Police: Woman dies after being attacked by fiance's dog in Calvert County

HUNTINGTOWN, Md. - A Calvert County woman has died after she was attacked by her fiance's dog.

Police said they responded to Cherry Hill Road and Route 4 in Huntingtown at around 7:15 a.m. Thursday after motorists witnessing the attack called them for help.

"This was an unusual phone call," said Maryland State Police spokesperson Elena Russo. "The trooper responded to the scene and found this attack happening. It looked to be adjacent to the front yard, an area that had a lot of brush in it. So the attack was actually taking place in an area outside of what looked to be a fenced-in area of the home."

Police said the trooper shot the dog with his service weapon when it moved aggressively towards him. Police would later shoot the dog again, killing him, while they tried to apprehend the pet and prevent it from harming anyone else.

The victim of the dog attack, 28-year-old Jenna Rae Sutphin, was taken to Calvert Memorial Health Center by ambulance and then transported by helicopter to MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington D.C. She died at the hospital Thursday evening, police confirmed.

On a large tree outside on the property, there is a sign posted that says, "Warning K-9 on premises." The dog, who was identified by neighbors as Rocky, is described as a dogo mastiff mix.

However, residents told FOX 5 that they never expected anything like this to happen.

"He's been my buddy since he was a puppy," said neighbor Gloria Michaus. "He would see me outside running around. He would come up to me and love on me. He would see me pull into my mom's driveway. He would come up and whine for me to come up and pet him. He never, ever showed any aggression or nothing. Never."

Neighbors said Sutphin and her fiance have lived at the home for the last seven years. Rocky joined the couple four years ago.

"At this time, investigators are not sure how the dog was able to get outside of what appeared to be a fenced-in area where it looked like dogs were living behind this home," said Russo. "That is still part of the active investigation.

A source told FOX 5 that Sutphin worked for the Prince George's County government.