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Grandmother, 73, savaged by neighbours cocaine-fuelled pitbulls while gardening
WARNING, GRAPHIC CONTENT: JoAnn Echelbarger, 73, died after she was attacked and dismembered by a pair of pitbulls owned by a neighbour, who were high on cocaine at the time of the attack
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WARNING, GRAPHIC CONTENT: JoAnn Echelbarger, 73, died after she was attacked and dismembered by a pair of pitbulls owned by a neighbour, who were high on cocaine at the time of the attackJo Ann Echelbarger was fatally mauled by the dogs in October (
Image: (Image: Tasha Rogers))
Two dogs that savagely killed and dismembered an Ohio grandmother last year were reportedly high on cocaine at the time, according to reports.
The grieving family of the victim has since filed a lawsuit against the pitbulls' owners, the local dog warden, and the condominium complex where the owners resided during the horrific attack.
In October of last year, police officers rushed to the home of JoAnn Echelbarger after two neighbour-owned pitbulls, named Echo and Apollo, brutally attacked and dismembered her while she was tending to her garden.
The 73 year old woman tragically succumbed to her injuries, with her husband unable to assist due to his dementia and being confined to a wheelchair. It has now been revealed that the dogs, who were ultimately shot and killed by police, had cocaine in their systems during the incident, as reported by the Columbus Dispatch, citing pathology reports, reports the Express US.
Shockingly, one of the dogs returned to continue its attack on Jo Ann even after being shot, as stated by the family in the lawsuit they have filed. Both Adam Withers and his mother Susan Withers, the owners of the dogs, were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter following the attack.
The dogs were eventually shot and killed by police (Image:
(Image: Getty))Prior to the attack, there had been numerous complaints and orders from the homeowners' association for the removal of the pit bulls, and a judge had finally ordered the Withers to remove the dogs. One of the dogs had previously been labelled as dangerous after attacking another condo resident, Kimberlee Black, and killing her puppy in October 2023.
However, the attack occurred several weeks after the judge's order, according to NBC4, despite the instruction to remove the dogs.
Only weeks prior to the fatal incident, police were called to the Withers' residence, where the dogs were roaming freely in the condo complex. At that time, it was suspected that the dogs had ingested their owner's cocaine, as stated in the lawsuit. Nevertheless, the dogs were returned home, and the dog warden allegedly failed to intervene.
The victim's son, Bill Rogers, told ABC6 that the police response that day was "reckless." He stated, "I feel like they were gambling with a lot of people's lives that day. And she was the one who paid the price." Echelbarger's daughter Earlene told the outlet: "She did not deserve this. She was tortured and she suffered. This is not what you expect your parent to go through. This is not what you expect to happen to anyone you love."
The family's lawyer, Adam Scranton, told PEOPLE, "The jury went out the day before, and the trial lasted a day and a half. We thought the [jury] might split it - find him guilty but not her, or vice versa. We were a little shocked by the length of time the jurors were out and that they convicted them both of everything."
The lawsuit seeks compensatory damages exceeding $25,000, as well as punitive damages, the amount of which will be announced during the trial. Scranton highlighted that his clients "don't have a lot of money."
As reported by PEOPLE, the sentencing date for Adam and Susan Withers, convicted of involuntary manslaughter, is yet to be confirmed.
