Woman found dead in field with ‘protective’ dog that may have killed her, WA cops say

A woman was found dead in an empty field with her dog that may have killed her, Washington officials said.

On Dec. 13, deputies in Spokane received reports of a dead person in a “vacant” field, according to a post on Facebook by the sheriff’s office.

Once on the scene, deputies found a dead woman with her dog by her side, officials said.

The unleashed dog was showing “protective” and “aggressive” behavior toward officers, deputies said.

After gaining the dog’s trust and luring it away from the woman, the medical crew was able to pronounce her dead, officials said.

The dog was handed over to animal protective services, deputies said.

After investigating, officials found the woman had been in the field for ”a considerable amount of time” with wounds on her upper body, officials said.

Deputies believe the dog may have caused the wounds.

The Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office will identify the woman and confirm her cause of death.

Spokane is about 230 miles east of Seattle.

This story was originally published December 15, 2023 at 1:21 PM with the headline "Woman found dead in field with ‘protective’ dog that may have killed her, WA cops say."