MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Eight days after a 71-year-old woman was mauled to death by dogs in Miami Gardens, police provided an update Tuesday on where the investigation stands.
Miami Gardens police have now identified six dogs that could have been involved in the death of Doreen Richards Broadbelt.
“All the dogs involved were swabbed for DNA testing and it’s going to be compared to the DNA that was found on the victim and it’s going to be sent out to a lab,” Miami Gardens Police Department Sgt. Emmanuel Jeanty said. “Once that information comes back, it’ll give us a clearer picture as to where we are at with the investigation.”
Police said some of those dogs actually have owners and some have been cited by Miami-Dade Animal Services. Local 10 News has asked what those citations were for and hasn’t heard back as of the publication of this article.
On Labor Day, around 4 a.m., Broadbelt was walking to work along Northwest 196th Terrace and 14th Court when she was attacked. A resident found her on the ground and called police.
The medical examiner ruled her death accidental, caused by dog mauling.
Devastated family members said Broadbelt was afraid of the dogs in the area and walked with a stick for protection.
As investigators canvassed the neighborhood, they heard from residents that other animals had also been attacked in the past.
“Part of our investigation, talking to other neighbors, neighbors have said their dogs have been a victim of an attack and they just didn’t notify the authorities,” Jeanty said.
For now, police said it is too soon to determine what justice will look like for Broadbelt and her family.
“The detectives have been working around the clock to address this,” Jeanty said. “Once we get information from the lab, at that time they’ll put a file together, a case file together, present it to the state attorney’s office and at that time we’ll see what guidance the state attorney gives us to move forward.”
The family is still waiting for updates from police. They plan to hold a vigil for Broadbelt Tuesday evening and have set up a GoFundMe page to help cover funeral expenses.
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