Search ends for dog that mauled woman, and the animal will be euthanized, SC cops say

Noah Feit
Updated ·2 min read
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Two malnourished dogs mauled a woman Sunday, and one was killed by a deputy while the other ran away, leading to a search, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said.

The hunt ended for the escaped dog, and it will be euthanized, the sheriff’s office said Tuesday in a news release.

The dog’s remains will be taken to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control where it will be tested for rabies, according to the release. There was no word if DHEC has examined the other dog’s remains.

A dog that was involved in an attack on a woman was captured.
A dog that was involved in an attack on a woman was captured.

While the search that also involved Sumter County Animal Control is over, deputies are continuing to look for the owner/owners of the dogs, the sheriff’s office said.

Investigators said only one of the dogs had a collar, and part of a chain was attached. Deputies are trying to find out how the dogs were kept, and under what conditions.

Information about possible charges the owners could face was not available.

“A woman experienced a horrific attack and sustained permanent injuries,” Sheriff Anthony Dennis said in the release. “Now we want to know why these dogs were not contained and why they were malnourished.”

The woman was severely injured and taken to an area hospital, where she remains after undergoing extensive surgery, according to the release. Further information on her condition was not available.

She was walking down Oswego Highway early Sunday morning when the attack occurred, the sheriff’s office said.

At about 6 a.m., deputies said they responded to a report about a woman being attacked by dogs. The sheriff’s office said the woman could be heard yelling near the 900 block of U.S. 401/Oswego Highway, which is at the intersection with U.S. 76/U.S. 378/Robert E. Graham Freeway in Sumter.

Deputies found two emaciated-looking dogs attacking the woman in a ditch, according to the release. When a deputy yelled, one dog ran away, but the second dog released the victim and turned to attack the deputy — who was forced to shoot and kill it, the sheriff’s office said.

No other injuries were reported.

“From every perspective, this is a tragic situation,” Dennis said. “We are grateful for the community’s cooperation in this investigation and ask that prayers for the victim to continue.”

Anyone with information about the owner of the dogs is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 803-436-2000, CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.