Posted on April 22, 2022 by Colleen Lynn

2022 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman, 45, Mauled to Death by Own Dog in Newberry, South Carolina

Erin Beach, 45, died after being attacked by her own dog at a home on Apple Orchard Lane.

Woman Killed by Dog
Newberry, SC - A 45-year old woman is dead after being attacked by her own dog, according to the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office. EMS and sheriff's deputies responded to call on Apple Orchard Lane at about 12:53 pm on April 21. Both agencies said the dog showed "very aggressive behavior" toward them -- the dog was dispatched at the scene. Newberry County Coroner Laura Kneece identified the woman as Erin Beach and that the dog involved belonged to the victim.

Investigators do not know what provoked the attack. An autopsy has been scheduled for Beach this week, reports WLTX. A necropsy is also scheduled for the dog to identify what, if anything, caused the attack. Beach's death remains under investigation by the sheriff's and coroner's offices. According to Beach's Facebook page, she owned two dogs up until recently, a Dogo argentino and a pit bull. The Dogo died last September. Beach was "heart broken," at that time.

Beach's death occurred on the same day that 59-year old Maria Perez was found dead in her home after being mauled by two family pit bulls in Mission, Texas, and one day after 38-year old Cyrus Talkington was attacked by a dog and died in Wichita, Kansas. The breed of dog involved in Talkington's death has not been released. Also reported today is a suspected fatal dog attack on the Wind River Indian Reservation on April 10. A dead pit bull was seen at the scene the next day.

Friday Update

A new video released by WLTX states that police had to shoot four bullets into the dog, killing it, because it was so aggressive. Sheriff Lee Foster said that in his 33 years of service, he's never seen anything like this attack. "We've had dog attacks before," Foster said. "But nothing, ah, nothing of this nature." After talking to family and friends, Foster said the dog had no history of being aggressive. Unpredictable, explosive aggression in pit bulls, however, is well-identified.

Erin Beach's Facebook page indicates that she owned a pit bull terrier in September 2021.

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: South Carolina 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 April 22, 2022 by Colleen Lynn

2022 Dog Bite Fatality: Family Pit Bulls Suspected After Woman Found Dead in Mission, Texas

Police suspect Maria Rachel Perez, 59, was killed by two pit bulls inside her Mission home.

Woman Discovered Dead
Mission, TX - A 59-year old woman was found unresponsive by her 10-year old granddaughter on Thursday around 3:41 pm in the 800 block of Leal Street. When police arrived at the scene, they located the woman covered in blood with "several bite marks on her left side of her body and face," according to Mission police spokesman Investigator Art Flores. Maria Rachel Perez was pronounced dead at 4:18 pm. Two pit bulls that belonged to relatives were taken into custody.

It was the granddaughter that called 911. "A young lady, a juvenile showed up at home to a residence and observed that her grandmother was laying on the floor with blood," Flores said. "We did see some evidence of dog bites on the female’s left side portion, upper portion of the body, left arm," said Flores. "We can’t say it was the dogs at this point." When police arrived, the "two pit bulls were isolated in another room," Flores said. An autopsy has been ordered for Perez's death.

A male neighbor, who did not wish to be identified by KRGV, said the two dogs were known to be aggressive. "These were pretty aggressive dogs. They would escape. They were always roaming in the neighborhood. They'd even break into people's yards," he said. "It could have been a child. I hope this never happens to anybody ever again." The last dog bite fatality DogsBite.org recorded in this county -- Hidalgo County -- was the death of a 5-year old child that occurred in 2008.

Join Texas Dog Bite Victims' Advocacy - Join our Texas email list to stay informed

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

Posted on April 20, 2022 by Colleen Lynn

2022 Dog Bite Fatality: Elderly Woman Dies After Dog Attack in the Heights Section of Billings, Montana

Melitta Hain, 84, died eight days after being mauled by dogs in Billings Heights.

Mauling Victim Identified
Billings, MT - On April 18, news reports emerged about a fatal dog mauling in Billings Heights, a suburban neighborhood in northeast Billings. The attack occurred on April 8 in the 1100 block of Sandstone Trial at about 6:30 pm. Police were initially dispatched to the area on a report of a disturbance. While en route, police learned the disturbance was a dog attack. When officers arrived on scene, they found an elderly woman who had sustained injuries from a dog attack.

On April 19, the Yellowstone County Coroner's Office identified the victim as 84-year old Melitta Hain. She was injured on April 8 and died on April 16 from complications of multiple dog bites. Her death was ruled an accident, the coroner's office said. The attack occurred on private property, and three large mixed-breed dogs were involved, police said. All three dogs are being held in quarantine at the Yellowstone County Animal Shelter. No arrests or charges have been filed.

Audio dispatch logs from Yellowstone County Public Safety on Broadcastify.com indicate the victim lived at a home on Sandstone Trial next-door to the property where the dogs resided. No other information has been released by police. Hain's family has retained the Billings-based law firm Heenan and Cook to represent them, reports KTVQ, an MTN News affiliate. The family and their attorney declined an interview request with MTN News until the police investigation is complete.

Last year, two people were killed by dogs in Montana. In December, 58-year old Duke Little Whirlwind was fatally mauled by a pack of dogs in Lame Deer on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, about 115 miles southeast of Billings. In May, 4-year old Elliot Sherwin was killed by his grandparents two rottweilers in Whitehall, about 200 miles west of Billings. The grandparents had gained custody of the boy and had recently moved to the area from Washington state.

Prior to the pandemic, only two fatal dog maulings had been recorded in Montana since 2005. In 2006, Dominic Giordano, 4-years old, was killed by one of his uncle's rottweilers in Ulm. The boy and his family had been staying with his aunt and uncle who owned four rottweilers. In 2017, Melissa Barnes, 65-years old, was brutally attacked by two familiar pit bulls belonging to a tenant that lived on her property in Bozeman. She was pronounced brain dead the following day.

Obituary Announcement

Melitta Martha Hain was born in Berlin, Germany prior to World War II. She was injured in the bombing of Berlin and buried in a hospital for two days in Leipzig, according to her obituary. She would have been a young child at that time. She later escaped from East Berlin. Being sponsored out of a refugee camp, she arrived in Great Falls, Montana and felt "safe and free." After marrying her husband in 1983, the couple lived in Denver, Colorado before settling in Billings, Montana.

Posted on April 1, 2022 by Colleen Lynn

2022 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman Killed by 'Highly Trained' Personal Protection Dog in Loudon County, Tennessee

A woman was killed by a K-9, trained as a "personal protection dog" in Tellico Village.

Dog Kills Owner
Tellico Village, TN - On March 30, the Loudon County Sheriff's Office issued a statement about a dog attack investigation. "Patrol and Detective Divisions are on scene of a fatality involving a Tellico Village woman who appears to have been killed by her own dog." Witnesses reported seeing the dog attacking the woman. When deputies responded, they found a "large black dog standing over a body." A deputy was forced to shoot and kill the dog in order to aid the victim.

The victim was only identified as a "local Tellico Village woman." She was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. Her body was transported to the Knox County Regional Forensics Center for an autopsy. The deceased canine was taken to the University of Tennessee Veterinary College for a necropsy. WVLT reported later that evening that LCSO Spokesperson Matt Fagiana, said the large black dog was a "shepherd breed" that was trained as a "personal protection dog."

Justin Vallejo, a New York correspondent for The Independent, which is a British newspaper, reported additional information in a statement by the sheriff's office. "The dog was a Dutch shepherd and was reportedly a very highly trained personal protection dog that was owned by the victim and her husband, who is a long-time and very accomplished K9 trainer," a statement to The Independent said. It's unclear why this statement has not been reported by local media outlets.

Dogs trained in protection sports have been in involved in multiple fatal dog attacks. In 2019, Ryan Hazel, 14, was killed by a Dutch shepherd and multiple Belgian Malinois on the property of Scott Dunmore, a professional dog trainer, highly regarded in Schutzhund. In 2014, Logan Meyer, 7, was killed by a Holland imported rottweiler trained by his step-father, Jessie Smith, who had formerly been the Director of Executive and Family Protection at Vohne Liche Kennels.

Semyonova: The Tragic Fantasy that a Protection Dog Can Make a Reliable Family Pet

DogsBite blog ::