- Moraima Simon, 61, was found dead near her son's home in Alachua after reportedly being mauled by the family's two pit bull dogs.
- The two pit bulls were impounded by animal control, and an investigation will determine if they should be euthanized.
- Simon was caring for her grandson when the attack occurred, and the official autopsy results have not yet been released.
Moraima “Mori” Simon was visiting her son and his family in Alachua when police suspect she was fatally mauled by the family’s two pet pit bull dogs.
Simon, 61, was found dead near her son’s home late Thursday afternoon.
Alachua Police Department officer Thomas Stanfield told Mainstreet Daily News an exact cause of death was awaiting a finding by the medical examiner, but it appeared Simon was attacked by the dogs.
“There were bite marks on the deceased, on her arms,” Stanfield said.
Alachua County spokesperson Mark Sexton told Mainstreet that two dogs were impounded by animal control officers and an investigation will determine whether they should be euthanized.
Police had not released their report on the incident as of midday Tuesday. Police said road construction work had apparently severed Cox Communications lines serving both the Alachua and High Springs Police Departments, leaving them unable to access digital records.
Simon, who worked as a medical office manager in Miami-Dade County, was visiting her son, Brian Faulk, and his wife at their home on NW County Road 235 in Alachua. Simon was caring for the couple’s 2-year-old son at the time of the attack. The boy’s parents had gone out, and she and the child were taking a walk. It is unclear who discovered the incident that happened in the rural, agriculture-zoned area.
Simon’s Facebook page includes photos of her grandson playing with two dogs, almost identical light brown pit bull types named “Scrappy” and “Chanel.” Police said the dogs reportedly have no history with animal control.
The Faulks moved to their Alachua property just over a year ago, bringing the dogs with them from South Florida. A family friend told Mainstreet the couple inherited the property and decided to move to Alachua County for a more relaxed lifestyle and lower cost of living.
Lauren Newbanks, an investigator with the Alachua County Medical Examiner’s Office, said she went to the scene Thursday night, but she declined to discuss details of the incident, citing the ongoing police investigation. Newbanks said the autopsy has been completed, but it has not yet been released.
Editor’s note: This story was updated with information provided by the Alachua Police Department.
Sad – but these dogs are bred to fight, it is not surprising when this happens. It’s still beyond me why anyone would want to have these animals as pets. Prayers to all involved.
I assume the child was unharmed?
Tragic. I am so sorry. My thoughts go out to the family.
I have seen this in the news at least 20 times now.. pit bull attacks owner or someone close to owner and they die. I will never understand why anyone is allowed to buy these animals . They are the most dangerous pets. Why are pit bulls legal to own or at least make the owner have a license and some proper training to learn to take care of these possible killing machines . Really sucks when it is a little kid mauled by a pit bull but it shouldn’t happen to anyone .
I know of many Pit Bulls that are just big babies really. generalizations really don’t work that well.
They may not work well Infinity but the fact remains that this particular breed is problematic. I wish it were not true but these dogs are a ticking timebomb. In this case they may have been spooked – maybe we will never know.
From the Reporter: Some Florida counties and municipalities had previously banned ownership of pit bulls, but the state legislature enacted a law in 2023 banning such local bans, statewide. The law now also restricts the ability of animal control agencies to destroy dogs involved in episodes such as this without the dogs first being determined to be dangerous. Alachua County Animal Services is awaiting the results of further investigation before deciding the fate of the dogs in this case.
This was not the first time it had happen she previously got bitten by the same dog a few months ago
A pit bull came on my property and attacked my rott weiler and we had to shoot it. Can’t stand those dogs.
Pitbulls are known to kill their owners or their owners’ relatives. People then say, “It was the sweetest dog. I never expected it to do that.”
Why are pitbull owners in denial about that? Look at the statistics. If you do, you will see the truth that pitbulls are the number one killer of all dogs. I also notice that they are downvoting everyone who speaks the truth about pitbulls.
I was charged at two different times by pitbulls in Gainesville the moment their idiot owners let them off the leash when I happened to be passing by. I was lucky not to be hurt; i jumped on a car to get away from them in one case and in the other case the dog was being grabbed by the owner after it jumped at my back. WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IS EXACTLY HOW DID THIS DOG KILL THIS WOMAN SO WE CAN KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT IF WE ARE ATTACKED BY A PIT BULL. Then I could learn what i narrowly missed having happen to me. I was in two different apartment complex grounds when these two attacks I got through without injury happened but one of them was mainly because I jumped on top of a car. THE NEWS MEDIA NEEDS TO EXPLAIN WHAT THE DOG DOES WHEN IT ATTACKS so we can plan a defense. HOW did it kill this woman, please, Main Street Daily News?