A toxicological report has revealed that two drug-infused dogs ended the life of a 73-year-old woman in Ohio, United States, last October, the study showed that they contained cocaine in their bodies. The dogs, two pit bulls, belonged to her neighbors.
According to People magazine, the events took place when Joann Echelbarger was in her garden and was brutally attacked by the dogs, Echo and Apollo, who dismembered her.
Echelbarger’s husband, who suffered from dementia and used a wheelchair, couldn’t help her at that moment.
The officers who arrived at the scene, where the dogs had dismembered the victim, had to shoot them as they were about to attack them as well.
These are the dog owners
Meanwhile, the dog owners, Adam Withers and his mother, Susan Withers, had previously received warnings about the animals’ behavior which had already generated several complaints, and neighbors had reported the problems caused by their animals.
A judge had ordered the dogs to be removed from their owners
A judge had ordered the dogs to be removed from their owners weeks before the attack, for animal abuse, but the authorities did not carry out the order.
Now, after the family’s lawsuit, the toxicological department has confirmed the presence of cocaine in the dogs. The owners are still awaiting their final sentence.
“I feel like that day endangered many people’s lives and she was the one who paid the price,” said Earlene, the victim’s daughter.
“She didn’t deserve this. She was tortured and suffered from the attack of the drug-infused dogs. It’s not what you expect to happen to your mother or someone you love,” declared the daughter of Echelbarger to ABC6.
In addition to the prison sentence, the family’s lawsuit includes $25,000 in damages.
Have you checked out our YouTube channel yet? Subscribe now!
