Category: Animals
Beloved elderly fire department member mauled to death by pack of pit bull-mix dogs; owner charged with murder, animal abuse
An elderly fire department member was mauled to death by a pack of dogs in North Carolina, according to authorities. Now a dog owner has been charged with murder, and the pit bull-mixes involved in the dog attack reportedly have been euthanized.
The Davidson County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that deputies were dispatched to a residence around 7:43 p.m. Nov. 18.
‘He was deeply loved, and his absence has left a pain that words cannot fully express.’
Deputies discovered 73-year-old Michael Bodenheimer “lying deceased in the front yard of the residence.”
Police said Bodenheimer had “sustained severe injuries and was beyond the possibility of life-saving intervention.”
“Preliminary findings at the scene indicated that his injuries were consistent with an attack by a large pack of canines,” the sheriff’s office stated.
Officers tracked down a “pack of aggressive canines” at a property nearby, and members of the Davidson County Animal Control captured 17 dogs, identified as “pit bull-mixed breeds.”
The animals were euthanized, and necropsies were conducted.
According to WBTV-TV, officers claimed that 56-year-old owner Elaina Bryant of Thomasville let the dogs run loose at night, and they “lived in feces without food.” Citing the arrest warrant, the station added that the dogs were underweight and had not received vaccinations or veterinary care.
The indictment alleges the dogs were left without fresh water and adequate shelter.
WBTV reported that there was an enclosure “infested with fleas and vermin and covered in excrement.” Authorities alleged that the enclosure had not been cleaned in weeks or months, according to the indictment.
Investigators described the dogs as living in “conditions of squalor and starvation,” the indictment said.
An autopsy conducted on Bodenheimer confirmed that he died as a result of injuries sustained in the brutal dog mauling, according to police.
Detectives determined that Bryant owned the dogs involved in the fatal attack. Citing court documents, the Charlotte Observer reported that Bryant lives about half a mile west of Bodenheimer’s home.
The sheriff’s office investigation concluded that Bryant was “grossly negligent in the care and control of the animals.”
Bryant was arrested Dec. 17, and a Davidson County Grand Jury indicted her on one count of second-degree murder and 17 counts of felony animal abuse, WYMY-TV reported.
Bryant is being detained at the Davidson County Detention Center on a $500,000 secured bond set by a Davidson County Superior Court judge.
Her next court date is scheduled for Jan. 5, 2026, in Davidson County Superior Court.
Bodenheimer’s family said in a statement to WYFF-TV, “Our family is heartbroken by the loss of our father. He was deeply loved, and his absence has left a pain that words cannot fully express.”
The family said that they were aware of the charges filed against Bryant.
“We have full confidence in the legal process and will allow it to move forward without further comment,” the family said.
“Our focus remains on honoring our father’s life, his values, and the love he shared with those around him,” the statement read. “We appreciate the support, prayers, and kindness that have been extended to our family during this incredibly difficult time.”
Bodenheimer’s obituary read, “Mike had a generous spirit and faithfully served his community by volunteering with the Fair Grove Fire Department and Friends Disaster Service.”
The fire department said in a statement:
Mike was a long-time member of the Fair Grove Fire Department serving the Fair Grove community for many years. This particular incident involving one of our own has hit the department pretty hard since several of our current members served with him. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends, as well as our own members.
The investigation is ongoing.
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A Mississippi mother fatally shot a monkey to protect her children after the “aggressive” animals escaped from an overturned truck, according to multiple reports.
Police said a truck transporting 21 rhesus monkeys from Tulane University’s National Biomedical Research Center in New Orleans overturned on Interstate 59 north of Heidelberg, Mississippi — approximately 85 miles southeast of the state capital of Jackson.
‘I hate that it happened, but I’m going to protect my kids at all costs.’
On Oct. 28, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement, “A truck hauling monkeys from Tulane University has overturned around the 117-mile marker, north of Heidelberg. It has been reported that several monkeys are on the loose.”
Police stressed, “Do not approach the monkeys if you see one. Call 911. They do pose potential health threats and are aggressive.”
Officials from Tulane noted that the university wasn’t transporting the monkeys, and the animals do not belong to the university, according to NBC News.
Tulane told WTVT-TV, “Non-human primates at the Tulane National Biomedical Research Center are provided to other research organizations to advance scientific discovery.”
The sheriff’s office initially warned residents that the animals “carry hepatitis C, herpes, and COVID” based on preliminary reports by the truck’s occupants.
However, the biomedical research company PreLabs — which owns and was transporting the animals — told WDAM-TV, “The animals being transported were not infected with COVID-19, hepatitis, and herpes as indicated in certain news articles.”
PreLabs added, “The animals were being lawfully transported in compliance with all federal and state regulations to a licensed research facility.”
At the time of the car accident, 13 rhesus monkeys were quickly recovered at the crash site, according to another report from WDAM-TV. Meanwhile, another five monkeys were killed near the crash site — but three escaped, according to Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson.
Jessica Bond Ferguson — a 35-year-old mother with five children who range in age from 4 to 16 — was alerted by her 16-year-old son about a monkey running around the property of their home near Heidelberg.
Ferguson said she got out of bed, grabbed her gun and her cell phone, then went outside to locate the monkey, which was roughly 60 feet away.
Ferguson told the Associated Press, “I did what any other mother would do to protect her children.”
The mom recalled, “I shot at it, and it just stood there, and I shot again, and he backed up — and that’s when he fell.”
“If it attacked somebody’s kid, and I could have stopped it, that would be a lot on me,” Ferguson declared. “It’s kind of scary and dangerous that they are running around, and people have kids playing in their yards.”
She also blasted those responsible for the monkeys’ escape, telling TMZ that “I wish it didn’t have to happen that way. I just wish they took better measures in taking care of it and trying to find them.”
Ferguson continued, “I feel like if they wanted us to do something else, then they should’ve had a search team out. They could’ve had drones flying around. They could’ve taken more measures to look for these monkeys and prevented this from happening.”
She stressed, “I hate that it happened, but I’m going to protect my kids at all costs.”
In addition, a small-town pastor neutralized one of the other escaped monkeys.
On Monday, Pastor George Barnett was in his car traveling with his two young children and his wife to visit his mother at her home in Vossburg when his wife allegedly spotted a monkey near the highway.
NBC News reported the monkey “scampered into a tree and flashed its teeth.”
With that, Barnett, 45, grabbed his rifle and fired twice, the news network reported, and the monkey fell to the ground.
Barnett told NBC News, “As soon as I saw it, the only thing I thought about was, ‘What if this thing attacks one of those people that I grew up with, or my children?'”
On Thursday, the last escaped monkey was captured.
The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks told the Associated Press that a resident who lives near the crash site told authorities about the monkey’s location, and authorities “successfully recovered” the animal.
The Mississippi Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of the crash.
PreLabs and the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Blaze News‘ request for comment.
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