The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the early Tuesday attack near Cocoa.
BREVARD COUNTY, FL — A 50-year-old woman died after two dogs attacked her early Tuesday on Blue Bonnet Drive near Cocoa, her husband said, as the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation into the fatal mauling.
Donnell Smith said his wife, Jodi Cowan, was attacked by two dogs that belonged to a neighbor. The case now centers on how the dogs got loose, what happened in the minutes before Cowan was found, and whether earlier complaints about the animals were made or acted on. A sheriff’s office spokesperson said the investigation remained active and that more information was expected to be released.
Smith said the attack happened shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday, after he returned to the couple’s home from helping neighbors across the street. He said he noticed Cowan and one of their dogs were missing, then heard a weak call for help outside. “I saw the silhouette of the two dogs dragging my wife down the road,” Smith said. He said he found Cowan in the grass near a truck, bleeding heavily and covered with bites. Smith said the dogs came back as he tried to help her, and he used a knife to keep them away while trying to stop the bleeding.
Smith said he eventually called 911, and Cowan was flown to a hospital. She died from her injuries hours later, he said. The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office confirmed it is investigating a dog attack that left a woman dead, but officials had not released a full incident report, the dogs’ breed, the owner’s name or a formal account of the attack as of Thursday. Smith said the dogs had been removed from the neighbor’s care, but that detail had not been confirmed by investigators. It also was not clear whether anyone had been cited or arrested.
The attack happened in a residential area near Cocoa, a community in central Brevard County where the sheriff’s office handles many animal-related calls through its enforcement and animal services operations. Smith said he and other neighbors had warned authorities before Tuesday that the same dogs were getting loose and acting aggressively. “I told them that she had those two pets that get out all the time and run the neighborhood,” Smith said. The sheriff’s office had not yet confirmed the number, timing or outcome of any prior complaints tied to the dogs.
The investigation could include interviews with neighbors, 911 records, animal control records, medical findings and any prior calls involving the dogs or their owner. Officials have not said whether the dogs were declared dangerous before the attack or whether the owner could face civil or criminal penalties. The next official step is expected to be a fuller statement from the sheriff’s office, which said the case remained ongoing. Cowan’s death also raises questions about whether animal control officers had prior contact with the owner and what steps, if any, were taken before the fatal attack.
Smith described Cowan as a woman who loved people and animals, saying the way she died was especially painful because she cared deeply about dogs. “She just loved people, loved dogs more than people, and for her to go out that way, it’s not right,” he said. He said the scene has stayed with him since Tuesday morning. “It was brutal,” Smith said. “Seeing the same woman I’ve loved for the last 25 to 30 years just ripped apart by two animals was just something I’ll never get out of my mind.”
The sheriff’s office had not released Cowan’s autopsy findings, a final cause of death or a charging decision by Thursday. Investigators said more information would be released as the active case allows.
Author note: Last updated May 21, 2026.