Madison Riley Hull, Texas college student, 23, mauled to death by 3 pit bulls she was pet sitting at Tyler, Texas residence.
A Texas college student was mauled to death while pet-sitting three pit bulls, who the victim’s grieving mother said all ‘seemed to love her’ before the dogs ‘suddenly’ attacking her.
Madison Riley Hull, 23, was found dead in the backyard of a residential home in Tyler, Texas, around 4:15 p.m. Friday, WFAA reported citing police.
A neighbor called 911, and deputies with the Smith County Sheriff’s Office responded, KYTX reported. But it was too late. Responding officers found the three pit bulls had already mauled the 23-year-old woman.
Texas college student, 23, killed in dog attack while pet sitting
Deputies found Hull lying in the backyard. When one of the responding officers attempted to help Hull, one of the pit bulls charged towards him, WTOC-11 reported.
‘The dogs then diverted their attention. All three of them to him. Started coming toward him, and he unholstered his weapon, service weapon, and he fired at one of the dogs, killing it,’ Sgt. Larry Christian, a public information officer with the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, told press.
Riley’s mother, Jennifer Hubbell, said that she ‘just dropped to [her] knees’ when she was notified of her daughter’s death. The 23-old who was studying early childhood education was months from graduation.
Hubbell is still struggling to put the pieces together as she explained that Riley had highlighted a ‘change’ in the dogs’ behavior shortly before the fatal attack.
Experienced dog-sitter and avid animal lover killed in animal attack
‘She said that they hadn’t always been that way,’ Hubbell said.
The college student was an experienced dog-sitter and avid animal lover. She had previously baby-sat the family’s children for weeks on end and figured that looking after the pit bulls ‘would be an okay situation,’ Hubbell told KYTX.
The sheriff’s office said the homeowners were out of town at the time of the attack.
Riley was just six months away from earning her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Tyler. She was specializing in early childhood education, which Hubbell said was in part inspired by her younger brother’s experiences growing up with autism.
‘Her K-3rd grade students adored her. She had a gift for making every child feel safe, special, and loved. Madison’s heart was made for that work,’ Hubbell wrote in a post on GoFundMe.
A court hearing regarding the two surviving pit bulls had been scheduled for Wednesday.
