LaKesha Newsom was attacked by dogs on March 3 in Holly Springs, Mississippi, according to multiple reports. She was found partially clothed in a ditch with multiple large lacerations across her body. Newsom was conscious after the attack and told officers she had been attacked by dogs, the reports indicate.
She was airlifted to Regional One Health hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, where she had her right arm and right leg amputated due to the severity of her injuries. Newsom died on Friday morning after three weeks in the hospital. Sandra Harris, 54, was arrested on March 23 in connection with the dog mauling and has been charged with aggravated assault and manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life.
I woke up and tried to find my phone because I knew I'd had a seizure. I didn't know what happened to my face as I was still out of it from the seizure. I ended up finding my iPad and I messaged Trent who was at work.
According to Daily Mail - News, Rosie Young, Newsom's mother, described that her daughter felt the dogs gnawing on her and that the only thing in her head was a desire to live. Young also said, according to the same source, that she told her daughter she had life in her. According to Daily Mail - News, DeWaylia Young, Newsom's sister, described that Newsom had her right arm and right leg amputated, was heavily sedated and on a ventilator, and that bacteria and infection from the attack were spreading rapidly throughout her body.
She added, according to the source, that in the middle of this unimaginable situation are Newsom's three children, who are now facing the possibility of losing their mother, and that the family is taking things moment by moment, holding onto every bit of time they have left with her. After Newsom's death, Rosie Young said, according to Daily Mail - News, that she feels relieved they are getting justice on Newsom's behalf. It remains unknown whether the charge against Sandra Harris will be upgraded following Newsom's death, and the exact number and breed of dogs involved in the attack have not been confirmed.
It was during that video chat we both realised the extent of what had happened. I started freaking out. I kept saying, 'Fayzo ate my face. I look like a skeleton. My lips are gone.'
In a separate incident, Karma Davis was attacked by her own pitbull named Fayzo after she collapsed during a seizure on March 2, according to major media reports. Davis lost both lips, a large portion of her left cheek, the bottom of her nose, and had her left ear severely disfigured and right ear partially torn off in the attack, the reports state. She was placed in a medically induced coma for two-and-a-half days after the attack and underwent several operations, including reconstructive procedures and a skin graft from her leg, remaining in hospital for approximately 10 days.
Davis now requires ongoing care, including regular visits to a plastic surgeon and support from home health nurses, and is fed through a tube. Doctors are considering further options for her, including additional grafts or a full lower-face transplant. According to Daily Express - US News, Karma Davis described waking up and trying to find her phone because she knew she'd had a seizure, not knowing what happened to her face as she was still out of it from the seizure, and ending up finding her iPad and messaging Trent who was at work.
My left ear is very disfigured and missing a decent amount of it; most of my left cheek is gone. Both of my lips are gone, the bottom of my nose is gone and a small part of my right cheek was pulled back but they were able to reattach for the most part. My right ear was partially pulled off but was able to be reattached. He nicked an artery in my neck, which is how I lost a lot of blood.
She also described, according to the same source, that during a video chat they both realized the extent of what had happened, with her freaking out and saying that Fayzo ate her face, she looked like a skeleton, and her lips were gone. Davis further detailed, according to Daily Express - US News, that her left ear is very disfigured and missing a decent amount of it, most of her left cheek is gone, both of her lips are gone, the bottom of her nose is gone and a small part of her right cheek was pulled back but reattached, her right ear was partially pulled off but reattached, and the dog nicked an artery in her neck, causing significant blood loss. Her current condition and prognosis for ability to eat normally again are unknown.
In England, a woman was attacked by a dog in a garden at Harold Wilson Court in Huddersfield on Thursday afternoon, sustaining a wound to her arm, according to major media reports. A 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of having dogs dangerously out of control in connection with the attack, and two dogs were seized. The man has been released on bail pending further inquiries.
She felt the dogs gnawing on her, eating on her. The only thing in her head was, 'I want to live.'
According to Yorkshire Live, Lauren Popple, a tenant at Harold Wilson Court, described the attack as horrible to watch and that she didn't know whether to jump out the window and help or stay indoors, adding that the council and police need to be held accountable as they failed everyone. Popple also said, according to the source, that tenants had warned this was going to happen and that the woman attacked was in her own garden with her dog on a lead and muzzle. It is unknown whether authorities in Huddersfield had received prior warnings about the aggressive dogs as claimed by tenants, and the identity and relationship of the dog owner to the victim have not been disclosed.
And I told her, 'For you to be here today, you have life in you.'
She has had her right arm and right leg amputated. She is currently heavily sedated and on the ventilator. Bacteria and infection from the attack are spreading rapidly throughout her body.
In the middle of this unimaginable situation are her three children, who are now facing the possibility of losing their mother.
We are taking things moment by moment, holding onto every bit of time we have left with her. Any support, prayers, or shares mean more than words can express.
I’m still processing this, but I feel relieved we are getting justice on Lakesha’s behalf.
It was horrible to watch I didn’t know whether to jump out the window and help or stay indoors. The council and police need to be held accountable. They failed us all.
We said this was going to happen. The poor woman (who was attacked) was in her own garden with her dog on a lead and muzzle.