Colorado woman killed by daughter’s dogs
PUEBLO, COLORADO—A Colorado woman has been arrested after authorities said some of her more than 50 dogs attacked and killed her 76-year-old mother.
Jessica Hoff, 47, is due to make a first court appearance Thursday in connection with the February death of her mother LaVonne, who had dementia, according to court records and the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office.
Hoff was arrested Friday on a warrant for criminal negligence and aggravated cruelty to animals. Authorities said she left her mother at home alone in Colorado City while she did errands Feb. 3.
Later that day, deputies found LaVonne unconscious and several dogs running loose along with about two dozen other dogs and seven birds that were in cages, the sheriff’s office said.
A search of the home and another property owned by Hoff nearby found a total of 54 dogs, several of them in poor health.
The dogs and birds were found in unsanitary conditions and were seized by animal control, the sheriff’s office said.
The daughter was in jail Monday with the bond for her release set at $50,000, according to jail records. Prosecutors have not filed formal charges against her, according to court records.
