Alabama lady killed by pack of dogs; owner charged with manslaughter

An worker of the Alabama Department of Public Well being was killed by a pack of dogs within the northwestern a part of the state final week as she was responding to a report about another attack involving the same canines earlier within the week, the Franklin County Sheriff's Office said Friday on Facebook.

Jacqueline Summer season Beard was pronounced useless Friday by the Franklin County coroner after native residents called the police to report a suspicious vehicle, the sheriff's workplace stated. Officers found the automobile with Beard's physique inside it in a rural area exterior Purple Bay, near the Mississippi line, in keeping with the Fb post.

Beard is believed to have been trying to contact the canine's proprietor — whom the sheriff's workplace recognized as Brandy Dowdy, 39 — when the canines killed her, the sheriff's workplace 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 employee of the Public Well being Division. It reported that on Friday morning, she was following up on an incident earlier within the week through which the canine attacked a woman who was walking. The girl remains hospitalized in Mississippi, AL.com reported.

When officers arrived at the scene, a number of canines started attacking the residents, causing certainly one of them to sustain minor accidents and a few of the dogs to be euthanized immediately, the sheriff's workplace mentioned. Officers then found Beard's body in the car, the sheriff's workplace said.

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

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 remark.