A woman’s tragic death after being attacked by her neighbor’s dog escalated further with her boyfriend’s recent arrest. Donnell Smith emotionally recounted the day he found his long-time partner, Jody Cowan, brutally injured outside their home in Brevard County, Florida, on May 19th.
“Jodie Cowan lost her life because of Linda Cutler’s inaction, and now, because of Donnell Smith’s inaction… three dogs have died,” a sheriff’s statement revealed.
As previously reported, Smith found Cowan in a pool of blood and, in a desperate attempt, used a knife to fend off the dogs that were dragging her away.
Following this incident, police arrested Linda Cutler, 29, on manslaughter charges, indicating that the dogs might face euthanasia.
Weeks later, Smith was arrested as well. This was triggered by complaints about a foul smell coming from a trailer he shared with Cowan.
Upon investigating the trailer, officers discovered the decomposed remains of three dogs. They noted that there were no signs of food, water, or air conditioning within the trailer.
Sheriff Wayne Ivey mentioned that the dogs were left abandoned on June 2 and likely perished before their bodies were found nine days later.
Smith was charged with animal abandonment, animal cruelty, among other offenses, and was released after posting a $15,000 bail.
In the words of Sheriff Ivey, “Jodie Cowan lost her life due to Linda Cutler’s negligence, and now, due to Donnell Smith’s negligence, three more dogs have died.”
In a surprising turn, cutler pretended to suffer a heart attack during her arrest and needed medical attention.
Smith was later asked if he could ever forgive Cutler. He expressed, “I’ll have to think about that. I don’t seek revenge on her, but it’ll take some effort to forgive.”
