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Woman could lose arms to vicious dog attack
Family members say 62-year-old Donna Nguyen is unconscious and on a ventilator at Grady Memorial Hospital. Surgeons are preparing for a double-arm amputation, and her loved ones are praying she survives. Nguyen was walking along Lakeside Drive in Union City on Aug. 1 when the dogs attacked.
UNION CITY, Ga. - The 62-year-old woman who was attacked by dogs has died, according to the family. The family notified FOX 5 Atlanta on Thursday afternoon. A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help with funeral expenses. Four of the five off-leash dogs taken into custody after the attack have been put down, according to animal control officials.
Donna Nguyen dies at 62
What we know:
Family members say 62-year-old Donna Nguyen was attacked just after 11 p.m. on Aug. 1 while walking to the bank along Lakeside Drive in Union City.
Nyguyen was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital's intensive care unit where she remained unconscious and on a ventilator for nearly two weeks. She suffered from dog bits, scratches, and faced losing both of her arms.
Doctors notified the family on Wednesday evening, just after this story was first published, that circumstances regarding her condition had changed, and she would be placed in comfort care.
She passed away on Thursday, the family and investigators revealed.
Union City dog mauling
The other side:
Fulton County officials say animal control officers took three dogs into custody on Aug. 1 and the owner later surrendered two more dogs.
Video obtained by FOX 5 shows the dogs being removed from the owner's home.
As of Thursday afternoon, four of the five dogs had been euthanized. The fifth dog remains in the shelter.
Family of Nguyen calls for accountability
What they're saying:
Her son, Charles Ingram, speaking to FOX 5 on Wednesday, said he will never forget the phone call from the hospital.
"She explained to me that she’s been mauled and attacked by dogs," he said.
The injuries are so severe, the family says they are too graphic to show.
"We’re just hoping we’re making the right decisions. Of course, we want our mother to live, but we’re just hoping we’re making the right decisions," Ingram said.
Ingram says they should never have been roaming without leashes.
"We would like for the animals to be put down, unfortunately," he said.
Ingram says he is determined to make sure someone is held accountable.
"I wouldn’t wish this on anybody. No human being deserves this," he said. "I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that whoever is responsible for this serves some time, or is held responsible for this. We basically want justice for my mother."
Previous calls in Fulton County
What we don't know:
FOX 5 Atlanta has requested Fulton County records for any past calls, citations or incidents involving the owner’s address.
Officials have not yet released that information.
What's next:
The Fulton County Police Department has now taken over the investigation.
The Source: FOX 5's Brittany Edney spoke with the family of Donna Nguyen and reached out to Fulton County for additional details. This article has been updated since it was originally published to add details provided by the family about Nguyen being placed in comfort care at the hospital on Thursday.