Posted on July 11, 2022 by Colleen Lynn

2022 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bulls Suspected in Multi-Victim Attack that Killed One Man and Injured Another in St. Louis

Pit bulls are suspected in an attack that killed Dennis Moore and injured another man.

Cause of Death Determined
UPDATE 09/11/22: In September, the medical examiner determined that Dennis Moore died from a cardiac event prompted by the dog attack. Moore was found dead in an alley on July 10 with severe trauma to his body. St. Louis Medical Examiner Dr. Michael Graham said that Moore, "died from heart disease that was exacerbated by this attack -- not either one of those things by themselves." Graham added, "We think most of the extreme damage occurred after he died."

Prior to the dogs being captured, they attacked a 92-year old man in the alley, and the next day, they attacked 23-year old Kevin Davis. Both men were treated at a hospital. The three pit bulls seized after the attacks remain impounded. The city's health department released a statement saying, in part, "the department remains concerned for the public’s safety regarding three dogs connected with this incident." The department has recommended euthanasia for the animals.

07/12/22: Mauling Victim Identified
Family members identified the victim as 62-year old Dennis Moore. Police told his wife, Melvina Moore, that she should not see his body. "We don’t want you to remember these wounds. We don't even want to tell you how many times he was bitten," she told KSDK. Moore was discovered dead in an alley Sunday morning, suffering from "significant bodily wounds." A 92-year old man was also discovered in an alley with dog bite injuries. He was taken to a hospital for treatment.

"The dogs ate him up to the point where his body was decayed, they can't show me his body. They didn't eat his head up." - Melvina Moore

The couple married after meeting in the Penrose neighborhood in 2016. "We had a wonderful wedding, and I asked him 'I never had a wedding before," Melvina said. "I mean, to take in a woman with seven kids, just think about it." Moore was a retired landscaper, who often helped the elderly cut their grass in the neighborhood, reports KSDK. Melvina said she knew something was wrong when Moore did not call her Saturday night as she worked a nightshift at a nursing home.

When she called him Sunday morning, police answered the phone. They would not tell her the circumstances over the phone. "The dogs ate my husband up like wolves," she said shakily. "I don't know how to move on." She is now trying to raise money for his funeral costs. Animal Control seized three pit bulls suspected of being involved in the attacks, police said. The dogs, described by police as pit bulls, matched descriptions of "several dog bites in the area," reports KTVI.

07/11/22: Multi-Victim Dog Attack
St. Louis, MO - KTVI reports that three pit bulls are suspected in the death of one man and the injury of another. The multi-victim attack occurred sometime between 11:30 pm Saturday and 6:30 am Sunday in the 4800 block of San Francisco Avenue, located in the Penrose neighborhood on the north side of St. Louis. Arriving police officers discovered a 62-year old man suffering from "significant bodily wounds" and a 92-year old man in a nearby alley with dog bite injuries.

The 62-year old man was "possibly attacked by pit bulls," an investigation revealed, who apparently died at the scene. The 92-year old man was transported to a hospital. Animal control officers confiscated three pit bulls in the area. The medical examiner's office and the city's Animal Control Division are handling the investigation, KTVI reports. The current condition of the 92-year old man is unknown. Thus far, we have located only a few news reports about this attack.

A report from KMOV states the 62-year old man was dead when police arrived. Officers found him in the backyard of a home. While officers searched the scene, they discovered the 92-year old man, who was suffering from a large number of dog bites. The older man got the bites from several dogs attacking him in the alley. KMOV did not report any breed information, but stated, "Animal Control later found three dogs matching the description of several attacks in the area."

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 July 10, 2022 by Colleen Lynn

2022 Dog Bite Fatality: 4-Year Old Girl Killed by Dog in Southeast Oak Cliff, a Dallas Neighborhood

Lea Freeman, 4-years old, died Saturday after being attacked by a pit bull in southeast Oak Cliff.

Child Identified
UPDATE 07/12/22: Family members have identified the 4-year old girl who was killed by one or more pit bulls in southeast Oak Cliff. WFAA spoke to Lea Freeman's mother, Tiara Freeman. She said she left her three daughters with her friend and her dad at the home on Bluffman Drive, where all of them were living. Lea's 2-year old sibling was in the room with her sister when the pit bull attacked. "She's traumatized. She's very scared, she saw her sister be killed," Tiara said.

Family members said the mother has mental health issues. Tiffany Freeman, Lea's aunt, said they have been trying to get the children to live with their grandparents. The home on Bluffman Drive is "run down and ill-fitting for children," Tiffany said. Lea's grandparents have been calling CPS and warning them since March about the conditions the children have been living in. Neighbors said the pit bulls at the home would escape by jumping through a broken window to run at large.

NBC DFW also spoke to Tiara. She and her children had moved into the home on Bluffman Drive with a woman she knows. Prior to the attack, Tiara asked her friend to watch her children while she went to the store. When she returned, she found Lea badly injured. "I'm crying, picking up my baby and I'm getting bitten up by her dogs," Tiara said. She believes a pit bull, named "Rambo," was the attacker, "but I got a feeling Rawlow and Reina had something to do with it too."

The Dallas Morning News reports that Tiara, who is 23-years old, was trying to get her life back on track after experiencing homelessness. That is when Tiara and her three children began living at the home on Bluffman Drive. Last month, she found a job about 10 minutes away. Prior to the attack, Tiara left the home "to go buy beer," leaving both of her daughters with a woman, who also lived at the home. Her youngest daughter was staying with her father that day, Tiara explained.

Tiara identified the woman she was living with as "Simone." Tiara said she never got a call from her while she was at the store. "I don't get a call when I'm at the store, I don't get a call from her letting me know that my kid is dead," Tiara said. She picked up Lea and rushed outside. She asked Michael Pennington, who lives across the street, to call 911. "Simone" was allegedly outside when the fatal dog attack occurred and had left Tiara's two children alone with the animals.

It remains unknown how many calls Dallas Animal Services (DAS) received about the dogs at the home on Bluffman Drive. DAS declined to answer questions related to this on Monday. Tiara also expressed to the Morning News that she believes all three pit bulls in the home were involved in the attack. No arrests have been made in connection to Lea's death, police said. The medical examiner's office confirmed the child's identity, but a cause of death has not been determined.

A fund has been created for Lea Freeman, 4-years old, who was killed by one or more pit bulls.

07/11/22: Neighbor Called 911
In a heartbreaking update, we learn more about the home on Bluffman Drive in southeast Oak Cliff, where a 4-year old girl was mauled to death one or more dogs Saturday morning. Multiple media outlets interviewed a family that lives across the street. Neighbor Michael Pennington placed the 911 call. He saw the horrific injuries to the child's head. "I said that baby is dead," an emotional Pennington told the Dallas Morning News on Sunday. "I said that baby's dead, man."

Officers were dispatched to the 5600 block of Bluffman Drive just before 8:00 am Saturday about an animal attack. Police said the child suffered multiple bite injuries. Police did not release the breed of dog involved. But a review of the Dallas City Police audio dispatch files indicates the child was bitten by a black pit bull inside the home and that a gray pit bull also resided at the home. Pennington believes three dogs, all pit bulls, living the home were involved in the violent attack.

Dallas Animal Services spokeswoman Marlo Clingman confirmed Monday that three dogs were picked up by the city. Dallas police spokesman Michael Dennis also confirmed that multiple dogs were seized from the home. According to Pennington, a woman who lives at the home is the owner of the dogs. No adults were inside the home when the attack occurred, Pennington said. Dallas police and Texas Child Protective Services are investigating the child's mauling death.

In the month's leading up to the child's death, Pennington said the three dogs had escaped the home multiple times by jumping through a broken window. Pennington's sister, Lorie Pennington, said one of the dogs attacked her 15-year old niece about a month ago. The dog clamped onto her arm, but the jacket she was wearing protected her skin from the dog's teeth. Lorie broke down crying in the video, recalling, "I didn't feel right with those dogs in the house with those babies."

"If you turn around and look, every last one of those windows was busted out because of those dogs …Those dogs should not have been at that house. Many times they got called on. They should have been gone … If CPS had done what they were supposed to do it could have been avoided." - Lorie Pennington

Lorie said she called 311 multiple times to report the dogs being loose, but was told by Dallas Animal Services (DAS) they would not send an officer out because the dogs were not on her property. Lorie also said that Child Protective Services had been called to the home in the past. Tiffani Butler, a Texas Department of Family and Protective Services spokeswoman confirmed the family of the child had been in "involved" with CPS in the past, but did not provide any details.

NBC DFW also spoke to the Penningtons. Michael said a neighbor came out of the house holding a baby, asking him to call for an ambulance. There were at least three children in the home. The 4-year old girl and two younger children. Lorie also described the three dogs as pit bulls, as she remembered her 311 call about the dogs earlier this spring, "I told them we have some pit bulls that my neighbor has and they keep getting out and they can't keep them in," Lorie said.

Lorie echoed her concerns about the children living at the home with the dogs and that Child Protective Services should have intervened sooner. "They (CPS) should have either said ‘You have to get rid of the dogs or the kids got to go,'" Lorie said. "We tried to save those kids but we couldn't," she said. Multiple agencies, including police and DFPS, are investigating the child's death. As of Sunday, the two surviving children were in the care of separate parents.

07/10/22: Child Killed by Family Dog
Dallas, TX - A 4-year old girl is dead after being attacked by a dog Saturday morning in southeast Oak Cliff, a neighborhood in Dallas. Police and emergency responders were dispatched just before 8:00 am to a home in the 5600 block of Bluffman Drive about an animal attack. Police said the dog bit the girl multiple times, reports the Dallas Morning News. She was transported to a children's hospital, according to the audio log files of Dallas City Police on Broadcastify.com.

A review of the audio dispatch files indicates the child was bitten by a black pit bull that belonged to the 911 caller who was in the home. "The pit bull is inside the house .. [I'm guessing] at the location," states the dispatcher. When asked by the responder, "Is the dog away from the 4-year old right now?" The dispatcher replied, "The dog belongs to the caller. The dog is currently put up. It is a black pit bull. The child is bleeding. And the dog is still at the location, but he's put up."

Police did not release the breed of dog to the Morning News, or whom the dog belonged to. The dog is currently in the custody of Dallas Animal Services (DAS). No other information was made available Saturday. This is the first known fatal dog attack in Dallas since the 2016 death of Antoinette Brown. Her death caused the city to revamp DAS protocols -- police even took over the embattled agency temporarily, in order to combat the loose and stray dog problem in south Dallas.

The home on Bluffman Drive in Southeast Oak Cliff where a 4-year old girl was killed by a dog.

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

Posted on July 8, 2022 by Colleen Lynn

2022 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman Killed by Two Pit Bulls She was Dog Sitting in Greensboro, North Carolina

Trena Peed, 46, was killed by two pit bulls she was dog sitting at her Greensboro home.

Pit Bulls Kill Woman
Greensboro, NC - A woman is dead after being attacked by two pit bulls she was caring for at her home. Trena Peed, 46-years old, was dog sitting two pit bulls when she let them out into the backyard of her home in the 1100 block of Vance Street at about 2:00 am Thursday. Just after she let the dogs out, neighbors heard her crying out loudly for help. WGHP listened to the 911 call made by a neighbor, "It’s dark. All I hear is her yelling and her dogs over there attacking her."

Hours after her death, her daughter, Waynesha Peed, created a GoFundMe to help pay for funeral expenses. "Early this morning, my mom was tragically taken away from us by a vicious attack from a dog," she wrote. She also shared the recent tragedies her family has suffered. "My siblings, grandmother, family, & I are heartbroken at her sudden passing. She has endured and overcame so much, most recently losing two of her sons two years apart, both by tragic car accidents."

Ja-h Quan Peed, 14-years old, was killed by a car while crossing a multi-lane road in Fayetteville in 2017. Ja-h Quan was a seventh grader at Westover Middle School. "No one knows the pain that I feel without you being here," Trena shared with WRAL. In 2019, Eric Lee Peed, 24-years old, was killed in a traffic collision involving a tractor-trailer in Southampton County, Virginia. All four people in the car that rear-ended the stopped tractor-trailer in the road were killed, police said.

A friend who knew Trena from church posted on Facebook, "This breaks my heart. This young lady grew up going to church with us and has suffered so much loss in her young life, losing two children to accidents, and now she was attacked by a dog and died." Waynesha hopes to raise enough funds to "bring her home to Virginia & make arrangements for her homegoing service." Anything given is greatly appreciated, she said, and please "keep praying over our family."

Greensboro Police, Greensboro Fire and Guildford County Animal Control were dispatched to the home on Vance Street. Police shot and killed one of the pit bulls to stop the attack. "Shots fired," could be heard on traffic radio, reports WGHP. "I got one dog down, itʼs another one out here." The other pit bull was taken into custody and is currently being held in quarantine at Guildford County Animal Services. The owner of the two pit bulls was not identified by officials or media reports.

Dog Sitting Pit Bulls

Every year, multiple people are killed while dog sitting one or more pit bulls. Last year was no exception. In September, Amber LaBelle, 42, was killed by a large pit bull she was dog sitting in Oregon. Her two daughters, 5 and 8, witnessed the violent attack. In August, Rhoda Wagner, 60, was killed by three pit bulls she was dog sitting in Pennsylvania. In June, Rebecca McCurdy, 28, was killed by two pit bulls while she was house sitting for the dogs' owner in rural Oklahoma.

The most controversial fatal pit bull mauling in 2021 also involved dog sitting. The attack occurred in Garner, North Carolina, about 85 miles east of Greensboro. Jayden Henderson, 7-years old, was attacked and killed by her neighbor's two pit bulls her family had been caring for while their owners were out of town. Her mother suffered severe injuries trying to stop the attack. After Jayden's death, the owners, Joseph and Amanda White, fought to get the dogs returned to them.

Trena Peed, killed by pit bulls while dog sitting

Greensboro Police responded to the scene and shot and killed one of the attacking pit bulls.

Trena Peed was killed by two pit bulls she was dog sitting at her home on Vance Street.

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

Posted on June 30, 2022 by Colleen Lynn

Magnolia Woman Critically Injured After Dragged into Ditch and Mauled by Three Pit Bull-Mix Dogs

Three pit bulls dragged Rebecca Hatcher into a ditch and nearly killed her in Magnolia, Texas.

Owner Faces Felony
UPDATE 11/21/22: Last week, the owner of three pit bulls that nearly killed a woman in June was arrested and charged with a third-degree felony under the Texas felony dog attack law. Angela Nicole Leach, 34, of Magnolia, was arrested on November 14, 2022. She is currently being held at the Montgomery County Jail under a $20,000 bond. The other owner of the dogs, Mitchell Weemes, was killed in an unrelated shooting during an argument at a gas station back in July.

In mid-June, Rebecca Hatcher was viciously attacked by the dogs while walking near her home in the 37000 block of Pine Bark in the Hazy Hollow Subdivision. Her neighbor, Tammy Remey, found her lying in a ditch nearly dead. "She had holes in her, like about this big in her legs,” Remey said at the time. “She picked up her head and all you could see was just blood everywhere. All over her.” Hatcher remained in the ICU at Herman Memorial hospital in The Woodlands for five weeks.

Hatcher’s sister-in-law, Victoria, praised the efforts law enforcement. She hopes that Hatcher is now eligible for the Texas Crime Victims’ Compensation fund. “Now if we can get Texas Crime Victims to help out Rebecca Hatcher with her million-dollar medical bills,” she wrote. “My sister-in-law was denied help by the Montgomery County Hospital District. She is unable to get medical insurance, apparently doesn’t qualify for DSSI,” and may never be able to physically work again.

07/30/22: Male Owner Shot and Killed
On Friday, July 15, 2022, the male owner of three pit bulls that attacked Rebecca Hatcher on June 20 in the Hazy Hollow Subdivision was shot and killed during a verbal altercation at Mike's Grocery Store #5 in the 30200 block of SH 249. Mitchell Allen Weemes, 24 of Magnolia, was pronounced dead at the scene. The shooter, Daniel David-Joseph Ryan III, 22, of Pinehurst, has been arrested and charged with murder. The motive of the fatal shooting is currently unknown.

A July 12 update on Hatcher's GoFundMe states that she is making progress, but her wounds have become infected. "She is still going into surgery every other day to have her serious wounds cleaned," states her brother, Chris Hatcher. She is also "starting to get weaned off her trache and with hopes should begin advanced speech therapy soon," he said. No one knows when she'll be able to come home, he said. Chris also stated that her wounds have a bacterial infection.

"Rebecca does have a bacterial infection. We had to wear gloves and protective gowns when we were with her." - Chris Hatcher

Since we published this post on June 30, Freddy Garcia, 71-years old, was killed by a pack of pit bull-mixes on July 18 while walking to a store in Fort Bend County, Texas. He was airlifted to Memorial Hermann hospital in downtown Houston, where he died. "He did nothing to provoke those animals," Sheriff Eric Fagan said. "The dogs just attacked him for no reason and for no provocation." Hatcher remains hospitalized at Memorial Hermann hospital in The Woodlands.

Also, since June 30, Michele Sheeks, 44-years old, died after being attacked by seven dogs while walking down a road on April 28 in Red Bay, Alabama. Sheeks was rushed to a trauma center with critical injuries, where she remained until her death on July 12. Sheeks was one of two victims. The same dogs killed an Alabama Public Health employee on April 29, one day after her attack. Two weeks before Sheeks died, bacterial and fungal infection had developed in her wounds.

06/30/22: Judge Orders Dogs Destroyed
Montgomery County, TX - One day after Nicolas Vasquez died of catastrophic injuries due to a violent pit bull mauling in northeast Harris County, a woman lies in similar circumstances in the adjacent county of Montgomery. Like Vasquez, who was walking down a street when three loose pit bull-mixes dragged him into a ditch and mauled him, the same thing happened to Rebecca Hatcher, who remains in the ICU at Memorial Hermann hospital after multiple surgeries.

Her brother, Chris Hatcher, organized a GoFundMe for her. "All we know at this time is that, on June 20, 2022, my sister was attacked somewhere in Magnolia by possibly 3-5 dogs, left in a ditch, and rushed to Memorial Herman in The Woodlands, where she is currently in ICU," he states. Hatcher sustained bites to her neck, back and extremities, including serious damage to her trachea. She has undergone multiple critical surgeries and blood transfusions while hospitalized.

Back in March, Kyleen Waltman, 38, was viciously attacked by two pit bull-mixes and a mixed-breed while walking down a road in Honea Path, South Carolina. Like Vasquez and Hatcher, the dogs pulled her into a ditch and inflicted catastrophic injuries. Vasquez had both legs below the knee amputated before dying and Waltman had both arms amputated up to the shoulder. Waltman remains alive, and "keeps getting denied for Medicaid and her disability," states her fundraiser.

The dogs attacked Hatcher in the 37000 block of Pine Bark in the Hazy Hollow Subdivision just after 10:30 pm. She had been walking home and was only about 100 feet from her house at the time. Tammy Remey, a neighbor, who is featured in the Montgomery County Police Reporter video, heard Hatcher screaming and ran outside. She got into her car and drove toward the screams. She found Hatcher in the ditch. The dogs were "attacking her, tearing her up," she said.

She called 911, who told her not to get out of her vehicle and that help would arrive soon. Remey then describes the scene in horrifying detail. "She had holes in her, like about this big in her legs," she said. "She picked up her head and all you could see was just blood everywhere. All over her. She was in a pink and white dress." At some point, Hatcher stopped screaming. Remey thought the dogs had killed her. Emergency responders transported her by ambulance to the hospital.

Remey is shaken in the video. Yet her commentary is candid and vivid. When she said, "She was in a pink and white dress," time stopped for us. When she said, "She walked by those dogs all the time," it was impossible for us to count how many times we have heard that phrase before, specifically about violent maulings by multiple pit bulls to passersby. Familiarity does not stop unpredictable pit bull violence when only one pit bull is involved, much less a group of them.

Remey remains in close contact with Hatcher's mother to see how she is doing. She's also in touch with the detective on the case and Montgomery County Animal Services, where the dogs are quarantined. While holding her baby boy in her arms, Remey showed the reporter the ditch the dogs dragged Hatcher into. "This is her hair," she points out to the reporter, who states "Oh my gosh!" This is where she was laying, she explained. "The dogs steadily ripping her," she said.

Pit bulls, dragged into ditch, Rebecca Hatcher

The three pit bulls that dragged Rebecca Hatcher into a ditch in Magnolia, nearly killing her.

The video was shot and uploaded on June 29. At that time, Chris Hatcher said his sister's condition was improving. She was able to write on a notepad and was able to move her legs, he said. Doctors said she could be hospitalized for another two weeks or longer. She still cannot breath on her own and is on a ventilator, Chris said. Hatcher has no insurance and is currently unemployed. "Anything you can donate is greatly appreciated," states the fundraiser.

Also on June 29, a hearing to determine the fate of the dogs was held in the Montgomery County Precinct 5 Justice of the Peace Matt Masden’s Courtroom. The owner of the dogs, Mitchell Weemes, attended the hearing. After listening to both sides, Judge Masden ordered the dogs destroyed. "Weemes broke down asking the Judge to see his dogs. Masden told Animal Control to give him 48 hours to do so before the dogs were destroyed," states the Police Reporter.1

It is unknown if criminal charges against Weemes are being considered. Weemes, who is seen in the video, told Judge Masden that he had paid a friend to watch his three dogs. The friend resided across the street from the witness. The rear of the house is fenced, but not the front. Weemes is seen with one of his pit bulls in two dark grainy photographs on his Facebook page. It's too bad the Police Reporter did not film the vicious dog hearing where Weemes "broke down" like a baby.

The owner of the pit bulls, Mitchell Weemes, seen with one of his dogs on his Facebook page.

1On the same day Weemes' pit bulls were ordered destroyed, Masden ordered another pit bull destroyed after it attacked a child's face. On June 17, 2022, the child was visiting her father when his roommate's pit bull snapped at her face. The child's mother, Paige Ashbaugh, said she always thought they were beautiful dogs until this incident.

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