Woman mauled to death by French bulldog mix, coroner says

INGLESIDE, Illinois -- A suburban Chicago woman who recently adopted a French bulldog that had been bred to fight was fatally mauled by the dog over the weekend, a coroner said.

A friend found Lisa Urso unresponsive on the patio behind her Ingleside, Illinois, home on Saturday evening. Investigators determined she had been attacked by the French bulldog. Toxicology results are pending.

Lake County Coroner Dr. Howard Cooper said Urso, 52, had recently adopted the dog, which had been bred to fight. The dog attacked Urso inside her home, but she made it out to her patio, where she died.

Cooper said Urso suffered many bite wounds and scratches on her legs, arms and torso.

"I hate to say it, but unfortunately, it was a vicious attack," he said, adding that although French bulldogs are a smaller breed, they can deliver powerful bites.

"You don't really think about it happening with a smaller dog breed, but we forget animals can be powerful," he said. "This animal has a lot of jaw strength."

Cooper said the dog recently attacked Urso's boyfriend. After that attack, she had gone to animal control to get the dog back.

Urso owned two other dogs, including a second French bulldog, which was found with some blood on it, and a border collie, he said.

Animal Care & Control spokesperson Hannah Goering confirmed Thursday the dog involved in the incident was a 55-pound French bulldog mix.

Note: The video in the media player above, provided by WGN-TV, shows photos of Urso with several dogs. It is unclear if one of these dogs attacked her.