A Multidisciplinary Approach to a Complex Fatal Attack Due to a Pack of Maremma Sheepdogs: Is It Always an Accident?

Deaths due to dog attacks are a worldwide issue. Fatal dog attacks may occur in various environments, including the dog owner's property. A lot of difficulties emerge when the attack involves a pack of dogs, of different species and sizes. In this case, it becomes much more difficult for forensic investigators to evaluate the event, especially regarding the identification of the dog or dogs that caused the death as well as the identification of the owner and the reconstruction of the dynamics for forensic purposes. In this paper, we analyze a specific case of an attack by a herd of Maremma sheepdogs. A crime scene investigation has been carried out. In the first phase of this case, the victim interacted with dogs that had non-aggressive attitudes. Then, after an escape attempt, she was assaulted by about 20 Maremma dogs of different sizes, leading to multiple injuries all over her body. The greatest difficulty was precisely that of reconstructing the dynamics due to the numerous injuries and dogs involved in the attack. The dynamics were divided into several stages following the analysis of the injuries found on the victim. This case study highlights how the forensic multidisciplinary approach has made it possible to precisely reconstruct the event. The analysis of the dogs' state of malnutrition and their suddenly aggressive attitude towards the victim revealed profiles of responsibility of the owner attributable to improper management and training of the animals to defend their property.

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The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.