Thu. Sep 19th, 2024

A woman has been mauled to death by a pack of 25 stray dogs which had been roaming her neighbourhood.

Davina Corbin died after being attacked by the dogs on a walking trail where they had been running loose.

Davina’s body was discovered by a neighbour on the Blackhawk Trail in Feather Falls in Butte County California in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The 56-year-old’s body was badly bitten, having ‘numerous bite marks and injuries’ according to Butte County Sheriff’s Office.

Her clothing was also covered in DNA which is consistent with that of domestic dogs.

A medical examiner has since determined that her cause of death was due to being attacked by domestic dogs, the sheriff’s office confirmed.

Davina died after being attacked by stray dogs. (GoFundMe)

Davina died after being attacked by stray dogs. (GoFundMe)

Davina was found in front of a home on the trail where a group of 25 Great Danes were known to be roaming.

Investigators have since captured the dogs, which have now been placed in the custody of Butte County Animal Control.

An investigation is now underway which will compare the DNA of the captured dogs with that on Davina’s clothes to figure out which dog or dogs attacked her.

Davina’s neighbour Max Heckler spoke to news station KCRA and said that he had previously raised concerns about the dogs with the animal control unit on multiple occasions.

He told the station: “Nothing’s been done about it until now. Wait until somebody gets killed by those dogs. That’s a tragedy that should have never, ever have happened, ever.”

Max even revealed that he had previously had a close call with the dogs himself.

He said: “The Great Danes, they come across the road here at me. I jumped in the car and left.”

A neighbour called the attack '100% preventable'. (KCRA)

A neighbour called the attack ‘100% preventable’. (KCRA)

The neighbour went on to say that he believes that Davina’s death could have been prevented if warnings about the dogs had been heeded.

He said: “That is what I’m mad about. That lady should have never died.”

Information on the website for Butte County Animal Control says that the department is currently facing staffing shortages, and ‘is currently operating at 28 percent of normal capacity’.

Davina’s family has since started a GoFundMe to cover her Celebration of Life ceremony.

On the fundraiser, her family wrote: “Our mother, Davina Corbin, 56, of Feather Falls, California, was tragically taken from us after being attacked by dogs on August 8, 2024.

“We’re struggling to come to terms with this loss and need help saying goodbye.”

UNILAD has reached out to Butte County Sheriff’s Office and Butte County Animal Control for comment.