Sadly, a grandmother in Ohio was fatally assaulted  by her neighbor’s pit bulls, which were later found to have cocaine in their system, according to a lawsuit. 73-year-old JoAnn Echelbarger was gardening when the dogs attacked her. Her husband, Stanley, who has dementia, watched helplessly in his wheelchair as she screamed for aid during the brutal attack. 

Earlene Romine, the victim’s daughter, told ABC 6, “She did not deserve this. She was tortured, and she suffered… This is not what you expect your parent to go through. This is not what you expect to happen to anyone you love.”

The court documents revealed that both dogs tested positive for cocaine. Their owners, Adam Withers and his mother, Susan, were convicted of “involuntary manslaughter.”

Bill Rogers, JoAnn’s son said, “How do you not look at them as a villain responsible for killing your mom?”

The family is suing the owners, the condominium association, and the county dog warden for negligence, claiming they ignored clear warning signs about the dogs’ behavior. Police footage showed officers frustrated by the dog warden’s lack of response to earlier incidents involving the pit bulls before the assault.

The lawsuit claims that Withers mocked the building management on social media, stating that “humans are the problem.” The suit is seeking more than $25,000 in compensatory damages, as well as additional punitive damages for the family’s loss and suffering.