Doreen Richards Broadbelt’s family is devastated after the 72-year-old was killed in a violent dog attack as she was on her way to work in Miami Gardens on Labor Day.
According to authorities, Broadbelt was found behind Norwood Elementary with multiple dog bites. When fire rescue crews came, they reported that she had already died.
However, according to her relatives, she had something with her for protection because this was not the first time she had come into contact with the dogs.
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“She was scared of them, yeah. Apparently she took a stick from the bin and she had the stick when she left,” her husband, Donovan Broadbelt, told CBS News.
According to her husband of 20 years, Broadbelt was a loving grandmother and mother.
“She loved to help people. She was a people person,” said her husband, as he and relatives placed flowers at the site where she lost her life.
“Devastated, and the children and grandchildren, that’s another story. She loved them and would do anything for them,” he said.
READ ALSO: Grandson says he forgives suspect whose dogs fatally attacked his grandmother
A picture representing her ten years of work at Walmart is hung on the wall of their house.
“It’s more than heartbreaking. It’s more than heartbreaking,” Broadbelt said.
“I don’t even have words to say,” another daughter Shelley Ann Williams told NBC Miami. “I don’t know if I have the courage to go around that side, honestly, to drive or walk on that side again.”
“She’s just always a person that always been helping. She’s just always helping persons, helping anybody, always a helpful person. A strong person,” she added.
Williams stated that her mother was on her way to her job at Walmart, where she has worked for the past 13 years, but when she did not show up, she realized something was wrong.
“I pass there multiple times and the dogs come out and jump the fence,” Williams said.
Neighbors also stated that they had previously witnessed aggressive dogs in the neighborhood. Williams wonders if the animals were rounded up and taken out of the area.
Meanwhile, on September 1, Miami Gardens police and animal control officers combed the area for the dogs responsible.
Animal Services issued a statement stating that an investigation is underway. The dogs and their owners have not been found, and it is unknown whether they were owned or stray.
“I’m waiting on the police myself. I don’t know where to start. I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to do at this point. I am lost,” said Broadbelt’s daughter, Latisha Wilkinson.
Williams also hopes that the incident does not happen again, especially because there is an elementary school nearby.
“It can happen to anyone. Children coming out from school. It can happen to anybody,” she said.
On Monday, police visited every home in the neighborhood to get dog DNA samples. There had been no animals found in relation to Broadbell’s death as of September 2.
According to officials, the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner is currently determining the cause of death.
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