Posted on April 30, 2022 by Colleen Lynn

2022 Dog Bite Fatality: Man Dies After Breaking Up Dogfight in Kewanee; Did not Seek Treatment After Severe Bite Injuries

Juan Ruiz, 66, died after breaking up a dog fight at his home in Kewanee, Illinois.

Victim, Dog Breed Identified
UPDATE 05/02/22: One week after a man died after breaking up a dog fight, the victim has been identified, as has the breed of dog involved. Kewanee Police Chief Nicholas Welgat confirmed Henry County Coroner's office information that the victim was Juan Ruiz, 66 of 819 North Vine Street. The breed of the attacking dog was a pit bull. County Coroner Melissa Watkins said that no autopsy was performed because it was clear the man died from wounds sustained in the attack.

In the nearly 15 year history of this nonprofit, we have only heard a coroner make a similar reference one other time. That was after the death of 40-year old Edward Cahill of Indiana, who was killed by his pet pit bull on Christmas Day in 2014. Porter County Coroner Chuck Harris listed his cause of death as exsanguination, massive blood loss. "This is so clear cut," Harris explained. "There’s no reason for me to spend $2,500 of the taxpayers’ money on something so obvious."

04/30/22: Man Dies After Dog Bites
Kewanee, IL - On April 25, at approximately 12:30 am, Kewanee police and fire were dispatched to the 800 block of North Vine Street after receiving a 911 call of an unresponsive male. "Upon arrival, emergency personnel located a 66-year old male in the residence not breathing and suffering from multiple bite wounds," states a release from Kewanee Police. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The release was issued five days after the man's dog bite death.

Investigators say that earlier that day -- April 24 at about 6:00 pm -- the man tried to break up a fight between two dogs in the home. One the dogs attacked him, inflicting severe injuries. The man called family members, who were out of town, and advised what happened. They told him to "call for an ambulance or go to the hospital" for treatment. Instead, he self-treated by bandaging his wounds. When family members returned to the home that night, they found him unresponsive.

Both dogs were taken into custody by police and impounded at the Kewanee Animal Control facility. "The aggressive dog that caused the fatal wounds was surrendered to the City of Kewanee," states the release. "The dog was then euthanized as it was deemed too vicious and a danger to the community." Kewanee police did not identify the breed of the aggressive dog. The second dog is currently being treated for "multiple injuries" inflicted by the aggressive dog.

The cause and manner of death from a medical examiner's office was not released in the statement by Police Chief Nicholas Welgat, but the nature of the victim's injuries were. One of the dogs "bit the victim multiple times causing severe injuries," states the release. Police did not identify the male victim. Emergency medical treatment is exceptionally expensive in the United States. But the risk of "self-treating" damaging dog bite injuries can come at a very high cost too.

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: Illinois 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 27, 2022 by Colleen Lynn

2022 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman Killed by Multiple Dogs in Her Own Front Yard in Oklahoma County; Dogs Still At Large

Anita Mears, 61, was killed by multiple dogs in her front yard near Newalla.

Woman Killed by Dogs
Newalla, OK - After Oklahoma County Sheriff’s deputies found a woman dead in the front yard of her property on Sunday near Newalla, they thought the woman had been stabbed to death and began a homicide investigation. The coroner's office later announced the woman died of dog bites -- thus the police investigation had been bungled irrevocably from the start. Investigators were not searching for the culprit dogs or any dog attack evidence until days after the fatal dog mauling.

By then that window of evidence gathering had disappeared, and unsurprisingly, so had the dogs. They will likely never be identified.

To make matters worse, the victim's own dog was "standing over her," guarding her body, when deputies arrived and was also injured in the incident. "We believe the dog was trying to protect her," said Sheriff Tommie Johnson III, of the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office. This is common behavior for certain dog breeds, largely pit bull-types and rottweilers, after they have fatally attacked their owner or family member. Police did not release the breed of dog that Mears owned.

The Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office and the County Medical Examiners Office have determined the death of a woman near Newalla this weekend is NOT a homicide. Sunday April 24 at approximately 12:23 pm, deputies were called to the 4300 block of South Catfish Drive on a report that a woman was dead.

When deputies arrived, they found the body of 61 year old Anita Mears in her front yard.

Ms. Mears had injuries consistent with being stabbed multiple times.

The Oklahoma County Medical Examiners Office responded and determined this is not a homicide, but that Ms. Mears was attacked by multiple dogs.

Ms. Mears' dog was also injured in the attack. Her dog was standing guard over Ms. Mears' body when Deputies arrived.

As for the dogs that attacked Ms. Mears, we don't know whether they are wild dogs or neighborhood dogs, and because there were no witnesses, we may never know. We are warning folks to stay away from any packs of dogs that may be roaming the area.

We are releasing a picture of Ms. Mears that her family provided. Our prayers are with Ms. Mears family as they work to cope with this tragedy. - Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office, April 26, 2022

Deputies responded to a property in the 4300 block of South Catfish Drive on Sunday shortly before 12:30 pm after reports that a woman was found dead. When they arrived, they found her body in the front yard of her home with injuries consistent with stab wounds. The Oklahoma County Coroner's Office responded and determined -- the date of the coroner's determination is not identified1 -- that Mears' death was not a homicide; she had been attacked by multiple dogs.

“We don’t really know what kind of dogs they were, and that’s part of the problem,” said Aaron Brilbeck, public information officer for the sheriff’s office. “The reality is we may never be able to identify these dogs. We don’t know if they’re wild dogs or if they’re neighborhood dogs. There were no witnesses to this, so being able to identify the dogs responsible? We probably never will.” - Oklahoman, April 26, 2022

The sheriff's office also added the unsubstantiated claim that the dogs could be "wild" too. "Wild dogs" are not involved in fatal dog attacks in the United States. Family dogs, loose owned dogs and formerly owned dogs -- abandoned dogs that become strays -- are by far the chief offenders in fatal dog maulings. True feral dogs -- dogs born in the wild, having no reliance on humans at all -- are involved in less than 2% of all U.S. fatal dog attacks, according to our 16-year data set.

Finally, Sheriff Johnson was asked during the press conference if the county has any type of animal control officers. Johnson said they do not and that they "work with other municipalities out east" that do have these officers. Johnson cautioned residents about the dogs. "If you see a pack of dogs, stay away and please call the police," he said. "Obviously, they travel in packs so they can be dangerous when they do that. So, please stay away, protect yourself and call the police."

Woman killed by dogs in Newalla Oklahoma dogs still at large

Anita Mears, 61, was killed by one or more dogs in her own yard near Newalla, Oklahoma.

1On Tuesday, April 26, KOCO News reported, "On Tuesday, investigators determined a pack of dogs was responsible for a woman’s death." The coroner's office likely did not determine her cause of death at the scene Sunday. They did so after a full autopsy was completed several days later.

Posted on April 22, 2022 by Colleen Lynn

2022 Dog Bite Fatality: Man, 38-Years Old, Dies After Multiple Dog Bites in Wichita, Kansas

Cyrus Talkington, 38-years old, died after multiple dog bites in south Wichita.

Man Dies After Dog Bites
Wichita, KS - Wichita Police are investigating after a man died after being bitten by a dog while visiting the owner's home in south Wichita. Police identified the victim as 38-year old Cyrus Talkington of Matfield Green, Kansas. The biting incident occurred on April 20 just after 8:00 pm in the 400 block of East 37th Street South. Talkington was bitten by the dog, a canine that was familiar to him, while on the property. Talkington became unresponsive and died at the hospital.

According to police, Talkington was outside talking with his friend and their dogs when one of the dogs attacked Talkington, biting him on the arm and leg, after his friend had gone back inside the home. A few witnesses saw the attack and rushed out to get the dog away from him. Talkington was not conscious or breathing when officers arrived. Investigators believe the cause of death could be a medical condition brought on by the stress from multiple dog bites, reports KSNW.

Talkington was bitten by the dog in two different anatomical regions. The dog did not bite and release once, a far more typical bite behavior.

Peer-reviewed studies show that pit bulls were more than 2.5 times as likely than other breeds to bite in multiple anatomical locations (Golinko, Characteristics of 1616 Consecutive Dog Bite Injuries at a Single Institution, 2017) and 4 times more likely to inflict mauling wounds, ≥3 complex wounds in multiple anatomical regions (Khan, Dog-Bite Injuries to the Craniofacial Region, 2020). Police did not release the severity of injury that Talkington received in the multiple dog bites.

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.

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