The woman was transported to the hospital, where she later died from her injuries
Credit: FOX 35 Orlando/YouTube
NEED TO KNOW
- A 50-year-old woman, Jodi Cowan, was attacked by two dogs near her home in Cocoa, Fla., on May 19
- Her partner, Donnell Smith, said he witnessed the incident, tried to save her and called 911
- Cowan was transported to the hospital, where she later died from her injuries
A 50-year-old woman has died after being mauled by two dogs.
Jodi Cowan was walking her small dog near her home in Cocoa, Fla., in the early morning hours of Tuesday, May 19, when she was attacked by the canines, according to local outlets Fox 35 Orlando, WESH and Florida Today, which cited the Brevard County Sheriff's Office (BCSO).
Surveillance footage of the incident obtained by Fox 35 showed Cowan carrying her small dog as two larger dogs — identified as mixed-breeds by Florida Today — chased her onto the road. The video cuts off just before the attack.
Cowan sustained injuries and was transported to a nearby hospital, where she later died, according to the outlets.
The incident is under investigation by the BCSO's animal division, the outlets reported. As of Thursday, May 21, no charges have been filed against the dogs' owner, per Fox 35.
PEOPLE has reached out to the BCSO for comment on the incident.
Cowan's partner, Donnell Smith, told WESH that he witnessed the dogs — which he claimed belonged to a neighbor — “dragging” her down the road shortly after 1 a.m. local time on Tuesday.
"I saw the silhouette of the two dogs dragging my wife down the road, off into the grass in front of the truck down there," Smith recalled.
Smith said he followed and found Cowan lying in a pool of blood with dog bites all over her body. When the dogs returned, he fended them off while rendering aid to Cowan.
"I pulled my knife out, you know, just swinging it with one hand and holding the blood with the other, trying to stop her from bleeding," Smith said.
He said he eventually called 911. Cowan was airlifted to the hospital, where she died from her injuries two hours later. Smith described his late partner as a “great woman.”
“She just loved people, loved dogs more than people, and for her to go out that way, it's not right," he told WESH.
Credit: Getty
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According to Florida law, any canines considered dangerous will be seized by animal control and are typically quarantined and held for at least 10 business days while investigations are conducted.
The owners of any dogs that severely injure or kill someone can also face severe criminal penalties ranging from a first-degree misdemeanor to a second-degree felony, per state law.
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