Alabama girl killed by pack of dogs; proprietor charged with manslaughter

An worker of the Alabama Division of Public Well being was killed by a pack of canine in the northwestern part of the state last week as she was responding to a report about one other attack involving the same canine earlier within the week, the Franklin County Sheriff's Workplace mentioned Friday on Facebook.

Jacqueline Summer time Beard was pronounced useless Friday by the Franklin County coroner after local residents called the police to report a suspicious vehicle, the sheriff's office stated. Officers discovered the car with Beard's physique inside it in a rural space exterior Crimson Bay, close to the Mississippi line, in accordance with the Fb publish.

Beard is believed to have been attempting to contact the canine's proprietor — whom the sheriff's workplace identified as Brandy Dowdy, 39 — when the dogs killed her, the sheriff's office mentioned.

AL.com, the web site of a number of Alabama newspapers, reported that Beard was a 58-year-old environmental supervisor and a longtime worker of the Public Health Division. It reported that on Friday morning, she was following up on an incident earlier in the week during which the dogs attacked a girl who was strolling. The woman stays hospitalized in Mississippi, AL.com reported.

When officers arrived at the scene, several canine started attacking the residents, causing certainly one of them to maintain minor injuries and a few of the dogs to be euthanized instantly, the sheriff's workplace said. Officers then discovered Beard's physique in the automobile, the sheriff's office mentioned.

Dowdy was charged with manslaughter and is being held without bail, public information show.

The Franklin County Sheriff's Office could not instantly be reached for comment.

The Public Well being Department didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.