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

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

Jacqueline Summer time Beard was pronounced dead Friday by the Franklin County coroner after local residents called the police to report a suspicious automobile, the sheriff's office said. Officers discovered the car with Beard's body inside it in a rural area outdoors Purple Bay, close to the Mississippi line, according to the Facebook submit.

Beard is believed to have been attempting to contact the canine's owner — whom the sheriff's workplace recognized as Brandy Dowdy, 39 — when the dogs killed her, the sheriff's workplace said.

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 in the week by which the canines attacked a girl who was walking. The woman remains hospitalized in Mississippi, AL.com reported.

When officers arrived on the scene, several canines began attacking the residents, causing one in all them to maintain minor injuries and some of the canines to be euthanized immediately, the sheriff's workplace mentioned. Officers then discovered Beard's physique in the car, the sheriff's office said.

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

The Franklin County Sheriff's Office couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

The Public Well being Division didn't instantly respond to a request for comment.