THORNDALE WOMAN DIES FROM DOG ATTACK

(THORNDALE)  A 76 year old Thorndale woman died Saturday afternoon at her residence from what the Milam County Sheriff's Office has deemed an attack by dogs.  Lillian Loraine Stiles (pictured left) was found in her front yard by passing motorists as the attack was ongoing by a group of dogs, described as between 4 and 6.  The motorists, Weldon and Maurita Smith of Rockdale stated to investigators that they saw Mrs. Stiles laying in her yard as they passed with several dogs around her. 

Jack Stiles, 76,  was watching football Saturday afternoon in his Thorndale home when he heard an urgent knock at the front door.

Mr. Smith, pursued by a pack of pit bull-rottweiler crossbreeds, shouted to Mr. Stiles, "There's a body in your yard."

Mr. Smith asked frantically: "Do you have a gun?"

Stiles retrieved his .22-caliber pistol and shot one of the six dogs in his yard. The other dogs dispersed. Stiles then followed Mr. Smith, whose leg had been punctured, to the blood-covered body in his yard.

Mr. Stiles didn't immediately recognize his wife of 55 years lying on the ground.

Sheriff West said that Mrs. Stiles was apparently riding a riding lawn mower around her front yard when she was apparently confronted by the dogs.  It appears that Mrs. Stiles got off the mower and possibly began to head for her home when she was attacked.  The dogs were located by Thorndale Firemen at a residence nearby.  The dogs were identified by their owner, Jose Hernandez of Thorndale.  Five of six dogs believed to be involved in the attack were taken into custody by West and other law enforcement and fire officers at Hernandez's residence.  The dogs were taken to Veterinary Medical Arts Center in Cameron where DNA was obtained from each of the dogs in furtherance of the investigation by Dr. Valerie Plsek . 

Dogs are not required to be on leashes in the rural area of Milam County where Hernandez lives, and there are no restrictions on dog breeding.

Sheriff West said he anticipates that the dogs will be euthanized, and their heads will be sent to a diagnostic lab in Austin for testing to determine whether they have rabies. The dogs were still in the care of the veterinary center late Sunday, and Plsek said she expected to receive instructions today on whether to euthanize them.

Thorndale EMS and the Milam County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call at 4:16pm from Mrs. Smith advising of the incident.  Upon arrival of the EMS, they found that Mrs. Stiles had died from her injuries.  Mrs. Stiles suffered severe bites to her entire body from the pack of dogs.  Justice of the Peace O.C. "Chip" Dunsmoor conducted the inquest and ordered an autopsy be performed by the Dallas County Medical Examiner.

The Stiles family won't make funeral arrangements until an autopsy is complete according to Jack Stiles. In the meantime, his family - which includes three children, seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren - is taking comfort in the fact that Lillian Stiles was a "good Christian" who lived a full life.

"It's really hard to grasp and realize that she's gone," Jack Stiles said. "We're really at a loss. You wonder why these things happen. We have a little bit of comfort in the fact that because of her religion and beliefs, we know she's OK."