A Florida woman is behind bars following a dog attack that ended the life of her 50-year-old neighbor.
Linda Cutler, 29, was taken into custody for manslaughter after her two dogs, Max and Mako, allegedly mauled Jodi Cowan, who was walking her dog on Blue Bonnet Drive. The attack happened after midnight, as the dogs “had once again gotten out of their yard and were roaming the neighborhood,” according to Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey.
Video of the horrifying incident shows Cowan, who had only lived in the area for two weeks, according to resident Dominica Midkiff, clutching her small dog to her chest as the pitbull pair approached her while she tried to flee.
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Jodi Cowan, 50, was tragically killed after being attacked by two pit bulls belonging to a neighbor, leaving her partner and the community in shock and grief over the sudden and violent loss. pic.twitter.com/RMBv5gdG5l
— LASHY BILLS (@LASHYBILLS) May 22, 2026
According to Ivey, the dogs “began to brutally attack and maul Cowan, forcing her to the ground, viciously attacking her, and eventually dragging her across the ground for quite some distance.” Donnell Smith, Cowan’s partner, was able to end the attack “by swinging a knife at the dogs and trying to drive them away,” and was able to contact 911 for help. Unfortunately, she passed away four hours later.
The dogs, which have a history of escaping Cutler’s yard and “attacking humans,” are currently awaiting euthanization.
Ivey released a statement on Cutler’s arrest on the official Facebook page of the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, and he did not hold back.
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Ivey even arrived to personally escort Cutler into the jail following her arrest at “the Hilton Hotel on the Beach.” When he quipped that he hoped she had enjoyed her “time at the beach,” she became offended. He didn’t take kindly to that reaction:
(Video Credit: Fox 35 Orlando)
“I hope you enjoyed your time at the beach, because you’re not gonna be going back,” he said.
“Uh, okay, what’s the purpose of that?” Cutler asked, baffled by the way he was speaking to her.
“A woman is dead, and two dogs are about to be euthanized because of your uselessness,” he shot back. “So have a nice visit.”
Ivey also addressed the idea that animal services should have stepped in long before it got to this point.
“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,” he explained, adding that even in the case of an animal bite, if “it’s not a severe bite, the most action our animal enforcement officers are allowed by law to take is the issuance of a citation and a fine.”
Brevard PIO Tod Goodyear revealed that Cutler had received at least five citations about her animals, amounting to hundreds of dollars in fines.
Law enforcement was also frustrated in their efforts to address the dogs prior to the fatal mauling, Ivey revealed. Some residents claimed the dogs “were not aggressive and that they just keep getting out of the fence and need to be returned to their home.” Meanwhile, a previously bitten neighbor “did not cooperate with law enforcement after repeated calls to do so from our animal enforcement officers.” This prevented any investigation from progressing, and animal services were prevented from taking further action.
Cutler is currently being held without bond, as she was out of jail on another charge at the time of her arrest.
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Sierra Marlee is a millennial whose hunger for the truth in a world of fake news has led her to write. Marlee also contributes to BizPac Review.
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