MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Dogs mauled a 72-year-old woman to death on Monday morning in Miami Gardens, and relatives say she had warned about a dangerous stray-dog problem in her neighborhood.
After a vocal outburst of intense sorrow, Lateisha Wilkinson pointed to the field along Northwest 196 Terrace, where police officers found her mother, Doreen Richard Broadbelt.
Tuesday noon report:
“She talked about it every day,” Wilkinson said. “She talked about it, and they did nothing about it.”
Police officers found Richard Broadbelt shortly after 7:35 a.m., after she had suffered dog bites, and Miami-Dade Rescue personnel pronounced her dead, according to Diana Delgado, a spokeswoman for the Miami Gardens Police Department.
Richard Broadbelt had decided to carry a stick that her daughter had given her to fend the dogs off. Other residents in the area near Norwood Elementary School also said they live in fear.
Animal services personnel also responded and were going door to door swabbing dogs to collect DNA in an effort to identify the culprits.
Miami-Dade County has a law prohibiting stray dogs, and officials asked residents to call 311 or 305-468-5900 to report stray animals in their area.
Detectives asked anyone with information about this or other cases to call Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477 to remain anonymous.
Miami-Dade Animal Services released this statement to Local 10 News on Tuesday:
"Miami-Dade Animal Services (MDAS) is aware of the incident that occurred on September 1, 2025, in the 1400 block of NW 196 Terrace, involving a woman found unresponsive with apparent animal bite injuries.
In response to this situation, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, MDAS, and the Miami Gardens Police Department promptly arrived at the scene. Currently, we do not have any additional information to share, as the investigation is still ongoing. The cause of death is under examination by the Medical Examiner's Office, and the involved dogs and their owners have not yet been located. At this time, it is unclear whether the dogs were strays or owned.
We appreciate your interest in this case and recognize the importance of keeping the public informed. However, we are unable to provide further details or schedule interviews at this time.
Please don’t hesitate to check back with us for updates as the investigation unfolds."
Local 10 News Senior Assignment Editor Frine Gomez contributed to this report.
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