding as it was profuse. The man who owned the dog said, “Dog never did that before.”

Blood continued to gush from my face and all over me. I pressed on my face to stop the bleeding. A piece of my lip was hanging from my face. Another piece of my lip was missing. I was told at the hospital that the dog probably ate it.

I got up and screamed at him as he was doing nothing. “Wet cloth, crushed ice Now!” He said, “My sister is a nurse.” He ran into the house and a woman came out. She ran back into the house and came out with a wet face cloth with crushed ice. Blood continued to gush from my face and all over me. I pressed on my face to stop the bleeding. A piece of my lip was hanging from my face. Another piece of my lip was missing. I was told at the hospital that the dog probably ate it.

On the way to the hospital, my friend said, “We are taking you to St. Joseph’s Hospital.” I flashed back to a trauma in 1983 and asked my friend, “Do you have a gun?” He kept telling me that we are in Bangor, we are in Bangor. I came back. I am disoriented and in shock. I have never flashed so severe as what I did then. It was as though I was back in 1983, ready to get my mother out of a hospital in Nashua, New Hampshire because I feared for her life.

Q: Did you witness the attack?
A: Yes.
Q: And tell us how -- what that was like, what you saw.
A: Well, it was just kind of shocking, traumatic, because I mean, it literally -- the dog jumped, like, six feet and, like, right on his face.
A: When you say six feet, do you mean six feet vertically in the air or horizontally?
A: It was about three feet, four feet -- I mean, no, no, it was higher than that. So I'm going to say -- it jumped up, like, five feet, so I don't know -- four -- it was on its lawn and jumped into the road.
Q: Okay. And was there any warning or barking before it jumped?
A: No. - John Huhn

Watch the deposition of witness John Huhn, who was walking with Otto to get a pizza.

The Surgery Procedures

The team at St. Joseph’s in Bangor was very calm as they worked on me. They cleaned me of all the blood that covered my face and told me that they were calling in one of the best surgeons in the area. I asked about the damage the dog bite had done to my face. I was told that the damage the dog had done was severe, very severe and a large part of my mouth had been torn from my face. They gave me a mirror and my lip was gone.

Dr. Campbell, a leading reconstruction surgeon in the area, was called in and it was arranged that he would arrive at EMMC asap. The team at EMMC was fantastic. I told them that I had experienced serious traumas in my life including one in a medical environment in 1983. They understood. Dr. Campbell explained every step of what he was doing as he stitched the layers of my mouth back together. The dog bite had torn my lip, flesh, nerves of my mouth, and the obturator oris muscle from my mouth. It is the muscle that allows us to pucker, speak, eat, and kiss. Multiple layers had to be pulled together and reattached as this part of my mouth was gone.

“DATE OF PROCEDURE: 04/15/2018
PREOPERATIVE DIAGNOSIS: Dog bite to right upper lip.
POSTOPERATIVE DIAGNOSIS: Dog bite to right upper lip.
PROCEDURE PERFORMED: Complex repair of 4 x 2 cm dog bite to right upper lip with full-thickness through skin, subcutaneous tissue, muscle and mucosa with violation of the vermilion border. Total length of repair was 5 cm,” - Hector O. Campbell, MD

Doctor Hector O. Campbell would write: “The dog was unprovoked. The immunization status of the dog is not known. He was taken to St. Joseph Hospital, where his tetanus was updated and he received a dose of IV antibiotics of Unasyn. The patient was transferred to Eastern Maine Medical Center for plastic surgery reconstruction due to the complexity of the dog bite to his right upper lip.”

The doctors were concerned about infection as dogs can cause serious infections and also rabies. I was placed on two 875 mg tablets a day of Augmentin for 10 days. I was concerned about tinnitus, neurogenic bladder and colitis associated with taking high dosages of antibiotics. Dr. Campbell understood my concerns and told me to take a probiotic along with every dose of the antibiotic to prevent diarrhea.

I would have to redress the wound area with gauze and bandages for a month, being careful to keep it clean. My mouth swelled up and around my eyes were darkened following the attack. The owner of the dog did not have anything concerning the dog’s rabies vaccination. The hospital would call me and say that they would have to begin giving me injections to prevent rabies if the dog officer could not provide proof of the rabies vaccination. The dog officer was on this. It was several days of panic waiting to get any co-operation with the owner of the dog.

I was out of my mind, face torn off, and new to the area. One neighbor in the neighborhood brought flowers.

Aftermath: Trying to Get Help - Complex PTSD

The previous traumas in my life began replaying endlessly after the dog attack. I could not get them out of my head. The insomnia was severe. I was losing my mind, suicidal. Once, after I had a phone call with medical personnel discussing these issues, the police showed up and blocked off the streets in the neighborhood with cruisers. I explained to the officer about the dog attack and how I was being denied medications to calm my anxiety, nonstop panic attacks, and help with my sleep. I was breaking down from the isolation, anxiety, panic, insomnia, and constant memories of past traumas following the attack.

The officers took me to the ER for a low dose long-acting benzodiazepine tranquilizer that I could tolerate and two people held me to stop the shaking. I would later find out that not giving tranquilizers to patients made more money for the hospital with more emergency room visits. Patients who legitimately needed pain killers were also being denied resulting in more emergency room visits. Patients who complained of this were listed as “drug seeking” and pulled into the “drug rehabilitation” programs, which is another economy for medical in the area. Stockholders and management all profiting from this form of abuse, under a guise of “helping” the patient. Some people need medications and that is why they are available and should not be politicized.

My projects and ventures, publishing, nutritional supplements, anti-tumor agents that are FDA approved, group activities to help those with PTSD and isolation stopped. Everything that I wanted to get going, all coming to a screaming halt.

My nightmares were continuous for two years straight after the dog ruined my mouth. I was being denied medications and testing. I would have to put a pillow between my legs and put two belts to strap the pillow in. I was going into fetal position at night like I had done following a previous trauma in 1985. My muscles would tighten. Decades of therapy to get my PTSD manageable all coming apart.

Every time that I move my mouth, it pulls across my face. My face is off-center and crooked. When eating there is little to no strength on that part of my mouth. That part of my mouth feels thick, and I have had to scrape skin that grows along the area that has been stitched together. I cannot shave as it bleeds and have grown a long beard to cover my lopsided mouth and face. I also have developed a lisp. My projects and ventures, publishing, nutritional supplements, anti-tumor agents that are FDA approved, group activities to help those with PTSD and isolation stopped. Everything that I wanted to get going, all coming to a screaming halt.

Finding Qualified Experts

It is very important to find qualified competent healthcare immediately following an attack or trauma. Practitioners can do more harm than good if they are unqualified or abusive.

After the dog attack, I would have to travel two hours to find a competent practitioner who was very familiar with the medications that I could tolerate, PTSD as well as autism. I would connect with a leading expert in PTSD in another state. A coach would work with me. I would connect with another expert on PTSD. The diagnosis was Complex PTSD depression and autism.

“The available information is consistent with autism spectrum disorder, a depressive disorder and severe and complex post-traumatic stress disorder.” - Elliott B. Rosenbaum, Psy.D. 6/28/2022

Complex PTSD has all the basic symptoms of PTSD but with more symptoms and criteria. The difference between PTSD vs C-PTSD is that C-PTSD is caused from repeated traumas or continuous long-term traumas. Complex PTSD is much more volatile. It generally involves patient centralized therapies, not the take a pill, “drive-thru” mental “healthcare.”

Complex PTSD is from the International Classification of Diseases. DSM follows the ICD. Internationally Complex-PTSD is recognized as separate from that of PTSD. Victims of sex trafficking, child abuse, torture etc., are liable to get complex PTSD. Many psychological and physical diseases are directly related to complex PTSD, especially from traumas in childhood. It is also mentioned in the literature that creativity is therapeutic and many great artists have histories of trauma.

The traumas attacked my muscles, now a constant tremor. At night the horrors of my traumas came out, every night, night after night, and I would write about them along with the never-ending stress and insomnia.

Feeling wounded and defective to be around people, with an aversion to medical environments, I grew my beard to cover my deformed face. A few of the practitioners and law enforcement were straight forward with me. There are no services here in Maine. There are no resources. Everyone was seeing it and nothing is being done.

I would see Dr. Campbell again. I thanked him for what he did for me. My mouth is deformed from the attack. I was upset, my world shattered. Dr. Campbell said, “I am sorry Otto. There is nothing that can be done to return the part of your mouth that the dog bit from your face.”

The difference between PTSD vs C-PTSD is that C-PTSD is caused from repeated traumas or continuous long-term traumas. Complex PTSD is much more volatile. It generally involves patient centralized therapies, not the take a pill, “drive-thru” mental “healthcare.”

I would take losses of several hundred thousand and future losses that we are calculating now. I would lose my house and be forced to relocate where I am able to get competent healthcare, friends who will facilitate me to connect with good people, and protective services for those who are elderly and are disabled, resources that are not available in Maine.

I have a couple of dear friends that are with me most of the time now. They get me talking about pleasant times as a child in Maine to bring me back. I am just now removing my mask for short periods. I go for walks with them in another part of the city where tenants and landlords are responsible. It is going to be a long slow recovery, and in my 60’s, it will have a very serious impact on my social security earnings. I am unable to write, work on books and the laboratory equipment has been dismantled and shipped out. I may never recover from this attack and what followed.

Otto Snow is an author of drug chemistry books used by law enforcement agencies and the courts. He has donated time providing scientific/medical documentation to veterans fighting for the right to cannabinoids in the treatment of PTSD. Otto was raised in both defense/pharmaceutical community of Southern NH and also in Maine with his grandparents on Wyman Lake in Somerset County.

Andrew Davis, the owner of the pit bull that attacked Otto Snow

Andrew Davis, the owner of the vicious pit bull, and Earle Avenue approaching Tri-City Pizza.

Part of the deposition of Andrew Davis denying that "Piper" inflicted a vicious dog bite.

elderly man shares account of having his lip ripped off in a vicious pit bull

Otto Snow seen peaceful and happy prior to the vicious pit bull attack that ripped off his lip.

Posted on February 3, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Man Killed by Pack of Dogs in Tucumcari, New Mexico; Dramatic Police Lapel Video

Tucumcari Dog Owners Face Two Felony Offenses After Deadly Dog Mauling

Stanley Hartt, 64, was killed by a pack of dogs while walking in Tucumcari, New Mexico

Owner Speaks Out
UPDATE 02/15/23: A dog owner charged with two felony offenses after his dogs escaped their property and killed a man claims his mother is to blame. 64-year old Stanley Hartt was discovered dead on February 1 after being mauled by a pack of dogs belonging to Kristopher Morris and his mother, Mary Montoya. Both were charged with involuntary manslaughter and felony possession of a dangerous dog. Officers shot and killed one of Morris’ dogs named “Zena” at the scene.

Morris got Zena in 2020 then gave her to his mother who had a backyard until he found a home that allowed large dogs. On Morris’ social media pages, a male dog named “Blu” is also seen. That dog, a Labrador-pit bull cross, also appears on his mother’s Facebook page, and seemingly on the lapel video from police, who confiscated the dog that night at Montoya’s home. Blu has similar markings on his right lower leg. Blu had escaped Montoya’s home on December 20.

Dramatic Lapel Camera Video

KOB obtained lapel camera footage from officers who responded to the attack. In the video, police tell a woman that “a pack of dogs” killed the man. She replies, “Do you really think it was dogs that did this? It looks like he got run over or something.” After police shot Zena, which had blood its snout, they spotted another dog. That search led them to Montoya’s home, who initially told officers she only had a puppy. Then officers saw a blue dog inside of a crate with blood on its face.

“That’s the dog we were chasing,” the officers states (which can be heard growling in the background). Montoya feigns, “Are you serious?” But, “She’s only a puppy.” The caged dog has similar right paw markings as Blu, but in January 2022, Zena had a litter of puppies, several of which were blue. So, at the very least Blu sired that litter. By viewing Montoya’s Facebook Timeline, it becomes clear that Blu died two or three days after escaping on December 20.

According to Montoya, Blu “got hit by a car and broke his back.” When asked if his back could be fixed, Montoya said, “No it was very bad.”

As stated in the arrest affidavit, the female blue Labrador-pit bull cross named “Lady” is likely the caged dog seen in the lapel video. Lady was very likely an offspring of Blu. The female dog shot at the scene, “Zena,” is a red boxer, pit bull and Labrador” mix. The tan German shepherd-mix involved in the attack, “Tank,” did not appear in any social media posts of Monotoya or Morris, nor did two smaller dogs confiscated by police from Montoya’s home, named “Oreo” and “Spike.”

Despite all of the “Labrador“ mix language in the arrest affidavit and by Montoya, she primarily posted pit bull advocacy memes after Blu died just before Christmas, such as a “Pit Bull Prayer,” and “We’re Lovers not Fighters” and “I am a pit bull, I am a best friend, I am a family member … I am misunderstood.” Finally, it seems incredulous that Morris would blame his mother for the dogs habitually escaping since she told police, "she takes care of [his dogs] because he does not."

Zena seen on the dog owner's TikTok page prior to the fatal pack attack in Tucumcari.

Lady (left) the likely offspring of Blu (right) seen on the lapel footage after fatal pack attack.

02/08/23: Dog Owners Face Felonies
On Wednesday, authorities arrested and charged a mother and son in connection to the mauling death of Stanley Hartt. Mary Montoya, 50, and Kristopher Morris, 27, each face one count of felony involuntary manslaughter and felony possession of a dangerous dog. Hartt was discovered dead on February 1 at an intersection in Tucumcari. Investigators said his body had “numerous bite marks” and large portions of his legs appeared “to have been eaten away by animals.”

According to the arrest affidavits, investigators found the dog pack shortly after the fatal attack; one of the dogs had blood on its snout. A deputy shot and killed that dog, described as a boxer-lab-pit bull mix “to prevent further harm to the public.” Deputies shot a second dog too, but that dog fled down an alley on West High Street. Deputies followed that dog, which also had blood on its face, to Montoya’s home in the 400 block of West High Street, where she let the dog inside.

State police said Montoya told investigators that multiple dogs lived with them, including dogs named Lady, Oreo and Spike. Montoya said the dogs “belonged to her son, but she takes care of them because he does not.” The dog that was shot and killed by the Quay County deputy, “Zina,” often jumped the fence in the backyard and had bitten at least two people previously, according to the affidavit. Montoya said the dogs would habitually leave the house and “return hours later.”

Morris also admitted to investigators that his dogs had a history of escaping the property and attacking residents, but “claimed the dogs were not aggressive.” Morris even showed police where in the broken fence the dogs would escape. Police characterized the fence as being in “severe disrepair.” Both the mother and son were charged because both were aware the dogs were dangerous, allowed them roam freely, and did nothing to prevent the dogs from escaping.

Mary Olimpia Montoya and Kristopher Jaquaris Morris were charged with multiple felonies.

02/03/23: Man Killed by Dog Pack
Tucumcari, NM - On Thursday, the New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau announced that a man in Tucumcari had been killed by a pack of five dogs. The Quay County Sheriff’s Office requested that the agency investigate the death of 64-year old Stanley Hartt. The deadly attack occurred on February 1 at about 8:00 pm while Hartt was walking on 11th Street near Gamble, states the release. Hartt was pronounced dead at the scene by the Office of Medical Investigator.

One of the five dogs was “euthanized by a Quay County Sheriff’s deputy” following the attack, states the release. The remaining dogs have been located and turned over to Quay County Animal Control, states the release. All five dogs were initially described as mixed-breeds. In an advisory update, while authorities still searched for the dogs, the Quay County Sheriff’s Office described one of the dogs as a “tan German Shepherd mix.” The last dog was found by 11:00 am Thursday.

The Quay County Sun spoke to Tucumcari City Manager Paula Chacon, who said that a full-time animal control officer for Tucumcari would likely begin work this week -- police had been handling animal complaints during the absence of this. Both Undersheriff Russell Shafer and Tucumcari Mayor Ralph Moya said that a fatal dog attack was unprecedented in the city and county, which is about 175 miles east of Albuquerque. “I’ve never heard of a dog attack like this,” Shafer said.

The Sun also noted that Hartt had recently written a guest column for the publication. In a piece titled, “Best days still coming for Tucumcari,” published in November 2022, Harrt wrote that he had settled in Tucumcari in early 2021. He liked the “haunting quality of this place.” He was thankful “about all the things Tucumcari is missing,” such as floods, tornadoes or wildfires, as well as “excessive crime, mass shootings and political crazies.” There was no mention of loose dogs.

Quay County authorities identified one of the suspected dogs as a tan German shepherd-mix.

Tucumcari residents set up a memorial where Stanley Hartt was killed by a pack of dogs.

Posted on February 1, 2023 by Colleen Lynn

2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Man Killed by Multiple Pit Bull-Mixes While Trying to Save Own Dog in Northwest Houston

A man was killed by multiple pit bull-mixes after trying to save his own dog in northwest Houston.

Man Killed by Dogs
Houston, TX - A 69-year old man was killed by multiple dogs in northwest Houston Wednesday.1 The attack occurred around 4:15 pm in the 5500 block of Sheraton Oaks Drive, which is between Antoine Drive and the West Oaks Bayou, according to police. Arriving officers found the man still being attacked by one of the dogs in his backyard. As officers approached him, one of the dogs charged an officer, who fired on the animal, striking it. The dogs then fled through a fence.

According to police, they believe the victim was inside his home, heard a commotion in his backyard and discovered that his own dog was being attacked by two or three dogs belonging to his neighbor that had escaped their fencing. He went outside to intervene and the neighbor’s dogs attacked, mauled and killed him. No breed information has been released by police. However, dog-on-dog “killing aggression” displayed just before a human fatal attack often involves pit bulls.

A neighbor described the victim’s dog as small. They also said the victim had visible physical disabilities. Police did not release the victim’s name.

On Thursday, a day after we reported this attack, BARC, the city of Houston’s Animal Shelter and Adoption Center, identified the neighbor’s attacking dogs as Staffordshire terrier-mixes -- a name interchangeable with pit bull-mixes. Those dogs remain in custody at BARC. The victim’s dog that was initially attacked, sadly had to be euthanized due to the extent of its injuries. Investigators are still trying to determine how the neighbor’s dogs were able to escape their owner's property.

Harris County and Nearby

Last year, four people were killed by dogs inside or near Harris County, Texas. Drué Parker, 4-years old, was killed by four pit bulls in February while visiting his aunt’s home in Baytown. Nicolas Vasquez, 51-years old, died on June 19 after being attacked by three loose pit bulls in Huffman. Freddy Garcia, 71-years old, was killed by seven loose pit bull-mixes in July in Fresno (south of Houston). A 42-year old man was killed by multiple loose dogs in Channelview in August.