Ala. State Worker Investigating Dog Attack Is Mauled to Death, Owner Charged with Manslaughter

An Alabama woman is facing manslaughter charges after her dogs attacked and killed a public health employee investigating a previous dog attack, say authorities.

On Friday morning, longtime Alabama Department of Health employee Jacqueline Summer Beard, 58, was following up on a serious dog attack reported earlier in the week in a rural area near Red Bay when she was attacked by the same pack of dogs, the Franklin County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

That evening, deputies were called to the area about a suspicious vehicle on Crumpton Road outside of Red Bay, near the Mississippi state line.

They were met by residents who were then attacked by the dogs.

In the frenzy, some of the dogs had to be "euthanized immediately," the sheriff's office said.

One resident sustained minor injuries in the attack, according to the sheriff's office.

When deputies began investigating the suspicious vehicle, they found Beard's body.

The Franklin County Coroner was summoned and pronounced Beard deceased.

Brandy Dowdy, 39, who owns the dogs, was arrested and charged with manslaughter in connection with Beard's death, the sheriff's office said. It is unclear if she is facing charges in relation to the dogs' attack on the other residents.

Beard had come to the area to follow up on an attack that had been reported to Franklin County Animal Control after a woman was mauled by a pack of dogs earlier this week while she was out walking.

The woman was hospitalized as a result of the attack, AL.com reports.

"She was in pretty serious condition," Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver told AL.com.

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"It is believed that Beard was attacked as she was attempting to contact the dog's owner when she was killed by the dogs," the sheriff's office said in the statement.

Beard, of Muscle Shoals, was an environmental supervisor in Franklin, Marion and Winston counties, according to the ADPH. She worked for the health department for nearly 17 years.

"The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) extends our deepest sympathy to the family, friends, and colleagues of Summer Beard, after her tragic passing," Ryan Easterling, the director of the ADPH's Health Media and Communications Division, said in a statement. "Summer was known to her coworkers as an exceptional person. She was a tremendous team worker and was loved by those who knew her.

"It is a very sad day for ADPH, and we ask that everyone respect the privacy of the family during this most difficult time."

It is unclear whether Dowdy has retained an attorney who can speak on her behalf.

She remains held in the Franklin County jail.