In fact, witnesses say that the dogs that claimed her life were the very same dogs that, just a year ago, Lamp had stopped and offered to feed.
The attack happened in broad daylight as stunned witnesses say the dogs mauled the woman to the point she was unrecognizable and unable to be saved.
Lamp was walking in the ditch picking up discarded cans when the horrific mauling took place.
A witness nearby says that he tried to save Lamp by attempting to get the dogs away from the injured woman before bringing her some water.
Unfortunately there was nothing that could be done for the dying woman and she succumb to her injuries.
Wagoner County Sheriff Bob Colbert says that it is a tragedy what happened in Red Bird and that the woman was just trying to make a little extra money by collecting the cans.
“It’s a tragedy this had to happen on a terrible hot day, this lady is out walking trying to make some extra money and gets mauled by a pack of dogs.”
"This is where she was laying at," said a witness who asked to remain anonymous.
He says she was already dead when she was first found.
"Oh yeah, she was dead, she wasn't breathing. You could look at her and tell that she wasn't breathing," he said.
"About 7 o'clock this morning I got up and shot at like four or five dogs," said Annette Panter.
She lives just down the street, and has frequently encountered aggressive stray dogs, so much so she always carries a gun.
"Always do when I mow, because if it's not that it's coyote and different things, so I just shot at them again yesterday," Panter said.
Being as isolated as it is, she says, people routinely abandon dogs there.
"This is where everybody drops dogs off," Panter said.
"What can we do? You start shooting dogs down here then you're going to get in trouble for animal cruelty. You know, so, you can't get rid of them, you can't shoot them, you can't do nothing about it," the man said.
It is currently not known if the dogs were wild, but Colbert thinks they likely have an owner that is refusing to come forward.
“I’m sure no one is going to claim ownership of them now, but our investigation will continue, and we will present our findings to the district attorney and see if there will be any charges.”
According to a report by KJRH, the dog pack included three pit bulls and a Rottweiler. Animal control officials say that all of the dogs were taken into custody but other reports indicate only three dogs were found. Those living in the Red Bird community say that stray dogs or improperly cared for dogs are a problem as there is no animal control officer assigned to the area as the population is too low.
Oklahoma State law only requires an animal control officer for cities with populations over 250,000. Therefore, many small towns like Red Bird have no one to call when there is a stray dog problem.
Sheriff Colbert also noted that this wasn’t the first time that Lamp had been in contact with the dogs. In fact, just a year ago, Colbert says that Lamp offered to feed the dogs. People throughout the community have commented on Carolyn’s kind nature and note that she was a retired school teacher.
(Inquisitor - July 27, 2015)
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