Criminal charges were recently brought against a 39-year-old woman and her 20-year-old daughter after their vicious pit bulls caused the wrongful death of their 75-year-old neighbor.

Pit bulls maul many people throughout Wisconsin and the rest of the country every year. Dog attacks can result in severe personal injuries which leave lasting scars or in this case, result in death. Authorities say that the neighbor was attacked in her backyard and died of her personal injuries six months later. It is unclear whether the pit bull owners will also face a wrongful death lawsuit, which would allow the family of the elderly woman pay for the medical bills associated with her extensive hospital stay.

The pit bulls got into the elderly woman's yard and mauled her as she went outside to get the morning paper. The pit bulls got into the yard by ripping a hole in the metal gate that bridged a gap in the fence that separated the victim's property from the dog owner's home.

The owners are facing serious criminal charges because authorities say that the owners were aware that their dogs were vicious. The same pit bulls escaped from their yard on Christmas Day 2010 and mauled a man who was walking his puppy. The man suffered bite wounds from that attack and the puppy's jaw was broken.

The women face charges of manslaughter and owning a mischievous animal causing death, among other things. Authorities say that the victim had her arms and legs amputated before she died due to the seriousness of her injuries.

Source: 10News, "More Charges For Dog Owners In Fatal Mauling Of Elderly Woman," Jan. 18, 2012