North Carolina

70-year-old dies after two dogs attack her in North Carolina yard, cops say

The animals later were euthanized, North Carolina officials said.
The animals later were euthanized, North Carolina officials said. The Wichita Eagle file

A 70-year-old woman died after two dogs attacked her in a North Carolina yard, officials said.

The woman was near a home when her neighbor’s dogs mauled her on Dec. 8, according to WWAY and the Pender County Sheriff’s Office.

Nearly a week after the attack, deputies announced that the woman had died. She was identified in a news release as Melanie Catley of Hampstead, roughly 20 miles northeast of Wilmington.

The sheriff’s office was called just after 2 p.m. to a property along Holiday Drive in Hampstead. A 911 caller had reported that Catley was on the ground.

Officials said Catley had been “mauled by two dogs as she was walking in the backyard on the property.” She had serious injuries and was rushed to a hospital but later died.

“Both dogs were turned over to Animal Control by the dog owner, where both dogs were euthanized,” deputies wrote in their news release.

Pender County officials said the 911 caller didn’t face charges in the case.

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This story was originally published December 14, 2022 at 3:18 PM with the headline "70-year-old dies after two dogs attack her in North Carolina yard, cops say."

Simone Jasper
The News & Observer
Simone Jasper is a service journalism reporter at The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina.
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