Published Friday, Oct. 5, 2018 | 1:39 p.m.
Updated Friday, Oct. 5, 2018 | 8:10 p.m.
A 58-year-old woman was mauled to death Monday in a north valley neighborhood by a dog her family had adopted, according to Metro Police.
Police responded about 11:40 p.m. to the 5000 block of River Splash Avenue, near Decatur Boulevard and Farm Road, Officer Laura Meltzer said.
A person arrived at the home to find their family member gravely injured, Meltzer said. Susan Sweeney was declared dead at the scene, Meltzer said.
The Clark County Coroner’s Office deemed Sweeney’s death an accident by mauling.
The part-mastiff dog was impounded by animal control and euthanized at the request of its owner, said David Riggleman, a spokesman for the city of Las Vegas.
The animal had been adopted from the Animal Foundation shelter, whose spokeswoman, Kelly Leahy, said didn’t have “information regarding the dog’s prior circumstances that would have led us to believe that he was unsafe, and while this dog was in our care his behavior did not raise any concerns.”
“There are no words that can appropriately convey the deep sadness felt by the Animal Foundation,” Leahy wrote in a statement. “Our sympathies, thoughts, and prayers are with this woman’s family in the wake of their heartbreaking loss.”
