Mother's death by mauling ruled a suicide

[jeaniebueller]

Sensitive story, obviously. Its such a bizarre set of facts. I can't imagine what her state of mind must have been to have done this.

www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/12/09/port-huron-dog-mauling-victims-death-ruled-suicide/77034274/

22-year-old mother deliberately climbed a fence to a backyard and allowed herself to be mauled to death by vicious dogs on Thursday in Port Huron, authorities said.

Rebecca Hardy died at a hospital with extensive injuries to her face and neck. The death was ruled a suicide from injuries caused by multiple dogs mauling her, according to the Oakland County Medical Examiner's Office.

"These were attack dogs. These were vicious dogs in an enclosed space," Oakland County Medical Examiner Ljubisa Dragovic said. "She obviously was aware of that, because she climbed over the fence to subject herself to this threat."He said his office's investigation shows Hardy had recently been kicked out of her house and had attempted suicide in the past. A toxicology report is still pending, but Dragovic said it wouldn't matter if she were intoxicated: "If (drugs or alcohol) were a factor in general behavior, it still does not eliminate the purposeful act of climbing into the dangerous area."

After the attack at about 4:45 p.m. Thursday, Hardy was taken to Lake Huron Medical Center and later flown to Beaumont Hospital, where she died, the Port Huron Times Herald reports. The two dogs and a pit bull-husky mix puppy were euthanized the next day.
Hardy had an 18-month-old daughter with her fiancé, Matthew Grattan. He told the Times Herald that he finds it hard to believe that she would do anything to harm herself.

“I, in no way, shape or form believe that she was looking to hurt herself on that day,” Grattan said. “She had a little girl. … She wanted us to be a family.”

Grattan said he’s trying not to pay attention to the controversy surrounding Hardy’s death.
“It’s so much about the pit bulls that it seems like it’s not so much about my fiancé anymore,” Grattan said.

Investigators have said Hardy climbed over a fence into a backyard at 1721 Tenth Street in Port Huron, where she was attacked first by a pit bull and then by a pit bull-husky mix. A witness attempted to stop the dogs from attacking Hardy. The dog owner eventually was able to subdue the dogs and provide aid to Hardy.
Dragovic said he didn't immediately know whether there were signs Hardy resisted the dogs' attacks at any point, as one of his doctors had conducted the investigation. He also said that she lived nearby and would have been familiar with the area.

"This is not a situation like the kid that was attacked by similar kinds of dogs out on the street," Dragovic said, referring to a Dec. 2 incident in Detroit where a 4-year-old boy was mauled to death after dogs escaped their home. In the Detroit case, the dogs' owner is charged with murder.

[tacokick]

This reminds me of the people who fling themselves into the lion pit at the National Zoo. It sounds like a horrible way to go.

[snowflurry]

That sounds like an absolutely horrific way to die.

I also think it's unfair that the dogs were put down.

[imojoebunny]

How is someone suppose to have the expectation that the dogs will kill, yet the dogs are allowed to remain in the community? Granted she was trespassing, but the idea that she should have known these dogs would kill her, yet they were allowed to still be there, is insane.

[cattledogkisses]

I am the world's biggest dog lover, but I am ok with putting down dogs that kill people.

[karinothing]

Dec 10, 2015 8:54:15 GMT -5 tacokick said:

This reminds me of the people who fling themselves into the lion pit at the National Zoo. It sounds like a horrible way to go.

Wait what? This happens? I live in the DC area and never heard of this!

[laurack]

Dec 10, 2015 9:04:54 GMT -5 snowflurry said:

That sounds like an absolutely horrific way to die.

I also think it's unfair that the dogs were put down.

what? no. Dogs that will kill people are a no for society.

I love dogs too but come on.

[AJL]

Holy shit. I can't imagine choosing this way to die. What torture. And I disagree that it ws unfair to put the dogs down. They needed to be euthanized. No question.

[tacokick]

Dec 10, 2015 10:17:03 GMT -5 karinothing said:

Dec 10, 2015 8:54:15 GMT -5 tacokick said:

This reminds me of the people who fling themselves into the lion pit at the National Zoo. It sounds like a horrible way to go.

Wait what? This happens? I live in the DC area and never heard of this!

Not like constantly but yup: ghostsofdc.org/2012/03/19/woman-fatally-mauled-at-national-zoo/

[tacokick]

Dec 10, 2015 10:17:03 GMT -5 karinothing said:

Dec 10, 2015 8:54:15 GMT -5 tacokick said:

This reminds me of the people who fling themselves into the lion pit at the National Zoo. It sounds like a horrible way to go.

Wait what? This happens? I live in the DC area and never heard of this!

I know a few people have tried since then too, I think this is the most recent wtop.com/dc/2015/09/man-tries-to-enter-national-zoo-lions-den/

[karinothing]

Dec 10, 2015 11:24:55 GMT -5 tacokick said:

Dec 10, 2015 10:17:03 GMT -5 karinothing said:

Wait what? This happens? I live in the DC area and never heard of this!

I know a few people have tried since then too, I think this is the most recent wtop.com/dc/2015/09/man-tries-to-enter-national-zoo-lions-den/

Nuts. I didn't hear about this one (and in 1995 I wasnt here yet). That is sad. I can't imagine being the zookeepers to find that poor woman in the morning. 

[DesertMoon]

That's very sad, I'm sorry for her family. The dogs should have been put down I agree

[tacokick]

Dec 10, 2015 11:31:29 GMT -5 karinothing said:

Dec 10, 2015 11:24:55 GMT -5 tacokick said:

I know a few people have tried since then too, I think this is the most recent wtop.com/dc/2015/09/man-tries-to-enter-national-zoo-lions-den/

Nuts. I didn't hear about this one (and in 1995 I wasnt here yet). That is sad. I can't imagine being the zookeepers to find that poor woman in the morning. 

I know. I was in HS for the 1995 one and everyone interviewed seemed quite traumatized.

In a way, I guess it isn't too surprising, the big cat/bear areas are pretty open and the zoo doesn't have gates at night.

[jln]

I'm having a hard time believing that she did this to herself on purpose. I wonder is she was having issues with PPP?

[cap]

What a horrible way to die. I feel badly that the dogs were trained/allowed to be so viscous, but I do think they needed to be euthanized.

[msmerymac]

I'm wondering if, on top of being suicidal, she thought she "deserved" to die in such a horrible way as a kind of torture/punishment? How awful.

[Aquatica]

How awful. I want to know how the toxicology report comes back. I just can't imagine someone wanting to do this to themselves.

[jigsy]

I can't even imagine being able to subject yourself to such pain without fighting back.

I am sad for the dogs, only because I feel like that sort of training has to be extremely harsh, so their lives were probably shitty.

[cattledogkisses]

Dec 10, 2015 16:13:30 GMT -5 jigsy said:

I can't even imagine being able to subject yourself to such pain without fighting back.

I am sad for the dogs, only because I feel like that sort of training has to be extremely harsh, so their lives were probably shitty.

 Yeah. I should clarify that while I'm perfectly ok with these dogs being euthanized, I feel a little sorry for them too. Pit bulls aren't naturally aggressive towards humans, so someone made them that way and that person sucks big time.