MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — A 71-year-old woman was fatally mauled by dogs while walking to work Monday morning, leaving her family heartbroken and investigators searching for the animals.
Family members identified the victim as Doreen Richards Broadbell. Her husband of 20 years, Donovan Broadbell, said she was known for her kindness.
“She loved to help people, she’s a people person,” he said.
Broadbell, a mother of four and grandmother of five, was walking to her job at Walmart, where she had worked for 13 years, when she was attacked near Northwest 196th Terrace and 14th Court, police said.
“Her children and her grandchildren, she loved them and she’d do anything for them,” Donovan Broadbell said.
Her daughter, Latiesha Wilkinson, said her mother had raised concerns about dogs in the neighborhood before.
“They’re always attacking her!” Wilkinson said, adding that her mother sometimes carried a stick to scare the dogs away.
Miami Gardens police discovered Broadbell’s body just blocks from her home.
Investigators are still trying to track down the dogs. Miami-Dade Animal Services released a statement Tuesday confirming the investigation is ongoing.
“Currently, we do not have any additional information to share, as the investigation is still ongoing,” the statement read in part. “The cause of death is under examination by the Medical Examiner’s Office, and the involved dogs and their owners have not yet been located. At this time, it is unclear whether the dogs were strays or owned.”
When asked if the agency had received prior complaints, a MDAS spokesperson said none had been filed in the area.
“I checked the system for calls in that neighborhood, and we have not received any complaints regarding dogs,” the spokesperson wrote in an email. “Since we are complaint-based, we typically do not respond in a neighborhood unless a complaint has been submitted.”
Authorities went door-to-door in the neighborhood Monday, collecting DNA samples from dogs. As of Tuesday, no animals in connection with Broadbell’s death had been located.
Copyright 2025 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.
