Georgia mother found dead after attack by ‘aggressive dogs’: police

A Georgia mother was found dead earlier this week, just days before Mother’s Day, after a dog attacked that sent “several” children – reportedly two of her own – to the hospital with injuries, authorities said .

According to a press release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the body of 35-year-old Courtney Williams was discovered by police on May 9 after reports of an apparent encounter with “multiple aggressive dogs” late in the afternoon.

Local NBC and ABC affiliate WALB reported that two of their own children were injured in the incident.

In the news release, the GBI said that authorities headed to Webster Road in Quitman around 4:45 p.m. local time after receiving “a complaint of multiple minors being attacked by a dog.”

Upon arrival, Brooks County Sheriff’s Office deputies discovered “multiple aggressive dogs on the property,” according to the GBI.

After the incident, which occurred at a bus stop behind Brooks County Middle School, according to WALB, a person “transported multiple minors to a local hospital.”

According to the GBI release, police then “located” Williams’ body “in the yard of the home.” “The GBI Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death,” the release said.

“I feel for the family and the children because now they have to celebrate Mother’s Day without their mother,” a neighbor told WALB.

Another Brooks County resident told the outlet that locals are “abandoning dogs all over the county and no one can get help for them because there is no animal control in the county.”

“This is so sad,” they added.

A tribute later shared on Facebook by a woman named Crystal Cox, who said she was Williams’ sister-in-law, said: “The neighbor’s dogs attacked her and the children.”

“Her son Kayden didn’t get away quickly enough as he pushed his sister out of harm’s way,” she continued.

“He was pretty badly injured and he’s doing well. They tied him up, he was in pain and resting at my house,” she added.

The GBI said the case is “active and ongoing” and that they encourage those with information to contact the GBI Investigations Office in Thomasville.

According to statistics published by Forbes in October (citing the National Library of Medicine and the American Veterinary Association), about 30 to 50 people die from dog bites annually, accounting for less than 1% of the 4.5 million bite incidents per year.