Florida Woman, 29, 'Pretended to Suffer Heart Attack' During Arrest After Her Two Dogs 'Ripped Apart' and Killed Neighbor
Linda Cutler, 29, was arrested and charged with manslaughter in connection with the fatal dog attack.
May 29 2026, Published 6:20 p.m. ET
A Florida woman accused of owning the dogs that fatally mauled her neighbor allegedly tried to derail her arrest by pretending to suffer a heart attack, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Linda Cutler, 29, now faces a manslaughter charge after authorities said her two mixed-breed dogs escaped her property and brutally attacked a woman, who later died from her injuries.
Dogs 'Ripped Apart' Neighbor
Authorities said Cutler's dogs, Max and Mako, escaped her property before attacking Jodi Cowan.
According to Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey, Cutler's dogs, Max and Mako, climbed over a fence and attacked 50-year-old dog walker Jodi Cowan in Cocoa during the early morning hours of May 19, per The New York Post.
The sheriff said the animals forced Cowan to the ground before "viciously attacking her and eventually dragging her across the ground for quite some distance."
Cowan's husband, Donnell Smith, desperately tried to fend off the dogs by swinging a knife at them, but the attack had already caused catastrophic injuries.
Victim's Final Moments
Cowan's husband desperately tried to stop the mauling and later described the scene as 'brutal.'
Moments after the mauling, Cowan called 911 and pleaded for help.
"I'm dying, can't breathe," she reportedly told dispatchers.
Smith later described the horrifying scene to local media, saying: "It was brutal. Seeing the same woman I've loved for the last 25, 30 years just ripped apart by two animals was just... I'll never get that image out of my mind."
Cowan died from her injuries several hours later.
'Feigning a Heart Attack' During Arrest
Sheriff Wayne Ivey alleged Cutler 'feigned having a heart attack' while deputies escorted her into custody.
Authorities did not immediately arrest Cutler after the fatal attack. Instead, she was taken into custody a week later when deputies responded to an unrelated disturbance near a Hilton hotel in Melbourne.
While being arrested on Wednesday, Cutler allegedly attempted to fake a medical emergency.
Sheriff Ivey told reporters she "feigned having a heart attack" as deputies escorted her into custody.
As officers led her to jail, Ivey told Cutler: "Hope you enjoyed your time at the beach because you're not going to be going back."
"What is the purpose of that?" Cutler allegedly replied.
"A woman is dead and two dogs are about to be euthanized because of your uselessness," the sheriff shot back.
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Cutler faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted and is due back in court on June 23.
Investigators said Cutler knew her dogs had escaped before, but she allegedly failed to reinforce the fence surrounding her property.
Authorities also revealed that one of her neighbors had previously been bitten by her dogs, though the victim did not cooperate with law enforcement at the time.
"They were always on the loose," neighbor Dominica Midkiff said.
However, as earlier incidents did not meet legal requirements for seizure, authorities were unable to remove the animals before the fatal attack.
The dogs are now scheduled to be euthanized, while Cutler faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
Her arraignment is set for June 23.
