The coroner's report gives the cause of death for Annie L. Williams as "bite wounds and crushing injuries to her neck, throat, and body." It has not yet been determined with certainty exactly who owned the pit bull that killed Mrs. Williams on Sunday afternoon.
7/14/2015 Update.
The great granddaughters of Annie Williams were interviewed by a local TV reporter. They stated that they saw the attack from inside the house, they are eyewitnesses. The pit bull was NOT chained in the back yard, the dog attacked Mrs. Williams from the front steps. This is a blow to pit bull advocates who blame tethering for the attack. It is also important to note that the pit bull has a history of attack, it killed another dog in the past.
Details of Mrs. Williams life reveal her to be a fine woman, active in the community, active in her church, working part time at a local McDonalds after a career at University Hospitals. She was described by one who knew her as someone who "never met a stranger." A sad loss to the community.
7/13/2014
In a breaking news story, an elderly woman was attacked by a dog as she got out of her car on a quiet street in Shaker Heights Ohio yesterday afternoon. Neighbors ran to help but could not get the dog to release, the dog was then shot by a local resident. In comments on this story relatives have stated that the woman has died and that the attacking dog was a pit bull. Click here for an early news report.
The horrific death of this woman brings the total number of fatal dog attacks in Ohio since the passage of HB 14 just three years ago to ten fatalities. HB 14 was sold to the Ohio Legislature as a way to "finally give dog wardens the tools to deal with dangerous dogs" but has been an epic fail in that regard. Time has shown that the actual purpose of the bill was to deregulate pit bulls in the state. Of the ten Ohioans killed by dogs in the state in the last three years, five of the attacks were by pit bulls, one by dogs identified by the victim in complaints to the police and Animal Control as pit/mastiff mixes, and four by all other breeds combined. That is 50% of deaths caused by only breed/type of dog, pit bulls make up an estimated 5% of dogs in America.
Click here for a pop up video that appeared on the WKYC TV page with the earliest reports on the fatal attack in Shaker Heights.
Update - The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiners office has identified the victim of yesterday's dog attack in Shaker Heights Ohio as 71 year old Annie L. Williams. Mrs. Williams was transported to South Pointe Hospital ,where she later died. Shaker Heights police have confirmed that the dog was a pit bull.
Click here for the 911 call.
Update - The pit bull that killed Mrs. Williams was owned by a resident of the home where their father lived. Mrs. Williams had gone to the residence to pick up her two great granddaughters, a 13 year old child was in the car during the attack. The pit bull was not licensed in Cuyahoga County.
The photograph below was included in a news story by ABC News 5 about the attack and death of Annie L. Williams. Mrs. Williams should have been safe to go about the peaceful details of her life without being mauled to death as she picked up her grandchildren from the home of their father.
