Alabama Dog Owner Charged With Manslaughter in Public Health Worker’s Death

Alabama authorities charged a Red Bay woman with manslaughter after her pack of dogs killed a state public health worker who had traveled to the property to investigate a prior mauling, according to The Washington Post ^[1]. Jacqueline Summer Beard, 58, was an employee of the Alabama Department of Public Health. Prosecutors allege that Brandy Lee Dowdy kept and maintained a pack of dogs that killed Beard on April 29, 2022, near Red Bay.

A woman named Michelle Sheeks was attacked by the same pack of dogs in Franklin County on April 27, 2022. The following day, Beard traveled to the Crumpton Road property to investigate the attack on Sheeks, reportedly to conduct a rabies inquiry. Investigators said Beard was attempting to contact the owner of the dogs when she was killed. Authorities received reports of a suspicious vehicle on Crumpton Road near the residence at approximately 6 p.m. and later found Beard's body. Beard was a 58-year-old environmental supervisor and a longtime employee of the public health department.

The dogs attacked people again around 6 p.m., when sheriff's deputies arrived to investigate the car parked alongside the road all day. Deputies were met by residents on Crumpton Road, and several dogs began attacking those residents, leaving one person with minor injuries. Seven dogs were involved in total, and some were euthanized immediately, according to the sheriff's office. Franklin County Coroner Charlie Adcox was summoned and pronounced Beard deceased at the scene.

The Franklin County Sheriff's Office charged the dogs' owner, Brandy Dowdy, 39, with manslaughter. Dowdy also faces charges for violating Emily's Law, which covers fatal or severe attacks by dogs whose owners are aware of their dangerous behavior. The law was named in memory of Emily Colvin, who was killed by dogs outside her home in Jackson County in 2017, and it provides for felony and misdemeanor charges depending on the circumstances surrounding a dangerous dog attack. At the time of the initial charging, Dowdy was held in the Franklin County Jail without bail, according to Law & Crime.

The trial of Brandy Dowdy was delayed 15 times following her indictment in August 2022. The case ultimately proceeded to verdict. The jury found Dowdy guilty of manslaughter in Beard's death and guilty of the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide in the death of Sheeks, who died in July 2022 from injuries sustained in the prior attack. Dowdy was also found guilty on both counts under Emily's Law, and sentencing was set for Jan. 6, 2026.

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References

[1] The Washington Post. (2022, May 02). Owner of dogs who killed Jacqueline Summer Beard charged with manslaughter. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/05/02/alabama-dog-attack-jacqueline-beard/

[2] CBS News. (2022, May 02). Public health worker killed by "pack of dangerous dogs" in Alabama after she went to home to follow up on another dog attack. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jacqueline-summer-beard-killed-dog-attack-alabama-brandy-dowdy-charged/

[3] NBC News. (2022, July 14). Second Alabama woman attacked by pack of dogs in April died, coroner says. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/second-alabama-woman-attacked-pack-dogs-april-died-coroner-says-rcna38209

[4] WHNT News 19. (2025, November 15). Red Bay woman found guilty of manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide in deadly dog attacks. https://whnt.com/news/northwest-alabama/closing-arguments-to-begin-after-2-weeks-of-testimony-in-trial-of-woman-charged-for-deadly-dog-attacks/

[5] Law & Crime. (2022, May 02). Alabama Woman Charged With Manslaughter After Her 7 Dogs Allegedly Mauled Government Worker to Death as She Investigated Prior Dog Attack. https://lawandcrime.com/animals/alabama-woman-charged-with-manslaughter-after-her-7-dogs-allegedly-mauled-government-worker-to-death-as-she-investigated-prior-dog-attack/

[6] 1819 News. (2025, November 10). Manslaughter trial underway in Franklin County deadly dog attacks. https://1819news.com/news/item/manslaughter-trial-underway-in-franklin-county-deadly-dog-attacks