dog attack
A mother of two in Snug Harbor died Wednesday after her dog mauled her inside her home.

Perquimans County Sheriff Eric Tilley said the attack happened around 1 p.m. in the 1200 block of Snug Harbor Road.

Suzanne Story, 36, died just as a medical crew from Norfolk landed to take her to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.

Story's family told 13News Now she got the female Pit Bull from Virginia about a week ago after she saw an advertisement in a newspaper. The ad said the dog was good with small children.

"I think they had a problem with the dog and didn't know how to handle it, and they were just trying to get rid of it, and they did," said Story's stepfather, Randy Brown. "Found somebody that would take it, and ended up with a death."


Brown added that the people who had the dog gave her to Story at no charge.

"Brought the dog down here, and said that the dog was gentle, it was good with people, good with children, it had never attacked any person,"
Brown stated. "Why a dog would attack her, I mean, is beyond me, but it had to have been the dog, not her."


Story's mother, Debbie Brown, said Story was cleaning the dog's crate at the time of the attack.

Story's sister was there and tried to stop it but could not. She called 9-1-1. The sister was hurt in the attack, but she was at the house Wednesday night.

Jonathan Nash, who lives across the street from the home, caught a glimpse of Story with the Pit Bull a few days ago.

"Seen her walking the dog, and the dog was really pulling her, and she was struggling to maintain control from her driveway to her front door," recalled Nash. "Like I said, started to worry about my little one, if the dog gets out, what is he going to do?"

Story leaves behind 15-year-old and 17-year-old daughters.

"She's just a great person, and it shouldn't have happened," said Brown, who planned to find the previous owners with the help of an attorney. "I just think that the people that pawned the dog off on these people need to be held responsible."

Tilley said animal control officers took the dog into custody and that she would be put down Thursday.

The dog that killed Suzanne Story in Perquimans Co.
© Family photoThe dog that killed Suzanne Story in Perquimans Co.