A retired factory worker described by neighbours as the “heart of the community” has been identified as the victim of a fatal dog attack that has left residents of a Wolverhampton housing estate in shock.
Carol Hall, 78, was pronounced dead at her ground-floor flat on Willis Pearson Avenue in Bilston late Wednesday evening after being mauled by two powerful animals, the breed of which authorities have not disclosed. The dogs were destroyed at the scene.
Residents had previously witnessed the animals, described as “Rottweiler-like” and “really big,” pulling their owner along pavements with such force that parents turned back rather than pass them on the street. “It was more like them walking him, they would drag him down the road,” recalled neighbour Sam Wright, 64, who said the handler appeared to have “no control over them whatsoever.”
The dogs had resided at the property for approximately two to three months before Wednesday’s tragedy, living with Mrs Hall and a younger male relative believed to be their owner. A 37-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing death.
Paramedics responded to emergency calls at 11.30pm but could not save the diminutive widow, who stood around 5ft tall and was known locally for her distinctive dyed red hair. Wright suggested she “would not have stood a chance” against the powerful animals given her slight build.
Tributes flooded social media as word of her death spread through the close-knit community. Friend David Williams posted a photograph of Mrs Hall with her own pet, writing: “We had loads of laughs at The Village with you and Den. You are together again. Rest peacefully now my friend.”
Another acquaintance, Elizabeth Wallace, remembered her as “such a lovely, caring lady” whilst a floral tribute left outside the flat described her as “a massive part of the community taken too soon.”
Mrs Hall’s husband Dennis had died several years previously, with the couple remembered as active members of the neighbourhood who were “hardly ever home” before his passing. She had worked at a Bilston lock factory before retirement and recently ceased driving, previously using a disability vehicle.
Wright recounted seeing her return from a shopping trip by taxi around 3pm Wednesday—just hours before the fatal attack. He noticed smashed windows at the property Thursday morning, suggesting emergency services broke glass attempting to access the scene.
West Midlands Police have urged witnesses to contact them quoting log number 6073 of 15 April.
