Alabama girl killed by pack of canines; owner charged with manslaughter

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

Jacqueline Summer season Beard was pronounced lifeless Friday by the Franklin County coroner after local residents known as the police to report a suspicious automobile, the sheriff's office stated. Officers found the automotive with Beard's body inside it in a rural space outdoors Purple Bay, near the Mississippi line, in accordance with the Facebook post.

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

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

When officers arrived at the scene, a number of canine started attacking the residents, causing one in all them to sustain minor injuries and a number of the canines to be euthanized immediately, the sheriff's office said. Officers then discovered Beard's physique in the automobile, the sheriff's office mentioned.

Dowdy was charged with manslaughter and is being held with out bail, public data show.

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

The Public Health Division did not instantly respond to a request for remark.