A cherished woman from Texas met a tragic end after being attacked by three pit bulls she was caring for on behalf of a family friend.
Madison Hull, 23, was pet-sitting in her hometown of Tyler, approximately an hour and a half from Dallas, when a seemingly ordinary afternoon turned into a nightmare.
Hull, who was only six months away from completing her college degree, had gone to the house to let the dogs inside after they had gotten loose. It was at this moment that the dogs suddenly attacked her, leading to her fatal injuries, as reported by the Smith County Sheriff’s Office.
A neighbor, alarmed by the commotion, called 911. Upon arriving at the scene, authorities discovered a woman lying in the backyard. As they attempted to reach her, the dogs charged at an officer, according to Sergeant Larry Christian, speaking with the Daily Mail.
“The officer managed to shoot and kill one of the dogs, prompting the others to retreat into the house,” Christian explained, noting that this allowed them to safely extract Hull from the backyard.
Christian also mentioned that investigators are collaborating with the Smith County District Attorney’s Office to determine whether charges will be brought against the dogs’ owners, who were away at the time of the incident.
A hearing is set for Wednesday ‘to determine the disposition of the two remaining dogs,’ Christian said. The owners are aware of the court hearing, but it is unclear if they will attend, Smith County Judge Andy Dunklin told the Daily Mail.
The horrific ordeal comes just after Hull expressed to her mother, Jennifer Hubbell, that she recently noticed a change in the dogs’ demeanor.
Madison Hull, 23, was tragically mauled to death by three pit bulls while watching the dogs at a family friend’s house in Tyler, Texas on Friday
Just before the tragic incident, Hull told her mother the animals demeanors had changed in recent days (Pictured: Stock image of pit bull)
‘So she said that they hadn’t always been that way. It was like a change in behavior,’ Hubbell told CBS19.
Hubbell said her late daughter was also watching the dog owners’ children over the past several weeks.
‘Maddie was very hands-on with them, and they just really seemed to love her, and that’s why she thought her looking after the dogs would be an okay situation,’ her mother explained.
When asked if she is angry with the pet owners over what happened to her daughter, Hull’s grieving mother said she just wants her child to be remembered as the ‘amazing, loving, caring, compassionate person that she was.’
She added: ‘If I give in to the anger I feel, it would be destructive, not just for me, but for them.’
Hubbell recalled the moment she learned her daughter had died in the vicious attack.
‘I just, I just, just dropped to my knees. I couldn’t even process… what do you mean?’ she said.
Hubbell said her daughter was set to earn her bachelors in early childhood education from the University of Texas at Tyler in May of next year, and that she chose that degree because of her younger brother who has autism.
Hull’s mother, Jennifer Hubbell, said she just wants her child to remembered as the ‘amazing, loving, caring, compassionate person that she was’
Hull was set to graduate with her in early childhood education from the University of Texas at Tyler in May of next year
‘She wanted to better learn how to help him and help me help him,’ Hubbell said of Hull. ‘She lived for it. That is truly what she loved.’
Hubbell has gone on to create a GoFundMe page to help her and her family raise money to lay Hull to rest.
‘Madi was love, she was light, she was kindness, she was laughter, she was fierce in the most beautiful and disarming way,’ her mother wrote.
‘She had a gift for making every child feel safe, special, and loved. Madison’s heart was made for that work.’
As of Tuesday morning, more than $10,000 had been raised to help the family during this difficult time.
More of her loved ones have taken to social media to remember their beloved friend and family member.
‘You truly had an impact on everyone you met. Not one memory do I have that you are not smiling, laughing, kind, supportive, friend, and sister,’ one friend wrote on Facebook alongside photos of Hull.
Another wrote: ‘Madi was such a loving, sweet, and kind girl – her presence would light up our home, and we’d have the best times together.’
Hubbell said her late daughter chose to study early childhood education because her brother and Hubbell’s son has autism (Pictured: Hull with her mother and brother)
The latest pit bull attack comes just days after an Oklahoma couple was arrested after their family dog mauled and killed their toddler.
Jordan McGuire, 34, and Darci Lambert, 24, were arrested over the tragic death of their two-year-old Locklynn McGuire on November 18 according to KOCO.
Police were called to their Oklahoma City home over concerns that the girl had been ‘eaten by something’ just after 11.30pm that day.
Officers arrived to find Locklynn dead at the residence in the jaws of one of the family’s four dogs, identified as a pit bull named Ella.
Oklahoma City Police Staff Sergeant Dillon Quirk told People that the little girl had been shut in a room with the canine. It was allegedly the second time she had been attacked by the same animal.
