A 29-year-old Sharpes woman who Brevard County sheriff’s investigators said had a history of not keeping her dogs in her yard faces a manslaughter charge after her two canines fatally attacked a 50-year-old woman.
Investigators said Jodi Cowan was mauled to death by two mixed-breed dogs — animals sheriff’s agents said had previously been aggressive toward other residents in the area — while out walking her own dog about 2 a.m. May 19 in the mobile home development.
The dogs’ owner, Linda Cutler, was taken into custody Wednesday, May 27, by Melbourne police as they investigated reports of a disturbance at the Hilton Hotel on the beachside. Cutler, for whom an arrest warrant had been issued, was charged with one count of manslaughter in connection with Cowan’s death.
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey called Cowan’s death “tragic and untimely” as he spoke about what happened in a videotaped message posted to his Facebook page on May 27.
“Once again they had gotten out of their yard and were roaming the neighborhood,” Ivey said.
“They began to brutally attack and maul Cowan, forcing her to the ground, viciously attacking her and eventually dragging her across the ground for quite some distance.”
Cutler was taken after her arrest to the Brevard County Jail, where she was booked on a no-bond status. Ivey walked Cutler through the jail doors as she asked him, “OK, um, what is the purpose of that?” Ivey, looking at Cutler, said, “A woman is dead and two dogs are about to be euthanized because of your uselessness.”
911 call from victim: ‘I’m dying, can’t breathe’
A home security camera owned by one of the neighbors captured the attack, with Cowan clutching a small dog and screaming, “No,” as the barking dogs raced up toward her. Cowan’s partner, Donnell Smith, heard the cries and ran out with a knife to chase the dogs away.
The dogs violently pounced on Cowan, ripping away at her throat and causing severe injuries before she was rushed to Holmes Regional Medical Center’s trauma unit. Cowan was pronounced dead after losing copious amounts of blood, family members and investigators reported.
According to a 911 dispatch, at one point, Cowan said, “I’m dying, can’t breathe,” moments after the attack. Ivey called Cowan’s death, “tragic and untimely” as he spoke on what happened in the videotaped message posted to his Facebook page.
Ivey said Cutler’s dogs, secured and taken by authorities the morning of the attack, had previously bitten a neighbor and were known to the sheriff’s Animal Services Unit. That neighbor, however, did not cooperate or return repeated calls from the sheriff’s office. While neighbors called multiple times to complain about the dogs, calls about dogs served at Cutler’s residence had been logged in since 2024 but did not involve the animals which fatally attacked Cowan.
“They were always on the loose,” said Dominica Midkiff, a neighbor who lived near Cutler.
The dogs, named Max and Maco, remain in quarantine and were expected to be euthanized after a mandated10-day waiting period is up.
Ivey addressed concerns from some residents about the fears and frustrations they expressed about little being done to legally contain the problem. He defended his agency’s response and mentioned that Cutler’s history involved multiple dogs.
“Even if a dog has previously bitten someone and it’s not a severe bite, the most action our animal enforcement officers are allowed by law to take is the issuance of a citation and a fine,” Ivey said in the May 27 post.
Ivey also noted that it’s not the number of bites but the severity of the bites that dictate a legal response, including getting a dog to be declared as a “dangerous dog” under Florida law.
The dog owner still has the right to keep a dog by having effective fencing or muzzling and up to $100,000 in insurance.
J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. X, formerly known as Twitter:@JDGallop.
J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. X, formerly known as Twitter:@JDGallop.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Sharpes woman whose 2 dogs killed neighbor charged with manslaughter
Reporting by J.D. Gallop, Florida Today / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
