Alabama girl killed by pack of canine; owner charged with manslaughter

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

Jacqueline Summer season Beard was pronounced lifeless Friday by the Franklin County coroner after local residents referred to as the police to report a suspicious vehicle, the sheriff's workplace stated. Officers found the car with Beard's body inside it in a rural space outside Purple Bay, near the Mississippi line, in response to the Facebook post.

Beard is believed to have been making an attempt to contact the dog's owner — whom the sheriff's workplace identified as Brandy Dowdy, 39 — when the canine killed her, the sheriff's workplace stated.

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

When officers arrived on the scene, a number of dogs began attacking the residents, inflicting considered one of them to maintain minor injuries and a few of the canine to be euthanized instantly, the sheriff's office mentioned. Officers then found Beard's body within the car, the sheriff's office stated.

Dowdy was charged with manslaughter and is being held with out bail, public records show.

The Franklin County Sheriff's Workplace couldn't instantly be reached for comment.

The Public Health Division didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.