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

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

Jacqueline Summer time 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 said. Officers discovered the automotive with Beard's physique inside it in a rural area outdoors Pink Bay, close to the Mississippi line, in keeping with the Facebook publish.

Beard is believed to have been trying to contact the dog's owner — whom the sheriff's workplace recognized as Brandy Dowdy, 39 — when the canines killed her, the sheriff's office stated.

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

When officers arrived at the scene, several dogs began attacking the residents, inflicting one in every of them to maintain minor injuries and a few of the dogs to be euthanized immediately, the sheriff's workplace mentioned. Officers then discovered Beard's physique within the automobile, the sheriff's workplace mentioned.

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

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

The Public Well being Department didn't instantly reply to a request for remark.