Florida woman mauled to death by dogs that had allegedly terrorized neighborhood, owner charged in killing
She was a woman from Florida was attacked by two dogs Neighbors say he’s terrorizing the community, and now the animals’ owner is in jail.
The dogs are being held by the county’s animal services unit and will be euthanized, officials said.
Neighbors on Blue Bonnet Drive no longer have to worry about the duo “terrorizing” them, a Dominica Midkiff resident told Fox News Digital.
Jodi Cowan, 50, had only been living on the street for two weeks, Midkiff said.
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Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said in a video his office shared on Facebook on May 27 that Cowan was walking his small dog on a dark street after midnight at the time of the attack.
Meanwhile, pit bull couple Ivey said the one, belonging to neighbor Linda Cutler, “once again emerged from their yard and wandered around the neighborhood.”
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A neighbor’s security camera captured the attack in “extremely disturbing and graphic” video, Ivey said.
In the video, Cowan can be seen trying to escape by holding his little dog to his chest and screaming.
Larger dogs known as Max and Mako” He brutally attacked Cowan and dismembered himHe forced her to the ground, brutally assaulted her, and eventually dragged her across the ground for quite a long distance,” Ivey said.
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Cowan’s partner, Donnell Smith, heard her screams and raced to stop the attack, “waving knives at the dogs and trying to drive them away,” Ivey said.
Trying to protect his long-time love, Smith called 911.
He could be heard on the eight-minute 911 call trying to repel the barking dogs and help Cowan, who was still conscious.
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“It’s brutal,” said Brevard PIO Tod Goodyear, a former executive. murder The detective has been with the sheriff’s office for 40 years, according to Fox News Digital. “He suffered.”
Cowan was transported to a nearby trauma center. He died about four hours later, Ivey said.
Little dog Cowan lost his life trying to escape unharmed.
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“She was a wonderful woman,” Smith told a reporter. WESH 2 News. “He loved people, he loved dogs more than people.”
Sheriff’s office investigation reveals Cutler knew ‘him’ the dogs went out many times “He was in his yard and… he was attacking people and… he took minimal precautions to prevent the dogs from leaving his yard despite being notified by Animal Services,” Ivey said.
Ivey said she also knew Cutler’s dogs had previously “bitten a neighbor who had to seek medical treatment.”
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Neighbors had called the sheriff’s office at least 14 times since October 2024 about Cutler’s animals, according to agency reports.
Some callers complained about their dogs wandering around the neighborhood. Some callers expressed concern that Cutler’s dogs might be neglected.
Investigators found food and water at Cutler’s home and did not document any signs of neglect, Goodyear said.
In her video speech, Ivey bristled at the suggestion that her agency’s animal services unit was not taking appropriate precautions.
“While you might think that Animal Services would have the authority to routinely capture dogs that escape from yards or even bite someone, unfortunately the reality is that they do not,” Ivey said.
“Unless it’s a serious bite, the most our animal protection officers are allowed to do by law is issuing tickets and issuing fines,” he said.
Animal Services officers gave Cutler at least five bonds, along with hundreds of dollars in fines, Goodyear said. He did not know the exact amount.
But Ivey said in her speech that even after a second bite, “a dog cannot be seized by animal protection officers because the severity of the bite, not the number of bites, increases the potential for the dog to be declared a dangerous dog and the owner to appear before a judge.”
And even then it’s under Florida’s control dangerous dog lawHe added, “the owner of the dog has the right to keep the dog or dogs in the home, complying with the court’s order that the dog must have effective fencing and must muzzle the dog when anyone visits the residence.” [put] “There are signs at all exit points stating that a dangerous dog lives there, and there is a $100,000 insurance policy in case the dog bites someone else.”
Ivey said that in the case of Max and Mako, some of the people who complained about the dogs said they were “not aggressive and needed to get out of the fence and go back into their homes.”
Following a report that one of the dogs had bitten a neighbor, “the victim was uncooperative with law enforcement after repeated calls from our animal protection officers,” Ivey said.
“The investigation could not be continued, which prohibited our animal protection officers from taking any action.”
Midkiff said Max and Mako became friends as puppies while frolicking away from their own yards.
“The whole neighborhood was friendly with them until they started turning on people.”
Midkiff said the littermates showed signs of aggression as they grew older. And as adult dogs, their frequent escapes through or over the garden fence frightened people living nearby.
“They had people stuck on their porches trying to get to work and get home,” Midkiff said. “You never knew where those stray dogs would be and who they would terrorize next.”
Just 20 days before they injured Cowan, Midkiff took photographs of Max and Mako standing outside his car, watching him intently through the windows.
He said he wanted to enter Midkiff’s home but was afraid to leave the safety of the vehicle.
“I waited in my car until they were distracted by something else.”
During the investigation following the attack, Cutler said it was revealed that he knew his dogs had run away, that he knew one had bitten someone, and that “both dogs were becoming increasingly aggressive, even towards him.”
“A woman is dead and two dogs are about to be euthanized because of your uselessness,” Ivey told Cutler.
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He then asked when he could get his dogs back, the sheriff said.
After Cowan’s death, Cutler checked into a hotel on a nearby beach, Ivey said. There, another law enforcement officer responded to a “disturbance” involving Cutler.
Eight days after the attack, Cutler, 29, was arrested. Ivey said he acted as if he was having a heart attack while he was being detained.
Goodyear told Fox News Digital that Cutler was evaluated at a hospital and found to have no medical problems. He said it’s common for people to pretend they have life-threatening medical problems when facing arrest.
During an update on the case on social media, Ivey shared a video of herself greeting Cutler as he entered the prison. In the video, he is seen telling Cutler, “I hope you enjoyed your time at the beach, because you’re not coming back.”
He looks at it and asks, “What’s the point of this?” he replies.
“A woman is dead and two dogs are about to be euthanized because of your uselessness,” Ivey responded. “Then I hope you have a nice visit.”
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Cutler is being held without bail because he was already out of jail on another charge, Goodyear said. He could not be reached for comment.
“Being his neighbor was hell,” Midkiff said. “I pray Linda Cutler gets 15 years.”
Original article source: Florida woman was mauled to death by dogs allegedly terrorizing the neighborhood, her owner was accused of murder
