Boyfriend of dog-mauling victim charged after 3 dogs found dead inside Brevard County trailer
Boyfriend of dog-mauling victim charged after 3 dogs found dead
The boyfriend of a Brevard County woman who was fatally mauled by dogs last month has been arrested on animal cruelty charges after investigators found three dogs dead inside a travel trailer.
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - The boyfriend of a Brevard County woman who was mauled to death by dogs last month has been arrested on animal cruelty charges.
The arrest of Donnell Smith, 47, comes after investigators found three dogs dead inside a travel trailer where his girlfriend resided.
The backstory:
Smith was taken into custody after deputies and animal services investigators responded to reports of a foul odor coming from the trailer and discovered the decomposed remains of three dogs, according to the Brevard County Sheriff's Office.
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Investigators said the animals had been locked inside the residence without food, water or air conditioning following the death of Smith's longtime partner, Jodi Cowan. Authorities said the dogs died from extreme heat, starvation and dehydration.
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Smith faces three counts of felony animal cruelty and three counts of unlawful disposal of a dead animal. He remained in custody and was expected to make his first court appearance Tuesday.
Donnell Smith is arrested on Monday, June 15, 2026.
Sheriff Wayne Ivey described the case as one of severe neglect and said the agency will continue to pursue animal abuse cases aggressively.
Who was Jodi Cowan?
Dig deeper:
Jodi Cowan was out late one night walking her dogs in the neighborhood when she was followed and attacked by two of her neighbor's pit bull dogs, the sheriff's office said. The attack was caught on camera and was brutal: she was knocked to the ground, mauled, and repeatedly attacked, officials said.
Jodi Cowan, 50, was killed after two dogs attacked her in a neighborhood, deputies say.
Linda Cutler, who owned the dogs, was arrested and booked into jail on charges of manslaughter, the sheriff's office said. Both dogs were confiscated by Animal Control and were scheduled to be euthanized.
Linda Cutler was denied bond after he dogs allegedly mauled a Florida woman to death.
Court records show this isn't the first time Cutler has had a run-in with the law concerning her two dogs. Records show she was previously cited for not vaccinating her dogs and for several incidents involving allegedly hurting people. According to investigators, Cutler knew the dogs frequently escaped from the yard and had previously bitten another person.
The Source: The information is from the Brevard County Sheriff's Office. Additional information from online court records and previous FOX 35 reporting.