A 46-year-old North Carolina woman has been mauled to death by two pit bulls that she was dogsitting at home.
Trena Peed let out the dogs into her backyard during the early hours of Thursday. Soon after, neighbours heard her cries for help and called 911.
“It’s dark. All I hear is her yelling and her dogs over there attacking her,” a neighbour who called 911 said, according to Fox8. “All I know is that they ... they done drug her into the dark.”
One of her sons was reportedly asleep inside the home during the attack and woke up to the news of Peed’s death.
The Greensboro police and Guilford County animal control rushed to her Vance Street home to rescue the woman, but arrived too late to save her.
First responders shot dead one of the dogs to stop the attack, while the surviving pit bull has been kept in quarantine by animal control.
“It’s terrible. She got mauled to death. That’s terrible,” said Peed's neighbour and friend of over 15 years, who was identified as Mr Johnson by the broadcaster.
“We were real good friends. Her and my wife talked together a lot. We were just friends. It’s terrible, even if I didn’t know her at all, I don’t care who it was.”
Mr Johnson said ambulance trucks and fire trucks were present at the spot when he heard some gunshots go off.
The police are still trying to identify the owner of the pit bulls.
Helen Harris, the victim’s mother, told television station WFMY that she had warned Peed against the dogs just two days before the attack.
“I understand it was not intentional but I just talked to my daughter on Tuesday and I told her you need to get [those] dogs out of your house,” Ms Harris said.
“This is the worst death I ever experienced in my life and I ain’t taking it lightly and I ain’t laying down resting because I believe somebody could’ve helped my baby out there. Because if it was her she would’ve helped somebody. I believe somebody could’ve helped my child.”
Peed’s death comes two years after she lost two of her sons two years apart in car accidents. She reportedly had eight children.
Her daughter Waynesha Peed has created a GoFundMe page to raise money for her funeral expenses.
She remembered her mother as a “true example of strength, love, and determination”.
“My siblings, grandmother, family, and I are heartbroken at her sudden passing ... By her faith, she always had a smile on her face that could light up any room, loved to laugh, cook, enjoy life & had a heart of gold,” she wrote.
