Doctor found dead in ditch likely killed by pack of wild dogs, Georgia police say
Authorities in Lyons, Georgia say a pack of roaming, wild dogs likely mauled a local doctor to death.
The body of Dr. Nancy Shaw was discovered in a ditch around 3 a.m. on May 7, according to the Associated Press. Lyons police said an officer spotted Shaw’s car pulled over on the side of the road, still running and the door wide open.
The officer “got out of the patrol car to investigate and found a female that was deceased in the ditch,” Lyons Police Department Chief Wesley Walker told local station WTOC.
“She was a caring person. She was a friend of ours,” Walker said, WTOC reported. “When I realized who it was, it was devastating.”
Autopsy results confirm that Shaw, a “noted pet lover” and doctor of internal medicine at Meadows Regional Medical Center, was killed by animals, WTOC reported.
On May 8, police found and seized the dogs allegedly involved in the attack that killed the 62-year-old doctor, the City of Lyons said in a press release. Officials said no charges have been filed against the dogs’ owner as of yet.
“The City would like to assure the Citizens of Lyons that the City has an adequate animal control ordinance and a competent Animal Control Division,” officials said. “The city uses community policing to enforce its running at large regulations and, when compliance is not achieved, prosecutes offenders regularly.”
News of Shaw’s death prompted an outpouring of sympathy from the local community.
“So sad and senseless. Can’t imagine owning a dog breed that would be prone to doing this,” one Facebook user wrote. “Let alone a pack of them. Prayers go out to the Dr.’s loved ones.”
“So Heartbreaking, no matter how it happened!!,” wrote another. “My heart hurts for Dr. Shaw’s family and loved ones.”
One user added that “someone needs to be prosecuted.”
The investigation into Shaw’s death is ongoing, Lyons police said.
This story was originally published May 15, 2020 at 1:49 PM.