Columbus police dispute reports that said woman was mauled to death by dogs
The Columbus Police Department has clarified the facts surrounding the death of a woman found dead inside her home last weekend.
In a news release Wednesday, CPD said Evelyn Farmer, 68, was found dead Saturday in her home in the 4800 block of Josephine Street.
Police said the Medical Examiner’s Office for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation ruled Farmer died of natural causes (heart issues), which confirmed her death was not caused by a dog mauling, which some other media reported.
Officers found Farmer in the living room, police said, and her dogs caused visible injuries after her death. Paws Humane Society removed multiple dogs from the home, according to the news release.
Officers handled the scene as a death investigation due to the condition of the scene and Farmer’s medical issues, according to the news release. It’s a “standard practice,” police said, when it’s not immediately clear whether someone was dead before other factors took place.
CPD sent a request to the Muscogee County Coroner’s Office for an autopsy based on the factors, according to the news release.
Police said public statements were made to media outlets claiming Farmer died from a dog mauling. Those statements didn’t come from CPD and were not supported by confirmed findings, according to the news release.
“The autopsy results reinforce why the Columbus Police Department waits for verified facts before releasing information of this nature. Investigators handle death investigations, and the medical examiner determines the cause of death when there is any doubt,” the news release says.
“CPD will continue to follow long-standing procedure when it comes to death investigations: investigate the scene, secure the evidence, and rely on the medical examiner’s official ruling before drawing conclusions or releasing unconfirmed information to the public,” the news release says.