An Alabama public health employee has been mauled to death by a pack of seven dogs as she was following up on a previous attack on a woman by the same canines.
Jacqueline Summer Beard, a 58-year-old longtime employee of the Alabama Department of Public Health, died on Friday in the savage attack in Red Bay, close to the Alabama-Mississippi border, according to authorities.
Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Ms Beard had gone to the rural area to follow up on an incident earlier in the week where a woman was attacked by a pack of dogs.
Investigators believe she was trying to contact the dog’s owner about the incident when she was attacked and killed by the same dogs.
The owner of the dogs Brandy Dowdy, 39, has been arrested and charged with manslaughter and charges under the Dangerous Dog law.
Officers discovered Ms Beard’s mauled body when they were called to a report of a suspicious vehicle on Crumpton Road in a rural area outside of Red Bay.
When they arrived on the scene, they witnessed several of the dogs starting to attack some local residents.
Some of the dangerous dogs had to be put down immediately, the sheriff’s office said.
Officers then found Ms Beard’s body nearby.
The woman injured in the initial dog attack remained in hospital in Mississippi in a serious condition as of Saturday, reported AL.com.
A third person was also wounded in the attack in front of the officers.
The state health department paid tribute to Ms Beard as an “exceptional person” and “tremendous team worker” who had joined the agency almost 17 years ago.
“The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) extends our deepest sympathy to the family, friends, and colleagues of Summer Beard, after her tragic passing,” an ADPH spokesperson told AL.com in a statement.
“Summer was known to her coworkers as an exceptional person. She was a tremendous team worker and was loved by those who knew her.
“It is a very sad day for ADPH, and we ask that everyone respect the privacy of the family during this most difficult time.”
Ms Dowdy is being held in Franklin County Jail on the charges.
Under Emily’s Law, which was signed into law by Govenor Kay Ivey in March 2018, owners of dangerous dogs can be sent to prison if their animals seriously injure or kill someone.
The law was named in honour of 24-year-old Emily Colvin who was mauled to death by dogs outside her home in Jackson County.
