91-year-old fatally mauled by her son’s dogs. Now family sues Texas city for $100M

A 91-year-old woman was killed in an attack by her son’s dogs, and now her family is suing the Texas city they blame for her death for $100 million.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court on Jan. 3, claims the city of Pharr, Texas, could have taken actions to save Estela Manteca’s life, but failed to do so despite warnings and pleas for help from her family.

The city of Pharr declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Manteca and her son lived at the same address, along with several large and dangerous dogs belonging to him, according to the suit. Her family was afraid for her safety.

Police and animal control were “made aware of the clear and imminent danger posed to Estela Manteca; multiple phone calls and warnings were made by family members, neighbors, and others regarding the vicious nature of the dogs owned by her son,” attorneys representing Manteca’s daughter and granddaughter said in the suit.

Manteca was also “fearful and intimidated by her son,” family members had told officials, according to the suit. “Her elderly and fragile condition created an environment of heightened danger, of which officials were repeatedly warned by family members.”

Then on Jan. 10, 2023, her family’s fears came true. Four of her son’s dogs — Billy, Ringo, Casper and Bonita — attacked her at the home.

Manteca was taken to a hospital with severe injuries while the dogs, still covered in her blood, were put into custody of animal control, documents say.

Manteca was hospitalized for months. Both of her legs had to be amputated, according to the suit, and she received skin grafts on her arms. She died May 6, 2023, due to her injuries. Before her death, she “endured unimaginable suffering,” the lawsuit said.

It’s unclear what, if anything, triggered the attack, but the four dogs involved had all been declared vicious by Pharr animal control almost a year earlier, in January 2022, documents show.

Each of the dogs had “severely attacked and injured a human being,” according to the notices, which had been sent to Manteca’s son, Alex Aranda. From that point on, Aranda was required to keep the dogs contained and to muzzle them whenever they were not in a kennel, per the notices.

“However, the City failed to follow up to ensure compliance with these requirements, allowing the danger to persist unchecked,” the suit said.

Additionally, the lawsuit says Manteca’s daughter and granddaughter both suffered “severe emotional trauma” and lasting depression and anxiety in the wake of Manteca’s fatal attack.

Their attorneys are seeking “an award of no less than one hundred million dollars … in compensatory and punitive damages,” the lawsuit read.

In an online obituary, Manteca was remembered as “a wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, who in life was known by all, who loved her youthful spirit and love of music and dancing.”

“She was a devout Catholic. Never seen without her coral lipstick and hair nicely done,” it read.

Pharr is a roughly 240-mile drive south from San Antonio.

This story was originally published January 9, 2025 at 3:36 PM with the headline "91-year-old fatally mauled by her son’s dogs. Now family sues Texas city for $100M."