Chris Culbertson, 46, died after being attacked by a vicious dog pack while riding his bicycle.
Habitual Offender
UPDATE 10/15/24: The Kansas City Star reports that police had received over 15 complaints about the pack of pit bulls living in the 3200 block East 80th Street prior to the dogs attacking Chris Culbertson, but no action had been taken by the city's animal control service, KC Pet Project. On November 2, Culbertson was on his bike when he was savagely attacked by seven pit bulls for 23 minutes. A female neighbor ran to help him, hitting the dogs with a golf club, but the dogs then started biting her.
After viewing the surveillance video of the attack, Culbertson's sister, Angela, said there were two pit bulls in the backyard that did not escape the fence to attack her brother. Those two dogs are still at the dog owner's home. She described the security footage of the attack as "sickening." Culbertson received over 500 stitches for his injuries. Had he not died on November 6, he would have had one hand, and a leg amputated, lived on dialysis and had a tracheotomy for the rest of his life, she said.
According to Angela, KC Pet Project responded to the scene after the attack, along with police, and returned the dogs to the dog owner's yard. They returned the next day with a search warrant, but all seven pit bulls involved in the attack -- along with 15 puppies that were inside the home -- had disappeared. This is when Angela learned there had been over 15 complaints filed about the dogs prior to attacking her brother. Two large holes at the bottom of the fence line continue to be visible.
The city's ordinance limits the number of dogs to four per household.
Police are not releasing any information about the investigation. We do know that John Thibeaux SR and John Thibeaux JR live at the residence. We also know that one of the remaining pit bulls at the residence is of the XL bully variant. Given that there were 15 puppies inside the home, this is also a breeding operation. Thibeaux isn't a common name, belonging to just 843 individuals, most of whom live in Louisiana. It is unknown if this owner is the breeder of "Thibeaux's Espresso" and others.
KSHB interviewed Holly Lane, the neighbor who intervened with a golf club and sustained serious injuries. Lane, who owns the camera that captured the attack, said it happened in front of her home. "My leg is bad, but I’m alive and he’s not," Lane said. "I’ve had to Mace them before, I’ve had to use a golf club before and they’ve even come after my husband," she said. "The dogs sit there and tug and tug at the fence, and then they rip holes in the fence," she said about the dogs' poor confinement.
With over 15 previous complaints on these dogs, along with routine fencing failures and two dozen dogs on the property -- an unlicensed breeding operation -- prior to the vicious attack speaks volumes about the lack of enforcement by KC Pet Project. The agency’s contract with the city expired in April, but they continue to operate under an amendment to the contract. Discussions about a future contract with KCPP, if any, are expected in December. We hope that Angela speaks at this public meeting.
Two dogs on the property were not involved in the attack; one appears to be an XL bully.
11/08/24: Man Dies After Vicious Attack
Kansas City, MO - One man is dead, and a woman injured after being attacked by a vicious dog pack on November 2. Kansas City police officers were dispatched to the 3200 block of East 80th Street at approximately 9:50 pm. Multiple dogs were actively attacking the man when police arrived. Officers discovered that a woman had also been attacked. She sustained serious injuries to her extremities. Both victims were transported to a hospital. The male victim, Chris Culbertson, 46, died Wednesday.
Culbertson's sister Angela shared surveillance video with KSHB -- the 23 minute attack was captured by the camera. Culbertson was riding his bicycle when the dog pack pulled him down. Culbertson sustained "over 300 dog bites, over 500 stitches, and over 100 lacerations," Angela said. "They ripped his cheek off, his chin, his heels of his feet." As of Thursday, the seven dogs remained at the owner's home, according to Angela. KSHB showed footage of the home's fence line that contained holes.
KC Pet Project, who contracts animal control services for the city, is assisting Kansas City police investigators. Since taking over animal services in 2020, KC Pet Project has been under fire for failing to seize and manage biting and dangerous dogs. It is unknown if any of the seven dogs had a history of running loose or being violent. The identity of the dogs' owner has not been released. It is unknown why none of the dogs, apparently, were seized by KC Pet Project after the multi-victim attack Saturday.
Killed by Pit Bull Pack
On Friday, Fox4 spoke to Angela, who confirmed the dog pack contained multiple pit bulls. Both Angela and Culbertson also own one or more pit bulls. “I cannot believe that some dogs could do this to a human," Angela said. "I couldn't imagine being bitten or torn by anything for 23 minutes." After sustaining critical injuries, Culbertson became septic and died while hospitalized. The woman who was attacked tried to help Culbertson by hitting the dogs with a golf club. The dogs then turned on her.
Also on Friday, six days after the multi-victim mauling that led to Culbertson's death, law enforcement agencies seized the attacking dogs. The surveillance camera that captured the 23 minute attack belonged to a neighbor of the dogs' owner. Before dying, Culbertson told his family, "They were trying to drag me like I was their dinner." His family members would like to the dogs' owner face penalties. "The people that own the dogs need to be held accountable for this,” Angela said. "This is murder."
Chris Culbertson, 46, died after being attacked by a vicious dog pack while riding his bicycle.
The area where Chris Culbertson, 46, was killed by a pack of pit bulls in South Kansas City.
Related articles:
09/26/24: 2024 Dog Bite Fatality: Man, 72, Dies After Attacked by Own Dog in Missouri
11/20/23: 2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Male Teenager, 15, Killed by a American Bully-Mixes Missouri
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.
Its a damn shame that people can’t even go outside to ride bike without dangerous pitbull killing you if the dogs was pitbull if that the case.imagine the horror he felt dying by dogs.imagine the horror she witness and her surviving this attack. I’m sorry Chris you have to died because America values dogs life over yours.
The KC Pet Project failed the community. I bet they hesitated to seize the dogs because doing so would traumatize the beasts. It’s always dogs above people with groups like that.
Oddly enough, from his sister’s FB page it looks like he may have been a backyard breeder of pitbulls. The dogs responsible for his attack were not his. They were pits, though, according to comments from his family on FB.
How sad! Is animal control waiting for a few more people to be killed by dogs?
One of my questions is why do pitbulls create packs and kill people? Why don’t they simply kill each other? Since they were bred to kill dogs, why can’t they be happy killing each other?
What animal control? In Kansas City they have a “Pet Project”. Cute name, ineffective at serving the community. “Our mission is to promote pet retention, enhance public safety and create a healthier, more humane Kansas City through community empowerment and progressive services.” Pet retention and community empowerment: we’re not taking your dogs, you can deal with the problem yourselves. “Humane” seems to mean concern for non-human animals ONLY.
I’m from KC and actually used to live a couple miles from where this totally preventable tragedy occurred. Out of curiosity after reading about this went to look at KC Pet Project’s “adoptable dogs” page. 90-95% pits. There was one border collie-type dog, and the rest were Huskies or elderly chihuahuas. So this is who is running KC Animal Control now?!?!
If this was my loved one I’d likely go over to that house and end the dogs myself.
I think they were bred to kill anything and everything but they arent brave and courageous like google claims
They are actually cowardly and obviously often triggered by a life they know is smaller or weaker than themself like babies children elderly and the thousands of smaller or non aggressive dogs (which is almost all other dog breeds ) and cats and livestock
Oh my god, that 2023 article about KC Pet Project is absolutely infuriating. I hope they get sued into bankruptcy by a wrongful death suit from the Culbertson family. All the injuries, and now death, in the wake of KCPP’s contract with the city are a powerful indictment of the entire “educating pet owners” pretext of people who simply don’t believe in enforcing animal control laws. And Kansas City actually gave the contract to an organization that doesn’t even accept the spay/neuter ordinance in the city?!?! Madness. Sheer madness.
But I also wonder if the Culbertsons are now reconsidering owning their own pit bulls. I suspect not. This whole episode lays bare the utter moral, ethical and public safety bankruptcy of the “educating pet owners” scam.
KC Pet Project started as a no-kill shelter, bolstered by BFAS, that provided animal sheltering services to the city. Prior to the establishment of KCPP in 2011 (and after), the founders advocated against BSL, mandatory spay/neuter laws and “pet limit” laws, the guiding principals of no-kill BFAS policies. This is why they do not support the mandatory pit bull spay/neuter law. When the city awarded KCPP the animal control contract, everyone who follows this issue shivered. It was well known to us this could end in disaster. By the end of 2020, pit bulls were inflicting bites over 5 times more than any other dog breed. In 2016, the founder left KCPP and started working for full time for BFAS. What was wildly interesting to us, is that it was an NPR affiliate that did the 2023 investigation. That was the first time in over a decade an NPR affiliate had uttered the words “pit bull” in the context of “dangerous animals” not being seized, and actually highlighting a violent pit bull attack. The typical protocol of NPR+affiliates is to “victimize” pit bulls and to ignore human victims of violent pit bull attacks.
This guy’s relatives need to sue KC back into the hole they crawled out of.
6 days after the attack the dogs were seized. KC pet protect is incompetent and dangerous to this city. Unconscionable! Contact your council people and insist they not continue our city’s contract with them. Our family was the victim of a dog attack in May and we have been lied to and ignored.
I am shocked someone else didn’t die in the almost a full week it took the doggie social workers to do their job.
I could maybe see letting a nonprofit run a shelter. Letting them be animal control is insane.
So they even have any legal authority?
What happens if the dog owner says “get off my property”?
Animal control primarily means being dog cops.
That’s why the job used to be called Dogcatcher.
It needs to be a position staffed by law enforcement.
Ideally armed LEOs should do the job.
Personally, I think they should have rifles and be allowed to use them when the situation calls for it.
They need to have the mindset that they are there to protect the public from dogs at least as much as they are to protect dogs from the public.
The way it is now AC cares way more about “the poor widdle puppers” than the people in their jurisdiction.
That must change.
This post has been updated with new information. Over 15 pervious complaints, and owner running a breeding operation.
Did KC pet project ever take possession of the dogs? In the new update, it says that the dogs disappeared. Were they found?
Our understanding (that I am now questioning) is the dogs were seized the Friday (Nov. 8) after the attack on Nov. 2. It sounds like, when police/KCPP returned with a search warrant on Nov. 3, the dogs were gone, except for two. Chris died on Nov. 6. The related KSHB report (Nov 14), says that “KCPP would not comment on the dogs’ location or status.” That comment, at the time, indicated to me the dogs were in custody. Police are not releasing information, so confirmation is impossible. Clearly, the owner took off with his breeding dogs and puppies so they could not be confiscated. It’s unknown if police have caught up with the owner. He could have crossed state lines as well, complicating the investigation.
The attack happened just before 10:00 pm. For whatever reason, they needed a warrant (possibly because the dogs’ owner was uncooperative and refused to turn over the dogs). By the time they got the warrant the next day, the dogs were gone.
Is KC Pet Project this incompetent on purpose?
I can’t think of any other explanation for their behavior.