Delores M. Musgrove Obituary, Death – A tragic incident in Bessemer, Alabama, has claimed the life of a woman who was fatally attacked by dogs, authorities confirmed on Friday. The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as 50-year-old Delores M. Musgrove, a resident of Adger.

The incident occurred early Thursday morning. At approximately 7 a.m., Bessemer police received a report about a person found lying in a grassy area in the 100 block of Martin Street. When officers arrived, they discovered Musgrove in the lot and pronounced her dead at the scene at 7:28 a.m., according to Det. Justin Burmeister.

Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates stated that Musgrove’s cause of death was the result of a dog attack involving multiple animals. Her death marks at least the second fatal dog mauling in Alabama in the same week and the fourth such incident statewide in 2024.

Earlier in the same week, on Tuesday, a 7-year-old boy was killed in a dog attack at his home in Chilton County. Following that attack, nine dogs were surrendered to Chilton County Animal Control and later euthanized. Those dogs included various breeds such as Shepherd mixes, Pit Bull Terrier mixes, Lab mixes, and Hound mixes. Six of them were just six months old, while the remaining dogs were between one and three years old.

In another fatal incident earlier this year, a six-month-old baby girl named Ember Southard was killed by a dog inside a residence in Alabaster in March. A month prior, in February, a 46-year-old woman lost her life when she was attacked by a group of dogs at a Tuscaloosa County home. That particular attack took place in the yard and on the property belonging to the dogs’ owners. The victim had gone to the home to care for the dogs while the owners were away.

Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding Musgrove’s death. The breed or ownership of the dogs involved in this latest attack has not yet been disclosed. Investigators are asking anyone with information related to the case to contact the Bessemer Police Department at 205-425-2411, the department’s Tip Line at 205-428-3541, or to call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 205-254-7777.

The series of deadly dog attacks in Alabama this year has sparked ongoing concerns about public safety and the responsibilities of pet ownership. Each of the recent incidents has involved dogs that either lived on or near the property where the victims were found. In some cases, the victims were performing tasks like feeding the animals or simply residing near them when they were attacked. Local authorities are working to determine whether negligence or failure to secure the animals contributed to these tragedies.