2017 Quincy Pit Bull Kills Family Member in February

Quincy - On February 27th of this year 21 year-old Jamie Owsley was killed by a pit bull in his own home.  The local and state news outlets reported virtually nothing on the fatal attack and did no follow-ups on the attack at all.  They failed to confirm that the cause of death was the dog attack, calling it "an apparent dog attack."  The local news outlets failed to report that the killer dog was a family pit bull that the victim routinely slept with in his bed.  Local outlets also failed to report that the killer pit bull had at least 3 reported bites, including one attack on a child and one that required stitches.

The only reason we know what happened is because DogsBite.org filed a Freedom of Information request, received a full police report on the attack, and reported on Jamie Owsley's death.  No local or state news outlet bothered to do the bare minimum of reporting on the attack even after the killer pit bull's owner, KERRY D. TALBURT II,  was subsequently arrested and charged with six felonies which included aggravated battery because he allegedly sicced another of his pit bulls on another man in July.

Jamie Owsley, victim; Hercules the Killer; Kerry Talburt II, pit bull owner

The police report states that Jamie Owsley died as a result of "penetrating and crushing injuries to the neck, due to dog attack."  The day previous to the attack Owsley reportedly had suffered a seizure.  The attack occurred at 3:26am, Sunday February 26.  Owsley's roommate, relative, and the owner of Hercules, the killer pit bull, KERRY TALBURT II, woke up when he heard the attack, got Hercules the pit bull off Owsley and called his grandfather who came and took Jamie and Kerry to the hospital where Jamie was pronounced dead.

The coroner's report states that there were no defensive injuries suggesting that Owsley was alive but incapacitated at the time of the attack, suggesting that he may have been seizing at the time.  Owsley regularly slept with Hercules and was well known to the pit bull. Hercules the killer pit bull latched onto Jamie's neck and crushed his "larynx and hyoid bone."

According to police, Talburt said he owned three pit bulls.  He said that Hercules, a 4-year-old male pit bull did not get along with the other two pit bulls, Java (2 yrs) and Hoss (1.5 yrs) so when Hercules was out of his cage, the other two had to be caged.  The typical sleeping arrangement was for the other two pit bulls to sleep in their cages in the bedroom with Talburt while Hercules slept in the living room on a bed with Owsley.

Read more:
DogsBite.org

Related posts:
Jul 10, 2017 Quincy Pit Bull Used as a Weapon By Owner
Feb 27, 2017 Quincy Dog Kills 21 year Old Man in his Home

Illinois Fatal Dog Attacks