A Florida woman was dragged to her death by two pit bulls as her partner watched in horror and attempted to save her life. Jodi Cowan, 50, was attacked in her neighborhood on Tuesday while walking her small dog, according to the Brevard County Sheriff's Office's Animal Services unit.
Her longtime romantic partner, Donnell Smith, recalled the nightmare sequence of events that led to Cowan's death. He told local NBC affiliate WESH that he returned to their home near Cocoa around 1 a.m. and realized Cowan had left with their dog. Smith said he heard a faint cry for help and saw a silhouette of two dogs dragging Cowan down the road. He fled to her aid and found her lying in a pool of blood with bites on her body. The dogs then came back and tried to drag her.
'I pulled my knife out, you know, just swinging with it one hand and holding the blood with the other, trying to stop her from bleeding,' Smith told WESH. He called 911, and Cowan was airlifted to a local hospital, where she later succumbed to her injuries.
'It was brutal. Seeing the same woman I've loved for the last 25-30 years just ripped apart by two animals was just... I'll never get that image out of my mind,' Smith recalled.
One of Cowan's neighbors, Bruce Midkiff, told the Daily Mail that his surveillance footage caught the gruesome attack, which he has handed over to police. He said that the neighborhood was aware of the two pit bulls and had been concerned about them. Midkiff said there had been multiple reports to the sheriff's office about the pit bulls from himself and others in the neighborhood. He cited a previous incident where one of the pit bulls bit another neighbor and even cornered his wife in her car on April 30.
Scott Chase, another neighbor, told Florida Today that he had called officials twice to complain about the dogs. 'I've been afraid to get out of my house a few times. They just keep getting loose,' he said.
Cowan's father, Martin, told Florida Today: 'I'm not going to throw stones but it's tragic. I have lost my daughter. She was my little girl.' He described Cowan as an animal lover who had a 'big heart' and could 'get along with anybody.'
An investigation into the attack is ongoing. Smith told WESH that he believes the pit bulls attacked Cowan after chasing their little dog. He speculated that she went to save their dog and was caught in the crossfire.
Florida has serious penalties for dog owners whose pets have a documented history of aggression. In 2024, an eight-year-old boy named Michael Millett was killed by an aggressive dog, resulting in stronger criminal penalties for dog owners.
The two pit bulls have been seized by animal control. Charges have not been filed against the dog owner, but the investigation into the attack is ongoing. The Daily Mail has reached out to the Brevard County Sheriff's Office and the Cocoa Police Department for comment. Police asked Midkiff to refrain from sharing footage with media.
