DNA evidence suggests the wrong dogs were blamed for a fatal attack in Southern Dallas in May, police said Monday.
Antoinette Brown died after apparently being mauled by a pack of dogs in the 3300 block of Rutledge Street on May 2. It was not clear which dogs were responsible for the attack, but neighbors directed authorities to a nearby home where dogs were “known to escape their enclosures,” according to police.
The residence had a long history of animal complaints, including the seizure of 10 dogs in 2014 and a report of an attack in progress the following year.
The owner of seven dogs suspected in Brown’s death turned them over to Dallas Animal Services in the days following the attack. Police said in a bulletin those dogs were “held for a period of time and were processed for evidence.”
News 8 learned that the animals were euthanized.
DNA samples collected from the dogs and sent to a forensics institute were negative for a match, police said Monday. A forensics lab at the University of California at Davis also concluded there was no link between the samples collected from the dogs and the DNA found in the attack of Antoinette Brown.
“Based on the lack of evidence, detectives will be closing the case,” police said.
Brown's family still has questions about the DNA evidence that was collected. Brown's daughter, Matisha Ward, said rain on the day her mother was attacked could've affected DNA collection.
“The fact they can’t link DNA is frustrating, so frustrating, for the family," she said.