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No one will face charges in last summer’s deadly dog attack that claimed the life of 62-year-old Donna Nguyen in Union City, according to Fulton County Police Chief Wade Yates.
Yates announced Monday that investigators could not determine which dogs were involved or who owned them.
“There were zero witnesses to this, there was no video, all we have is someone calling 911 saying I heard a woman screaming,” Yates said.
Nguyen was mauled by a pack of dogs in August and rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital, where she died two weeks later.
“It wasn’t just a little dog bite, she was basically mauled to death. I feel like someone should have been notified day one,” said Nguyen’s son, Charles Ingram.
Fulton County Commission Chairman Rob Pitts said police will now take a larger role in future animal investigations.
“Our police department will now be more actively involved in animal control,” Pitts said.
Ingram said his family still hopes for accountability. “We’re all hurt, it’s not something we wanted to hear, but we’re going to keep pushing forward for some type of justice,” he said.
LifeLine Animal Project issued the following statement:
LifeLine Animal Project extends our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Donna Nguyen.
Following the tragic attack, the Union City Police Department responded to the scene and directed LifeLine officers to collect the dogs present. Although Union City should have led the investigation, one of our employees failed to report the incident to LifeLine leadership or Fulton County officials. That employee and her direct supervisor are no longer employed with the organization.
LifeLine is fully cooperating and working with Fulton County on a plan to strengthen field services with additional County law enforcement resources.
The case began in August when 62-year-old Donna Nguyen was attacked by a pack of dogs in Union City while walking near her home. She was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital and died two weeks later.
Police later confirmed four dogs believed to be involved were euthanized, and investigators returned to the neighborhood to question witnesses and revisit the scene.
In October, a Union City police officer was fired for waiting roughly 30 minutes to respond to the 911 call reporting the attack. LifeLine Animal Project, which handles animal control for Fulton County, also dismissed two employees for failing to properly report the incident to supervisors or county officials.
According to a police report, a detective wasn’t notified about the case until two weeks later, after four dogs had already been euthanized.
