12/03/2024
Update from last week on KCMO Dog Mauling Case:
Three weeks after Kansas City native Chris Culbertson was mauled to death by a pack of dogs, authorities have yet to release information on the investigation or disclose where the dogs are located. What is known is that the area of the attack had been frequently monitored by animal control authorities as a problematic zone where one or more dogs have been reported as being a nuisance or possible danger to the public, dating back to February 2023. Chris Culbertson’s sister learned after the attack that police had previously received more than a dozen complaints about the dogs, but no action had been taken by the city’s animal control services run by KC Pet Project.
The Kansas City Police Department did not respond to questions submitted by email from The Star about who is responsible in these types of investigations, where the dogs are now or how many were captured. Also unanswered — questions submitted to KC Pet Project about how many calls of service were placed to their Animal Services Division between Jan. 1, 2023 and Nov. 2, 2024 about instances of dog bites, dogs chasing animals and/or people and what their protocols are when it comes to handling dangerous dogs. The Star also did not immediately receive the contract agreed to by KC Pet Project and the city outlining their duties and specific protocols, specifically with regards to dealing with dangerous animals. Philip DiMartino, spokesperson for KCPD, told The Star Thursday that investigators are making progress and are in communication with prosecutors to determine applicable charges.
For 23 minutes on Nov. 2, Chris Culbertson, 46, was attacked while biking home on the 3200 block of E 80th Street, an attack that left him screaming for help as seven dogs ripped him apart. It was an especially heartbreaking situation for someone who loved dogs so much, according to his sister. Initially, Chris Culbertson told his sister he attempted to calm the first two dogs down and show he wasn’t a threat. But then, he said, five more came. “(He) didn’t taunt them, didn’t do anything. They just came at him. He did nothing to them. It’s all on the video,” Angela Culbertson said.
A neighbor came out with a golf club hoping to scare the dogs off, but they turned on her and she received serious injuries, according to previous reporting. Culbertson’s sister, Angela, later saw security footage of the attack from a neighbor. She said there were two additional pit bulls in the backyard who couldn’t get out of the fence, so the other seven dragged him towards the fence line. “I wouldn’t wish that on anybody,” his sister Angela Culbertson said. “The tearing and the pooling (of blood) and the biting that my brother went through was horrendous.”
Chris Culbertson , who owned Dobermans, Rottweilers and American pit bulls throughout his life, received over 500 stitches at the hospital. His cheeks and chin were ripped, and his heels and one toe were nearly torn off his feet. Had he not died Nov. 6, he would’ve needed to have his right hand and left leg amputated, live on dialysis and have a tracheotomy for the rest of life, his sister said. “Even if he made it with that percentage being so low, it wouldn’t be the life that he would want,” Angela Culbertson said.
The night of the attack, first responders struggled to get control of the dogs, eventually getting them away from Chris Culbertson long enough for a paramedic to drag him to the ambulance. In the end, they put the dogs back behind the fence and left, his sister said. Authorities haven’t confirmed why the dogs were not confiscated at that time.
POLICE NOT IN CHARGE ON DANGEROUS DOG CALLS: KC Pet Project took over Kansas City’s animal shelter services in 2012, and was contracted with the city in 2020 to assume all animal control responsibilities though their Animal Services Division. At that time, KC Pet Project appointed a supervisor of animal health and public safety administrator. Since then, the role of Kansas City police has been to assist KC Pet Project and aid in enforcement — only taking over if an animal control administrator doesn’t respond to a scene in a reasonable amount of time, according to Kansas City ordinance.
The ordinance also states that if a dog bites a person or other domestic animal, they are to be impounded immediately by the supervisor of animal health and public safety, and afterwards put down humanely. An animal that can’t be caught may be killed by the supervisor or police if no other means of capture is successful and if the animal continues to be a threat. But despite officials witnessing the pack of dogs attack Chris Culberton, they did not confiscate the dogs, instead leaving them in their backyard after eventually getting them to back away by shooting one dog with a taser gun.
Authorities didn’t return until the next day. According to Angela Culbertson, when police returned the next day with a warrant, only two of the dogs were left on the property and were apprehended. The homeowners, seven pit bulls and 15 puppies were gone. Angela Culbertson said that a representative with KC Pet Project was on the scene with other authorities the night of the attack, and believes they should not have let the dogs go. Kansas City police and KC Pet Project did not immediately respond to requests for comment on where the other dogs are now.
OFFICIALS KNEW ABOUT AGGRESSIVE DOGS: According to online data, officials in the Animal Services Division were aware of the potential danger of these dogs for nearly two years before the fatal attack. Starting in February 2023, KC Pet Project’s Animal Services Division listed the same block each month as an area with dogs becoming a potential public safety concern. According to the Animal Services Division, when officers respond to the scene, the dogs are gone, so they frequently patrol the area hoping to encounter the aggressive dogs. Despite nearly two years of searching and over a dozen reports from neighbors, the Animal Services Division continued to list the block as an area of monitoring emphasis.
KC Pet Project’s contract with the city expired April 30, 2024, but it will continue to operate the city’s animal control services under an extension until a new contract is awarded, according to a city spokesperson. The request for proposals is closed, according to Sherae Honeycutt, city spokesperson. Applicants are being reviewed, but there is not a date for when a new contract will be awarded, she said. While that process is underway, the city declined providing new contract details. It was not clear whether KC Pet Project applied to renew their contract.
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Three weeks after Chris Culbertson was killed by seven dogs in south Kansas City, many questions remain as to who is responsible when dogs kill people in Kansas City.
