Florida Woman Mauled to Death by Pit Bulls After 14 Calls

A Florida woman was mauled to death by two pit bulls in the early hours of May 19 after neighbors had made at least 14 calls to law enforcement about the dogs’ owner over the preceding 18 months, according to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. The dogs’ owner, Linda Cutler, 29, has been charged with manslaughter.

The Attack

Jodi Cowan, 50, was walking her small dog along Blue Bonnet Drive in Sharpes, near Cocoa, at approximately 2:00 a.m. when two pit bulls named Max and Mako — which had escaped their owner’s yard — attacked her. Security camera footage captured Cowan clutching her tiny dog to her chest as she tried to flee, before the larger dogs forced her to the ground and dragged her across the street.

Cowan’s partner, Donnell Smith, heard her screams and rushed outside, swinging a knife at the dogs to drive them away. He called 911, and an eight-minute recording captured his desperate attempts to render aid. Cowan was transported to Holmes Regional Medical Center with severe blood loss but died approximately four hours later. The small dog she was protecting escaped unharmed.

“It’s brutal. She suffered,” Tod Goodyear, a former homicide detective and public information officer for the sheriff’s office, told Florida Today.

A History of Complaints

Since October 2024, neighbors had called the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office at least 14 times about Cutler’s animals. Animal Services issued at least five citations with hundreds of dollars in fines for the dogs being at large. One of the dogs had previously bitten a neighbor who required medical treatment, but the victim did not cooperate with the investigation, preventing further action.

“The whole neighborhood was friendly with them until they started to turn on people,” neighbor Dominica Midkiff told ClickOrlando. “They pinned people on their porches as people were trying to leave for work and come home. You never knew where them loose dogs would be and who they were going to terrorize next.”

Another neighbor, Scott Chase, said he called animal control twice but was told to file an affidavit. “I’ve been afraid to get out of my house a few times,” he told Florida Today.

Limitations of the Law

In a video statement, Sheriff Wayne Ivey explained that under Florida’s dangerous dog law, animal control officers lack the authority to seize dogs that repeatedly escape or even bite someone unless the bite is classified as “severe.” Even after a second bite, the dog cannot be seized based on the number of bites alone — only the severity of the injury determines whether a case can be elevated to a dangerous dog classification hearing.

“While you might think that Animal Services has the authority to seize dogs that routinely escape from yards or that have even bitten someone, the unfortunate reality is that they don’t,” Ivey said.

Even if a dog is declared dangerous, Florida law allows owners to keep the animal if they comply with court-ordered requirements, including effective fencing, muzzling when visitors are present, warning signage, and a $100,000 insurance policy.

Arrest and Aftermath

Eight days after the attack, Cutler was arrested at a Hilton hotel near the beach after police responded to a “disturbance” call. During her arrest, she feigned a heart attack and was evaluated at a hospital before being cleared, according to ClickOrlando.

Cutler is being held without bond as she was already out on another charge. During booking, Sheriff Ivey told her: “A woman’s dead, and two dogs are about to be euthanized because of your uselessness.” The dogs, Max and Mako, are being held by animal services and will be euthanized.

Donnell Smith, Cowan’s partner, expressed mixed feelings about the case. “Do I want her to rot in jail? No,” he told reporters. “Do I want accountability? Yeah. There’s some other individuals that need to be looked at, some other entities that need to be looked at.”

Systemic Questions

The case has raised broader questions about Florida’s dangerous dog laws and whether they adequately protect communities from known dangerous animals. Midkiff summed up the frustration of many residents: “They didn’t do anything. They failed us.”

Martin Cowan, the victim’s father, described his daughter as someone with a “big heart” who loved animals. “She could get along with anybody,” he told Florida Today. “She had such a big heart.”

As Cutler awaits trial on manslaughter charges, the case continues to spark debate over accountability — both for the dog owner and for the system that neighbors say failed to act before a tragedy became inevitable.