A Texas woman, in the prime of her life, fell victim to a tragic incident while simply carrying out her duties. Despite the shocking nature of the event, authorities have surprisingly opted not to pursue charges in the case.
Erin McCleskey, a 36-year-old Austin woman and a Certified Process Server for the State of Texas, was tragically killed while attempting to serve court papers in Manor, according to KVUE. Despite having visited the residence twice before, Erin’s fatal mistake occurred when she entered the property of Donald and Terry Swanson.
The Swansons, who were away for a month, alleged that Erin trespassed on their property to serve civil papers. Finding no one home, the Texas woman was viciously attacked by six of the Swansons’ dogs. An autopsy revealed that the dogs severed a major artery in Erin’s arm, resulting in her death after enduring 10-15 agonizing minutes of bleeding out. Subsequently, the medical examiner confirmed the involvement of all six dogs in the attack.
A friend was attending to the Swansons’ dogs during their absence, ensuring they had food and water. Tragically, Erin was fatally attacked in their front yard. Her body was discovered later that day by the temporary caretaker of the dogs. Animal Protection officers were summoned, and six adult dogs involved in the incident were taken into custody. Additionally, authorities found 14 puppies on the premises, which were eventually placed for adoption, as reported by KVUE.
The neighborhood had long been aware of the danger posed by the dogs even before Erin’s tragic death. Gonzalo Grimaldo, who owns a parking lot adjacent to the Swansons’ property, recounted previous incidents where the dogs had escaped and attacked other animals, including his dogs just months earlier. Despite Grimaldo’s call to 911 following one particularly alarming attack, there was allegedly no response from authorities. Teodoro Vences also attested to the dogs’ aggression, stating that they had previously attacked his chickens, as reported by Fox 7.
Neighbor Christi Sparks expressed concern for her children’s safety due to roaming dogs in the area. She refrained from allowing her kids to play outside out of fear of potential attacks. However, Austin city spokeswoman Patricia Fraga stated no official complaints regarding the dogs or the property were on record.
Despite the tragic death of Erin, the owner of the dogs won’t face charges as there’s no evidence of them directing the animals to attack. The incident was deemed an accident. Authorities placed the dogs, including Lab-Pyrenees and Husky-Australian Cattle Dog mixes, under city care pending an evaluation of their potential danger, raising further questions in the case.
