An Illinois woman has died after she was mauled at home by her recently adopted French bulldog, which had a history of dog-fighting and attacking humans.
Lisa Urso, 52, was found dead at her home in Ingleside, Ill., on Saturday evening, officials said. Urso had been scheduled to meet up with her co-workers that evening but she didn’t show, so a friend stopped by the house to check on her and found her dead.
The friend called police and officers showed up to find Urso’s body on the back porch, Fox Lake police Chief Jimmy Lee told the Daily Herald. Lee said there were also signs of struggle throughout the house.
The county coroner conducted an autopsy on Tuesday and ruled Urso’s death a result of a dog attack.
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“It was a vicious attack,” said Lake County coroner Howard Cooper. He added that Urso sustained most of her injuries on her arms and legs. “Some on her torso as well,” Cooper told local station WGNTV. “Just a lot of bites, a lot of scratching.”
Authorities found a second French bulldog in the house with some blood on it, and a border collie without any blood, Cooper said.
Urso lived with her boyfriend, who was not home at the time of the attack.
The dog had recently attacked Urso’s boyfriend and was taken away by animal control, Cooper said. Urso went to animal control and got the dog back.
French bulldogs typically don’t weigh more than 28 pounds, according to the American Kennel Club.
“You don’t really think about it happening with a smaller dog breed but we forget animals can be powerful,” Cooper said. “This animal has a lot of jaw strength.”
All three dogs were taken to Lake Animal Care Control after the woman’s death.