Husband of woman killed by dogs lashes out at owner: 'I hold you responsible'

The husband of a Kentucky woman killed by pit bulls is speaking out, and he wants the man who owned the dogs held responsible for her death.

John Saylor spoke to Knoxville, Tennessee ABC affiliate WATE about his wife, Lorraine, who was killed in the Christmas Eve attack. Saylor said his wife went outside to feed their cat when she was allegedly attacked by two pit bulls owned by their neighbor, Johnny Dale Lankford. When Saylor went to check on his wife, he was attacked as well.

Saylor suffered severe bite wounds to his left hand and smaller wounds on his arms and head. Saylor's brother managed to distract the dogs enough for him to break free. By the time he retrieved a pistol and shot one of the dogs, his wife was already dead, he said.

"She was weak and about 105 pounds," Saylor told WATE through tears. "I said, 'Oh God! Oh no! Please no!' I checked her pulse just in case."

Lorraine Saylor, 66, suffered over 20 serious bite wounds from the dogs, her husband said, including to her neck. Bell County coroner Jay Steele confirmed she was killed on the scene. One dog was shot and killed by Saylor, while the other was later found by animal control and put down, police said.

Lankford, who was already being held in jail in Bell County, Kentucky, on domestic violence charges from a Dec. 22 incident, was charged Monday with harboring a vicious animal, police said.

"I'm sure he will see this. I hope he does. He's responsible for my wife's death," Saylor said.

The death is the second woman in just over a week who was mauled by pit bulls in the Mid-South region. A Virginia woman was killed by her own dogs on Dec. 14 while taking them for a walk.

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