A woman who was attacked in April by a pack of dogs in Alabama has died from her injuries, Franklin County's assistant district attorney told TODAY by phone.
The woman, Michelle Sheeks, died Tuesday, according to the Franklin County Coroner’s Office. She was walking when she was attacked by the pack of dogs.
Sheeks’ attack had prompted 58-year-old public health department employee Jacqueline Summer Beard to investigate the incident, but on April 29, Beard was fatally mauled by the same pack of dogs, TODAY previously reported.
According to a statement by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office at the time, Beard’s body was found in a vehicle outside of Red Bay, a city in northwestern Alabama near the Mississippi border, after she attempted to investigate the attack. When deputies arrived at the scene, the dogs began attacking them and local residents, with one person sustaining minor injuries. Some of the dogs were “euthanized immediately,” the office wrote.
Beard was pronounced dead by the county coroner that same day. Authorities said they believed she was attempting to contact the dogs’ owner when she was killed. The dogs’ owner, Brandy Dowdy, was arrested on charges of manslaughter and Emily’s Law, which is also known as a “dangerous dog law," according to the sheriff's office.
On Thursday, the assistant district attorney told TODAY that the office intends to seek an additional count of manslaughter and upgraded counts of Emily's Law charges against Dowdy when the case is presented to an upcoming grand jury. He also said Dowdy’s bond was revoked Wednesday at the request of the office after she was arrested over the weekend on charges of methamphetamine possession.
The assistant district attorney said the office believes Dowdy should remain in jail pending trial. TODAY reached out to the Franklin County Sheriff's Office by phone, but the sheriff could not be reached for comment.
