Grandmother, 86, Killed Outside Her Home in ‘Vicious Attack’ by Dogs Allegedly Owned by Her Neighbor By Escher Walcott

An 86-year-old grandmother was mauled to death in a “vicious attack” by two dogs in Georgia, according to police.

At around 12:00 p.m. local time on Wednesday, Oct. 8, emergency services were dispatched to a residence on Popular Lane in Baxley, where they found 86-year-old Maria Nunez deceased after sustaining “multiple injuries” in a dog attack, said the Appling County Sheriff’s Office in a news release shared on Facebook.

Nunez’s body was transported to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab in Pooler for autopsy. She is believed to have been attacked the day before her body was discovered, per the sheriff’s office.

“The investigation has revealed Ms. Nunez was viciously attacked by two dogs,” said Sheriff Melton in the Appling County Sheriff’s Office news release. The canines have since been secured by the sheriff’s office.

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In an update posted on Facebook on Friday, Oct. 10, Sheriff Melton said that 53-year-old Misty Branch of Baxley has been arrested and charged with reckless conduct and involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death investigation of Nunez.

Branch was Nunez’s neighbor and is allegedly the owner of the two dogs responsible for the attack, Appling County Chief Deputy Gene Davis told local news outlet WTOC.

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Deputy Davis said that security footage of the incident led investigators to identify and locate the two dogs involved in the attack.

“We do have a dog problem, just like every other county that does not have an animal control unit, but we are working with the board of commissioners to rectify the situation,” Davis told WTOC.

The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Appling County Sheriff’s Office and the Appling County Coroner.

Nunez was born in Ahuijullo, Jalisco, Mexico, and worked as a midwife and co-founder of the family business, Nunez Pine Straw, according to her obituary. She is survived by her three daughters, who all reside in Baxley, nine grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren.

Sheriff Melton is urging anyone with any information about this case to contact then on 912-367-8120.

PEOPLE has reached out to the Appling County Sheriff’s Office and Appling County Coroner for comment.