A Georgia mother was found dead earlier this week, just days before Mother’s Day, after a dog attack left “several” children — reportedly two of hers — hospitalized with injuries, authorities said.
On May 9, police discovered the body of 35-year-old Courtney Williams after reports of an alleged encounter with “several aggressive dogs” in the late afternoon, according to a press release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).
Local NBC and ABC affiliate WALB reported that two of her own children were injured in the incident.
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In a statement, the GBI said authorities responded to Webster Road in Quitman around 4:45 p.m. local time after “complaints of multiple juveniles being attacked by a dog.”
Upon arrival, Brooks County Sheriff’s Office deputies observed “several aggressive dogs on the property,” according to the GBI.
After the incident, which WALB reported happened at a bus stop behind Brooks County High School, the person transported “several juveniles to a local hospital.”
Police then “subsequently located” Williams’ body “in the front yard of the home,” according to the GBI statement. “An autopsy will be performed by the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause and manner of death,” the statement said.
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Georgia Bureau of Investigation headquarters.
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“I feel sorry for the family and the children because now they will have to celebrate Mother’s Day without their mother,” the neighbor told WALB.
Another Brooks County resident told the outlet that locals are “abandoning dogs all over the county and no one can get help with them because there is no county animal control.”
“This is so sad,” they added.
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A tribute later shared on Facebook by a woman named Crystal Cox, who said she was Williams’ sister-in-law, read that “the neighbor’s dogs attacked her and the children.”
“Her son Kayden didn’t run away fast enough because he pushed his sister out of the way,” she continued.
“He was very injured and [is] doing good, they killed him [he’s] in pain and in my house on vacation,” she added.
The GBI said the case is “active and ongoing” and they encourage those with information to contact the GBI’s Bureau of Investigation in Thomasville.
According to statistics shared by Forbes in October (citing both the National Library of Medicine and the American Veterinary Association), about 30 to 50 people die from dog bites annually, which is less than 1% of the 4.5 million bites each year.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education