A 52-year-old woman was found dead at her Fox Lake home after being viciously attacked by one of her French bulldogs, the coroner said.
Lisa Urso, 52, of the 600 block of Knollwood Road in Fox Lake, was found dead on the back porch of her residence on Saturday, according to Fox Lake Police Chief Jimmy Lee.
Urso’s co-workers went to the woman’s house after she didn’t meet up with them on Saturday as planned, Lee said, adding that officers encountered a “gruesome” scene.
Lake County Coroner Dr. Howard Cooper said that Urso died on the back porch after she escaped her home where she had been attacked by at least one of her three dogs.
One of her French bulldogs was the apparent biter, Cooper told Lake and McHenry County Scanner, adding that the dog was a rescue who had previously been trained to fight.
The French bulldog along with one of the other dogs had blood on them and there were signs of a struggle in the house, Cooper said.
The French bulldog was previously taken away two separate times in April by Lake County Animal Care and Control after it had bitten Urso’s boyfriend. The dog was returned to the woman after she requested it back.
An autopsy performed on the woman Tuesday morning confirmed her death was the result of a dog attack, Cooper said.
All three dogs are now in the custody of animal control and investigation is ongoing, a spokeswoman for the Lake County Health Department said.
The Fox Lake Police Department, Lake County Coroner’s Office and Lake County Health Department continue to investigate the death.