ST. LOUIS – John Jenkins fought back tears as he stood out on his sister’s and brother-in-law’s front porch. 

“He lost his wife—his best friend. They used to sit out here, planting flowers. Now I don’t know if that’s going to continue to go on,” he said. 

Around 11:45 p.m. Wednesday, Jenkins’ 62-year-old sister was in her backyard on Theodore Avenue in the Walnut Park West Neighborhood with her dog. Three dogs crawled in under the gate and attacked the woman and her dog. Jenkins said his sister was deaf.

Her 73-year-old husband fired a gun to try and scare them off. Her husband was then bit while trying to fend off the dogs with a broom. 

When police arrived, they used pepper spray to get the dogs to run away.

The woman died later while in surgery.

The husband had bite marks on his arms and legs but chose to seek medical attention later. The woman’s dog is expected to survive. 

“I’m thinking about him; I’m thinking about her and all the funeral arrangements we need to make. I’m just trying to stay strong because I’m the only Jenkins left,” Jenkins said. 


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An area businesswoman noted that this is an issue around the neighborhood. 

“There’s a lot of loose dogs around here. It’s one of the reasons we try to keep our gate closed,” she said. 

The city has even had complaints at the dog owner’s address before. 

“There have been two prior calls for service at this address for animal control. They date back to fall of 2022,” City Environmental Health Bureau Chief Justen Hauser said. 

Now, police are investigating how the dogs got out of their own yard at a nearby home. 

“That’s all under investigation. There appears to be some kind of hole in the fence. We don’t know if the dogs had dug their way out of that backyard,” St. Louis Metropolitan Police Director of Public Affairs Mitch McCoy said. 

Police say it is too early to say if the dog owner will face charges or if the dogs will be euthanized. But Jenkins wants to see it happen. 

“They need to lock up that dog owner. I know they’re going to euthanize the dog, but I lost a sister. That’s not going to bring back nothing,” he said. 

Hauser cannot identify the dogs’ breed yet, and protocol will be followed in determining if the dogs will be euthanized.