Police are investigating after a 72-year-old woman was killed in an apparent dog attack in Miami Gardens on Monday morning.
Officers responded to Northwest 14th Court and Northwest 196th Terrace shortly after 7:30 a.m., where they found an unresponsive woman with multiple dog bite injuries, according to Miami Gardens Police. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue pronounced her dead at the scene.
The victim was later identified by family members as Doreen Richard Broadbelt, who they said walked to work at Walmart every morning.
Her daughter, Lateisha Wilkinson, said Broadbelt had long expressed fear of stray dogs in the neighborhood and often carried a stick for protection. “She talked about it every day,” Wilkinson said. “She talked about it, and they did nothing about it.”
Neighbors described seeing stray dogs in the area frequently.
Animal Services officers went door to door Monday, swabbing dogs for DNA samples in an effort to identify the animals involved. Police said the dogs and their owner have not yet been located.
Miami-Dade County has a law prohibiting stray dogs, and officials asked residents to call 311 or 305-468-5900 to report stray animals in their area. Detectives asked anyone with information about this or other cases to call Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477 to remain anonymous.
The investigation is ongoing.
