A daughter from Troup County has been arrested after her mother died from injuries in a dog attack. Troup County officials received a call from a resident on Terrace Drive at 7:45 p.m. on October 7.
The caller told 911 dispatchers that an elderly female was screaming from a window that she needed help. She said that her sister was being attacked by dogs inside the home, according to Sheriff James Woodruff.
Once deputies arrived on the scene and entered the residence, they made contact with an elderly woman lying on the floor who was suffering from visible wounds, according to Fox 5 DC. The deputy also encountered in the home three large dogs.
Deputies used pepper spray to force the dogs to go outside the house
The deputy had to deploy an O/C spray in the direction of the attacking dogs at which time they exited the house through a doggie door to the back yard. The dogs were not hit with the pepper spray directly but they still opted to leave the house.
Rosetta Gesselman was transported to Well Star West Georgia Medical Center for treatment. The 80-year-old later died there because of her injuries, according to WTVM.
The Troup County Marshal's Office responded immediately to the scene to assist not only in the investigation but also the capture of the dogs which were two male pit bull / great mastiff mixes and one female pit bull mix.
According to officials, one of the dogs was captured and later euthanized. The other two dogs had to be put down by first responders on the scene as well due to their aggressiveness.
It was determined after an investigation that the dogs' owner, Tongia Gesselman, who is the daughter of the victim, knew that her animals had previously killed family pets and also had bit someone which required a hospital visit.
The 48-year-old Gesselman never reported these said incidents and at the time of Friday's deadly attack, she was not home. She is now being charged with felony involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct.
Tennessee family also a victim of a dog attack earlier this month
Fatal dog attacks have been grabbing the headlines recently in the United States. Two young kids died and their mom suffered major injuries after two family dogs attacked a toddler and a baby at their home in West Tennessee.
The Shelby County Sheriff's Office reported that the vicious mauling took place on Thursday outside of the family's home in the Memphis area. Kirstie Bennard suffered critical injuries when she tried to intervene in the attack on her 2-year-old girl, Lilly Jane, and 5-month-old boy, Hollace Dean, police and family said.
The sheriff's office reported that the two children were pronounced dead when officials arrived at the home. Officials said that the kids' mother was taken to a local hospital in critical condition. Jeff Gibson said in an interview with USA Today that his nephew, Colby Bennard, was not home when the dog attack took place.
