A Florida woman died after suffering a violent attack by two pit bulls in a neighborhood near Cocoa, Brevard County authorities reported.

The victim was identified as Jodi Cowan, 50, who was attacked Tuesday while walking with her small dog. The case is being investigated by the animal services unit of the Brevard County Sheriff's Office.

Her partner tried to rescue her during the attack

The victim's partner, Donnell Smith, told local NBC affiliate WESH that she returned home around 1:00 a.m. and noticed that Jodi Cowan was out with her pet.

Shortly after, she heard cries for help and saw two dogs dragging the woman down the street.

According to what he told local media, he ran to help her and found her seriously injured in the middle of a pool of blood.

She claimed that the dogs returned several times to continue attacking her while she tried to stop the bleeding and defend her using a knife.

Emergency services airlifted the victim by helicopter to a nearby hospital, where he later died due to the severity of his injuries.

Residents of the area stated that the dogs involved had already caused concern in the community.

Bruce Midkiff testified that surveillance cameras in his home captured part of the attack and that the recordings were turned over to the police.

The neighbor also claimed that several people had previously reported problems related to pit bulls to the authorities.

According to him, one of the dogs had previously bitten another resident and in April he even cornered his wife inside a vehicle.

Another neighbor, Scott Chase, said he had called authorities twice to report that the animals were constantly escaping.

Family describes victim as an animal lover

The victim's father, Martin Cowan, described his daughter as a big-hearted person and a lover of animals.

Meanwhile, Donnell Smith believes the attack began when the pit bulls chased the couple's small dog and Jodi Cowan tried to intervene.

The two pit bulls were seized by animal control while investigations into the case continue.

So far, authorities have not filed criminal charges against the dogs' owner.

Florida recently toughened penalties related to owners of aggressive dogs after several fatal attacks in the state, including the case of an eight-year-old boy who died in 2024.

The investigation is ongoing and authorities asked residents not to publicly release videos of the attack.