© Brownsburg Police DepartmentPolice say these two dogs, named Bull (left) and Tomahawk, mauled a woman's body Sunday, May 8, 2016.
A Brownsburg Police Department official said it happened at a home in the 3200 block of North County Road 800 East. The coroner identified the woman as 61-year-old Lola Endres.
Her son left the house around 6 p.m. Mother's Day and returned shortly after midnight Monday to find Endres dead in the home and her body attacked by dogs, according to authorities. The coroner described the scene as "horrific." First responders said she had died "several hours" before her son found the body, according to police.
Police said Tuesday the cause of death was a heart attack. Bites from the pets — two male English bulldogs named Bull and Tomahawk — were not severe enough to be fatal, according to police.
"The dog attack was a mitigating circumstance, but not the cause of death," Brownsburg Police Department PIO Jennifer Barrett told 24-Hour News 8. "It remains unclear which event occurred first: the heart attack or the dog attack." Endres had injuries to her legs, hips and buttocks from the attack.
Both dogs belonged to Endres, but Bull was in the home for only two weeks and had a history of being aggressive, according to Brownsburg police. Bull had reportedly bitten his previous owner, police said. Endres had owned Tomahawk for about three years, and he had no history of being aggressive, according to police.
Both have been quarantined at the Hendricks County Animal Control Center. Two other dogs in the home at the time were caged and not involved.
There is no indication of foul play, according to the coroner.
Neighbors remember animal lover
Neighbors called Endres, who lived with her son and daughter, an "animal lover" and said she had horses from time to time. She was frequently seen walking rescue dogs outside her home, and many of the animals were rescues missing a limb.
"We had seen like flashes from inside of them (police) taking pictures and stuff, so that was obviously running through our mind; like what happened?" Endres' next-door neighbor Candis Wright said of the police investigation.
Wright said her family has lived in the area for about 15 years. They've never had problems with the home next door.
Outside of the Endres home you could see hints of their love for animals with a sign and dog statue.
"I've never seen the dogs out just roaming around by themselves; they were always out with her," Candis' father, Kinnon Wright, said. "I see her (Endres) walking across the street at the church sometimes three to four dogs on a leash."
Reader Comments
to our Newsletter