Harris County neighbors complained ‘for over a year’ about violent dogs, 79-year-old woman found dead

Elderly woman found dead in Bayou with bite marks

A 79-year-old woman was tragically found dead in a bayou, her body bearing bite marks. Despite months of complaints about neighborhood dogs, no action was taken

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - Authorities in North Harris County continue to investigate a grandmother’s death after her body was located with several bites in a bayou.

Wednesday morning, 79-year-old Sau Nguyen went for her daily walk near Downwood Forest Drive, but she never made it home. Her son located her body that evening, covered in bites, in a nearby bayou.

"I love my mom," said Sau’s son Uan Nguyen. "I miss you, mom. I miss her a lot."

Sau’s sons describe the 79-year-old as caring. She moved to the United States from Vietnam in the 1970s with her husband.

"My heart is broken," said Danh Nguyen. "When I saw my mom first, I was shaking."

Woman found dead in bayou with dog bites

A 79-year-old old woman with dog bites was found dead in a Harris County bayou on Wednesday night.

In a tweet on X Wednesday night, Pct. 1 Constable Alan Rosen said, "One of our most vulnerable communities- our senior citizens! 80 yr. old mom found deceased by her own family after not coming home from a walk. Preliminary info victim deceased of many dog bites."

Several people who live along Downwood Forest Drive say a group of dogs has been terrorizing the streets. Residents say they have called the police several times, for more than a year, complaining about one homeowner’s seven dogs.

"A bunch of neighbors have been bitten," said Reed Folwell. "Dogs have been killed by them. Cats have been killed by them. They’re just a menace."

Folwell says despite several calls from neighbors, their concerns were never addressed.

"[The dog owners] got some tickets out of that," said Folwell. "That was kind of the end of it. We asked the police that came, what is it going to take to get this taken care of? Is somebody going to have to die? I hadn’t heard anything else about it, and now today somebody does die."

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A spokesperson from Harris County Veterinary Public Health provided a written statement about the case.

"On November 15th, at approximately 11 p.m., animal control officers were dispatched to Downwood Forest Drive in northwestern Harris County, Texas," said a spokesperson from Harris County Veterinary Public Health. "The call was made by Constable Precinct 1 after a woman was found dead. The officers retrieved seven dogs, which were surrendered by their owner. The dogs are currently under the custody of the Harris County Pets Resource Center. The case is under investigation."

Authorities tell FOX 26 that an autopsy is being done to determine Nguyen’s cause of death. So far, no charges have been filed in this case as the investigation continues.