Two dogs from a nearby property attacked and killed a woman in a Pitt Meadows blueberry field in 2021, according to a recently released BC Coronersa国际传媒檚 report.
However, DNA samples were only taken from the dogs following another death on the neighbouring property where the dogs resided in January, 2023 sa国际传媒� about a year and a half after Ping Guosa国际传媒檚 body was discovered among the berry bushes on Aug. 15, 2021, by a visitor to Doremi Blueberry Farm Ltd..
The RCMP Integrated Homicide Investigation Team reported Guosa国际传媒檚 death to the BC Coronersa国际传媒檚 Service.
A Coronersa国际传媒檚 report just released on Thursday, April 11, into Guosa国际传媒檚 death has concluded it was accidental.
sa国际传媒淧ing Guo died of multiple blunt and sharp force injuries sustained in an unwitnessed canid attack,sa国际传媒� read the report.
It was the owner of the blueberry farm who called 911 in 2021.
At the time, police treated Guosa国际传媒檚 death as suspicious because of her traumatic injuries. And because an animal attack was sa国际传媒渟trongly suspectedsa国际传媒� the BC Conservation Service was called in to conduct a concurrent investigation.
The Coronersa国际传媒檚 report outlined that a post mortem examination revealed Guo had sustained sa国际传媒渇atal traumatic injuriessa国际传媒�, mostly on her arms and legs, which were consistent with an attack by a large animal. Conservation officers initially thought she had been attacked by a black bear.
Following DNA analysis of hair and saliva samples, though, conservation officers discovered that the animal or animals that attacked Guo belonged to the dog or wolf family, most likely a domestic animal because of the location of the farm.
The report does not say when those samples were taken.
READ MORE:
As domestic animal attacks fall outside of the BC Conservation Officers jurisdiction, they concluded their investigation.
Guosa国际传媒檚 family filed a notice of civil claim in the Supreme Court of B.C. on Feb. 11, 2022, against Doremi Blueberry Farm Ltd., the registered owners of the blueberry farm Kae-Chang Doong and Changling Zhong, the City of Pitt Meadows, and the owners of the dogs, Baljit Haer, who has since died, and a Jane Doe, claiming the dog or dogs were sa国际传媒渁ggressive, vicious, and dangerous,sa国际传媒� and the death of Guo was due to the negligence of all three groups of defendants.
A response to the civil claim filed in November, 2023, said Haer denied being the owner of an sa国际传媒渁ggressive, vicious and dangerous dog,sa国际传媒� denied the dog had sa国际传媒渕anifested a propensity to cause harm to others,sa国际传媒� and further denied that he was aware or ought to have been aware sa国际传媒渙f this non-existent manifestation.sa国际传媒�
Haer had denied the incident occurred as alleged or at all, but that if it did, occur, is was not the result of, sa国际传媒渁ny act, omission, negligence, fault, or breach of duty, statutory or otherwisesa国际传媒� on his part.
ALSO:
However, a person who died on the same neighbouring property in January 2023, had, according to Ridge Meadows police, lacerations and bite marks on their body consistent with an animal attack.
The BC SPCA, say RCMP, also attended the scene, adding that the death was not considered a criminal matter.
DNA samples were then taken from the two dogs, and it was confirmed they were responsible for Guosa国际传媒檚 death. The dogs were euthanized on Jan. 3, 2023.
A Coroners Service investigation into the second death has yet to be released.
The coroner made only one recommendation in the report to the City of Pitt Meadows, to review, sa国际传媒渁ll relevant policies and procedures pertaining to reports of potential health and safety bylaw violations.sa国际传媒�
