A 78-year-old Lee County woman died Tuesday, a day after she was attacked by her neighbor’s dogs.
The victim has been identified as Patricia Burt, according to WRBL. She died Tuesday morning at Piedmont Midtown Medical Center in Columbus.
Burt is the third person to die from a possible animal attack in Alabama in the first two months of 2025.
Earlier this month, a 46-year-old woman was fatally mauled by a pack of dogs at a Tuscaloosa County home.
The attack happened in the yard and on the property of the dogs’ owners. The victim had gone to the residence to feed the dogs for the owner, who was out of town.
Last week, a 51-year-old man was found dead under his vehicle. Authorities said Steven Kyle Satterfield was found dead Monday at his property off Highway 278 in Piedmont, and had multiple injuries from his hogs.
Calhoun County Coroner Pat Brown previously said it’s unclear if Satterfield suffered a medical event and then was attacked by the hogs or if the hogs caused his death.
Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said the attack happened. Monday on Lee Road 356 in the Beulah community.
They arrived to find Burt had been injured by two dogs and rushed to the hospital where she was later pronounced dead.
The preliminary investigation shows that Burt went over to visit her neighbor.
The neighbor’s two Cane Corso dogs were in a containment kennel, Jones said, but managed to get out when Burt arrived and attacked her.
A Cane Corso is an Italian breed of a mastiff.
The dogs’ owner and Burt’s husband tried to stop the attack but to no avail. It was then, the sheriff said, that Burt’s husband shot and killed both dogs.
“It was just a horrific incident,’’ Jones said.
The dogs’ remains were taken to a veterinarian in Opelika for a rabies examination, which is required by state law.
Burt will undergo an autopsy by the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences.
Jones said the investigation is ongoing.
“It doesn’t appear there was any criminal intent here obviously,’’ the sheriff said.
Jones said he’s learned that deputies have previously been dispatched to the home regarding the dogs.
“We’re trying to determine the circumstances of those responses,’’ he said.
Once the investigation is complete, the findings will be turned over to the Lee County District Attorney’s Office for presentation to a grand jury.
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