Jo Ann Echelbarger killed by two dogs in Ashville, Ohio; owners later convicted
Jo Ann Echelbarger, 73, died after two neighboring pit bull terriers attacked her while she gardened outside her Ashville condominium on October 17, 2024.
Incident summary
Jo Ann Echelbarger, 73, was fatally attacked by two neighboring pit bull terriers while working in her flower bed outside her Ashville condominium on October 17, 2024. Responding police shot one dog; the other escaped, later killed another dog near a school, and was also killed by law enforcement. The owners, Susan and Adam Withers, were later convicted of involuntary manslaughter and dog-control offenses and sentenced to lengthy prison terms.
A Pickaway County jury convicted dog owners Susan and Adam Withers in February 2025 of involuntary manslaughter and dog-control offenses. They were sentenced in April 2025 to terms totaling 14 to 19.5 years each under the sentencing structure reported by Ohio outlets. Separate civil litigation by Echelbarger’s family alleges failures by the owners, county dog-welfare officials and property-management entities; civil allegations are not treated as adjudicated findings here.
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Primary record used by BiteDB
WHIO, citing prior News Center 7 reporting and Pickaway County Prosecutor Jayme Fountain, reported that Echelbarger was attacked on October 17, 2024 while working in her flower beds, suffered serious injuries, went into cardiac arrest during transport and was pronounced dead at the hospital. WOSU separately reported that the attacking dogs were pit bull terriers Apollo and Echo and covered the later criminal convictions and civil litigation.
Open original source ↗Additional sources
- Family of Ashville woman killed by dogs sues owners, Pickaway Co. dog warden and condo association — WOSU Public Media — civil-case and incident-history corroboration · 2025-03-12
- Mother and son convicted in Pickaway County dog mauling death sentenced to 14 to 19 years — WOSU Public Media — conviction/sentencing corroboration · 2025-04-02
- Ashville PD issues warning about aggressive K9 — Local publication reproducing Ashville Police same-day public warning · 2024-10-17
What BiteDB does not infer
Breed is recorded only at the provenance level shown above. Missing injury details, dog history, ownership facts or circumstances remain unknown unless a reliable source establishes them. This record may be updated as police, animal-control, medical, court or follow-up reporting becomes available.