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Dogs are often called man's most loyal companions. True enough! They are devoted, trustworthy, and constant. But in rare cases, these very animals can turn on their owners, attacking them fatally.
As horrifying as it is to imagine, some dogs have been known to consume their owners' remains. These deaths are usually brutal and unsettling. While they may not always grab headlines, they do occur.
10. Bethany Lynn Stephens
On December 13, 2017, 22-year-old Bethany Lynn Stephens took her two pit bulls for a walk, but tragically, she never made it back. The following day, her horribly disfigured body was discovered in a field. Her death was caused by her own dogs.
The dogs guarded her corpse and prevented anyone from approaching. Even the police had to keep their distance for several hours until the animals were finally separated. During this time, officers witnessed one of the dogs consuming Stephens’s body.
The scene was so horrific and unbelievable that some people speculated she was a victim of a rape-murder rather than a dog mauling, as the police had reported. However, the authorities concluded that the dogs were responsible for her death and released further details to reassure the public that a murderer was not at large.
Stephens had only recently moved out of her parents’ home before the attack. Although she had left the dogs behind with her parents, she lived nearby and would visit daily to take them on walks.
This routine continued until December 13, when the pit bulls turned on her. They knocked her to the ground, viciously biting her head, face, throat, hands, and arms. Her hands and arms were bitten because she had tried to defend herself against the dogs.
9. Tania Klemke
Tania Klemke lived in Canberra, Australia, with her pit bull-like dog... until it tragically attacked and killed her. In October 2017, neighbors alerted the police after hearing a man shouting from Klemke’s home. Authorities arrived to find Klemke severely injured from bites and she passed away shortly after. The man survived despite being bitten.
The dog was so vicious that even Klemke feared it. She had warned her close friends to stay away, fearing the dog might attack them. Despite this, she couldn’t part with the animal as it had once saved her life during a robbery. She also couldn’t leave it outside due to a broken fence.
The dog frequently growled and barked at the neighbors, sometimes approaching their windows and growling at them. It had attacked neighbors—including children—and even one of Klemke’s friends, who needed 42 stitches after the attack.
8. Linda Oliver
In 2013, 63-year-old Linda Oliver and her husband encountered a rottweiler-mastiff mix dog wandering the streets. (Some reports suggest it was a Labrador mix.) The couple felt sorry for the dog and took it in. Unfortunately, this simple act of compassion led to tragedy when the dog fatally attacked Linda days later.
On that tragic day, Linda discovered the adopted dog attacking her smaller pet in the yard. She attempted to intervene, but the larger dog turned on her instead. Severely injured, she managed to crawl into the house to call her husband.
By the time help arrived, Linda had passed away. Meanwhile, the dog remained in the yard, preventing officers from entering the home. The authorities shot at the dog, but it escaped. It was later tracked down and killed.
7. Mario Perivoitos
In 2017, Mario Perivoitos was tragically bitten to death by his drugged dog while filming a documentary for the BBC. The BBC crew was at his home that night, conducting an interview for a documentary on drugs. After suffering from an epileptic seizure, triggered by cocaine he had taken earlier, Perivoitos ended the interview and went to bed.
His Staffordshire bull terrier, Major, was under the influence of cocaine and attacked Perivoitos while he rested. The dog bit his face and neck, causing severe injuries. Despite the BBC crew’s attempts to intervene, the attack continued until the police arrived 30 minutes later.
Police spent 10 minutes trying to break open the door, which had been secured in a manner typical of drug dealers. Perivoitos later died in the hospital. Major was found to have ingested cocaine and heroin in amounts that exceeded the legal driving limit by eight times.
6. Della Riley
In August 2018, Della Riley experienced a seizure at her Cincinnati, Ohio home. Her son ran outside to get help, and worried neighbors quickly called for assistance. However, when emergency responders arrived, they found Riley’s dog attacking her. She owned two dogs, but only one was involved in the attack.
The aggressive dog stayed in the house, and paramedics were unable to enter until police arrived and shot the animal. One of the shots hit Riley, wounding her abdomen. An autopsy later confirmed that Riley had already passed away before the officers arrived and fired the shots.
5. Phyllis G. Carroll
In 2007, 63-year-old Phyllis G. Carroll was fatally bitten by one of her dogs. Carroll owned two five-year-old chow mix dogs (a larger male and a smaller female). Though authorities suspected the larger male was the aggressor, they were uncertain which dog was responsible for the attack. Both dogs were ultimately taken to be euthanized.
Police believe that Carroll was about to feed the dogs when the male dog suddenly lunged at her, biting her arm. As she fell to the ground, the vicious dog attacked her throat. Before the incident, Carroll had frequently expressed to friends that her dogs, especially the male, were growing increasingly aggressive.
4. Kelli Chapman
In 2008, 24-year-old Kelli Chapman was mauled to death in her home by her two pit bulls. Her body was discovered by her husband, Jason Chapman, who called 911 at 6:49 PM that Sunday. The fatal attack took place in the bedroom, where the couple had been sleeping with their dogs.
Kelli sustained severe bite wounds to her forearms during the attack. Some of the bedroom furniture showed signs of damage, indicating that Kelli had tried to defend herself against the dogs. It is believed that the dogs attacked Kelli while she was experiencing a seizure.
Kelli’s tragic death wasn’t the first time a dog was involved in a fatality at the Chapman household. Two years earlier, in 2006, an incident occurred when police broke into the Chapmans’ home during a drug raid. The couple’s pit bull attacked the officers, biting one and attempting to bite another. The dog was shot dead.
3. Unnamed Woman And Her Son
A 52-year-old unnamed woman and her 27-year-old son were tragically killed by their Staffordshire terrier in Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany. The attack went unnoticed until a neighbor saw one of the victims through the window. Emergency services were alerted, and firefighters subdued the dog before they could access the bodies.
Similar to the United States, dog attacks are unfortunately not uncommon in Germany. To address the rising number of maulings, the government of Lower Saxony introduced a special 'dog holding license' for those wishing to own a dog. Applicants must pass a test before purchasing the animal, and a second test is required less than a year after the acquisition.
2. Hill Andrew Williams
In 2009, 38-year-old Hill Andrew Williams tragically lost his life after being attacked by his two mastiff dogs in his California home. While the exact reason for the attack is unclear, it’s believed that the two mastiffs, Butter, a 52-kilogram (115 lb) male, and Ivory, a 41-kilogram (90 lb) female, turned on Williams after he inadvertently interrupted their mating session.
Neighbors contacted the Rancho Mirage police department after discovering Williams bleeding in his backyard. A friend who arrived at the scene reported that Williams had suffered severe arm injuries. The police located both dogs in the backyard, and Williams was pronounced dead shortly thereafter at the hospital.
1. Lorraine May
In 2008, 74-year-old Lorraine May from Florida tragically lost her life while attempting to break up a fight between her dogs—a golden retriever mother, aged 11, and her six-year-old Australian shepherd mix son. These two dogs had never gotten along and were known to frequently engage in fights.
While it remains unclear if one or both dogs were responsible, the bite may have been accidental. It’s likely that May tried to separate the dogs improperly, which caused one of them to lash out at her. It’s important to note that breaking up a dog fight alone is highly discouraged.
Stopping a dog fight requires at least two people. Each person should lift the dogs' hind legs off the ground and carefully pull them apart. (Avoid grabbing the dog’s head or body.) Alternatively, throwing a blanket over the dogs' heads or tossing an object at them can help. If you have a hose nearby, spraying water on them can also work.
+ Sandra Piovesan
The creatures involved in this tragedy were actually wolf-dogs, a hybrid between a wolf and a dog. In 2006, 50-year-old Sandra Piovesan tragically lost her life after being attacked by nine wolf-dogs she had kept in the backyard of her Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, home.
In addition to the wolf-dogs, Piovesan also kept two rottweilers, though they were kept separate from the wolf-dogs. Her backyard, reportedly as wide as a three-lane road, was divided into three sections: one for the wolf-dogs, one for their puppies, and the other for the rottweilers.
Piovesan registered the wolf-dogs as regular dogs, which allowed her to avoid issues with the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the agency responsible for licensing the ownership, breeding, and sale of wolf-dogs. She fed the animals raw meat, including roadkill and other available meat, causing frequent complaints from neighbors about the terrible smell, as well as disturbances created by the wolf-dogs during the night.
According to a friend, the wolf-dogs exhibited behaviors similar to wolves and saw Piovesan as the pack leader. It’s believed that one of the wolf-dogs might have attacked her in an attempt to claim the role of pack leader. Prior to the fatal attack, the wolf-dogs had fought among themselves, even killing an older animal in what was assumed to be an attempt to climb the social hierarchy within the pack.
