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

An employee of the Alabama Division of Public Well being was killed by a pack of dogs in the northwestern part of the state final week as she was responding to a report about one other assault 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 native residents referred to as the police to report a suspicious vehicle, the sheriff's office said. Officers found the automobile with Beard's physique inside it in a rural area exterior Red Bay, near the Mississippi line, according to the Facebook put up.

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

AL.com, the web site of several 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 in which the canines attacked a lady who was strolling. The girl remains hospitalized in Mississippi, AL.com reported.

When officers arrived at the scene, several canine started attacking the residents, inflicting certainly one of them to sustain minor injuries and some of the canine to be euthanized instantly, the sheriff's office said. Officers then discovered Beard's body within the car, the sheriff's office mentioned.

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

The Franklin County Sheriff's Workplace couldn't immediately be reached for remark.

The Public Health Division did not immediately respond to a request for comment.