Family Dog Mauls Grandma To Death While She Babysits Granddaughter

A 72-year-old woman in Wales was fatally mauled by a dog while she was babysitting her granddaughter last summer, an inquest heard.

Elizabeth Ray Walton was covered in "a large amount of blood" when she was found lying on the floor of her daughter's Pembrokeshire home on Aug. 10 last year, WalesOnline reported.

The elderly woman was supposed to be babysitting her youngest grandchild that day, the Coroner's Office for Pembrokeshire told an inquest Wednesday, according to the Western Telegraph.

However, upon returning home, Walton's son-in-law, Ryan, noticed that a divider to keep the animals out of the residence was missing. He then discovered that the grandmother had been attacked by one of the family's pet dogs while she was alone in the residence. Her granddaughter had gone outside to play.

Walton — still conscious following the attack — was covered up to keep her warm after she complained about feeling cold.

She was later airlifted to Morrison Hospital in Swansea, where she was treated for "extreme injuries to her legs and buttocks," according to Lisa Jenkins, an officer for the coroner of Pembrokeshire.

Additionally, Walton underwent several medical procedures and had one of her arms amputated.

The grandmother never regained consciousness and died on Sept. 1, 2021.

Walton's causes of death were listed as myocardial infarction, ventilator-associated pneumonia, septic shock and dog bite injuries, according to a medical report provided by Dr. John Lloyd-Evans at Morriston Hospital.

Acting senior coroner for Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire Paul Bennett, for his part, described the elderly woman's death as a "very tragic loss" and confirmed that it was the result of "significant injuries" she sustained from the August 2021 attack.

"It is sadly one of those tragic situations where a dog has clearly undertaken a series of attacks on Mrs. Walton," Bennett said.

However, the coroner also noted that the attack "was not a deliberate act" but rather an "accidental occurrence" and that "the dog attack and bites seem wholly logical to be as a result of an unintended act of the dog."

"In these circumstances, it seems appropriate for me to record a conclusion of accidental death," Bennett explained.

The American bulldog that attacked Walton was "destroyed" after the incident, according to WalesOnline. Ownership of the animal breed is not banned under the U.K.’s Dangerous Dogs Act of 1991.