Feb 10, 2014 2 min read

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio woman who was mauled to death by two neighborhood dogs had complained many times about the animals and sought help from various public agencies, according to people she knew.

Klonda Richey, 57, had been harassed by the dog owners and built a high fence to protect her and her 20 cats from the animals, acquaintances told the Dayton Daily News. Richey told other neighbors she lived in fear of the dogs.

Richey was mauled by the mixed-breed dogs Friday, police said. She was found unclothed in front of her house, her coat apparently torn off by the dogs. Police said the dogs were shot to death by officers investigating the death.

The dog owners were released from jail Sunday night pending additional investigation, police Lt. Wendy Stiver told the newspaper. Messages left seeking additional comment from police Monday were not immediately returned.

Friends and co-workers of Richey said she had told them for the past three years that she lived in fear of the dogs and worried especially that they would harm her cats.

“She’s always been terrified of those dogs,” said Tim Bridwell, a friend who worked with Richey at Montgomery County Job & Family Services.

Richey told him that she tried to work through the legal system to get protection from the dogs but felt that no one believed her, he said.

“She told me, and a lot of other people, she was afraid those dogs were going to kill her,” Bridwell said.

A woman answering the phone at the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office said Monday that the coroner had not yet released a ruling on the cause of death.

Mourners left flowers outside Richey’s home over the weekend, and Bridwell and others described her as a caring person who dedicated her life to rescuing animals and took in many cats.