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Dog mauling may have occurred after death, authorities say

Posted January 28, 2008 10:00 pm

Jayette Bolinski

Preliminary results of an autopsy Monday indicated a Springfield woman's dog-bite injuries might have happened after she died.

Authorities are trying to determine whether the mauling led to Amber Strode's death, due to the extent of her injuries, and what happened in her home Sunday that would have prompted the two dogs police described as pit bulls to attack her.

Strode, 22, was remembered as a quiet, friendly, hardworking woman who posted photos of patients' new babies at her desk at the obstetrics clinic where she worked.

"Everybody liked her. I couldn't honestly tell you out of 50 employees one single person who didn't care for her," said Sonja McGrath, one of Strode's supervisors at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. "They're all devastated today. We are going to miss her very, very much. She didn't deserve this."

Strode was pronounced dead at 12:30 p.m. Sunday inside her home in the 100 block of South Wheeler Avenue. Also in the house were the two adult male dogs.

The cause of death remains undetermined. Sangamon County Coroner Susan Boone said toxicology tests and additional studies are pending. It was unclear how long those will take, though toxicology results often take weeks.

Police who went to the house Sunday described the scene as "gruesome." They said Monday that foul play has not been ruled out and the investigation is continuing.

Strode bought the neat, tan ranch house last year and lived there with her boyfriend, whom authorities would not identify. The dogs belonged to him, police said.

The boyfriend apparently left sometime Sunday morning and returned later to find Strode dead in the master bathroom. He called police, put the dogs in a kennel inside the house and waited for police and emergency crews to arrive.

Members of Strode's family could not be reached Monday.

The dogs were taken to Sangamon County Animal Control. Jim Stone, director of the Sangamon County Department of Public Health, declined to identify the breeds, ages and sizes of the dogs, nor would he discuss what typically happens when dogs are seized following an attack. He would confirm only that the dogs were in animal control custody.

"I really can't go into much detail," Stone said. "When we have animals taken in as part of the investigation, then information is not divulged until the investigation is complete," he said.

Jane McBride, president of the animal welfare group Illinois Humane, said it is unusual for animals to attack the dead.

"For a dog to attack a dead body, either they're extremely hungry or there's something else going on here," she said. "We really need more detail. It's very odd for an animal to scavenge a dead body."

McGrath said Strode was a receptionist in the obstetrics and gynecology clinic at the medical school and had worked there almost two years. Word of her death was making its way around the school, and a prayer service was held at noon Monday for those who wanted to remember her.

She said Strode was petite - "85, 90 pounds soaking wet" - and that she was a "lovely, bright, hardworking young lady."

"She was very quiet, but got along with everybody. She completed tasks as assigned with never any complaints and worked every day, rarely missed work. We're going to miss her very much," McGrath said.

"She treated the public very well. She checked patients in as part of her job before their clinic visits. She was very personable. They all liked her. She even has pictures of some of their babies posted at her desk."

Strode was proud of being a new homeowner and went home most days to feed the dogs at lunchtime. Police said the interior of the house was immaculate.

On Monday, a police patrol car was parked in the driveway of the house. Yellow crime scene tape was strung across the garage and front porch. The garage door was up, revealing a tidy interior and a wire dog crate inside. A wooden privacy fence encircling the back yard was posted with "beware of dog" signs.

Police said an officer will remain posted at the property until investigators are certain they no longer need to re-examine any part of the house.

Hannah Capranica of Athens said she and Strode went to Athens High School together and were close friends, as well as roommates for a time. According to her obituary, Strode, who loved camping, boating and being outdoors, played softball and basketball in high school. She also attended Lincoln Land Community College.

Capranica and Strode worked together at Cancun, a Mexican restaurant in Sherman, where Strode was a waitress until she got the job at the school of medicine.

"She was very sweet, nice to everybody. Hardworking.

"She was very, very small," Capranica said, adding that she was stunned by the news of her friend's death, especially since she had been to Strode's new house and had seen her interact with the dogs.

"They were nice. The dogs treated her just like she was their owner. She was nice to them," she said.

"They were big," Capranica added. "They were short, but they were wide. They were older. It'd be more understandable if they were younger, but those dogs were grown and should have known better."

Jayette Bolinski can be reached at (217) 788-1530.

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