A Northern California mother was mauled to death by dogs on a hiking trail where a pack of 25 Great Danes roamed freely, authorities said.
The badly bitten body of 56-year-old Davina Corbin was discovered by a neighbor on Blackhawk Trail in Feather Falls shortly before 2 a.m. Thursday morning, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office said.
Corbin’s body had “numerous bite marks and lacerations” and her clothing was covered in DNA consistent with that of domestic dogs. A medical examiner concluded her cause of death was an attack by a domestic dog, the office said.
She was found in front of a house along the road where 25 Great Danes were running loose, the sheriff said.
Investigators obtained a search warrant and “spent the entire day attempting to capture the escaped dogs,” who were then placed in the care of Butte County Animal Control.
The animals’ DNA will be compared to DNA collected on Corbin’s clothing and body to determine which dog or dogs attacked her, the sheriff’s office said.
Neighbors called Corbin’s untimely death a tragedy that was 100% preventable.
Max Heckler, who lives near the trail, said he and other neighbors have reported the unruly dogs to Butte County animal control several times.
“Nothing has been done about it so far,” he told local station KCRA. “Wait until someone gets killed by these dogs. This is a tragedy that should never have happened.”
He said he once narrowly escaped the big dogs himself.
“The Great Danes came across the street to me,” Heckler said. “I jumped in the car and drove away.”
He said animal control should have taken care of the problem when the first call came in.
“I’m saying that animal control is as much to blame for this death as the dogs themselves. They did nothing about it,” he told the news station.
“That’s what makes me angry. That woman should never have died.”
Butte County Animal Control said it received two calls about lost dogs and concerns about the animals’ health and nutrition, but no reports of aggression were received, KCRA said.
Corbin lived near the Blackhawk Trail and, according to local residents, often walked along it. Investigators believe she was walking along the trail when the dogs attacked her.
Her family has set up a fundraising page to cover funeral expenses.
“We are having a hard time coping with this loss and need help saying goodbye,” her son Justin Corbin wrote on the GoFundMe page.
Because the investigation is ongoing, no charges have been filed as of Tuesday.
