Texas college student, 23, killed by trio of pit bulls she was dog-sitting
Madison Riley, 23, was tragically killed in Tyler, Texas, when three pit bulls she was pet‑sitting suddenly attacked her. Her mother remembered the dogs as “seemed to love her” until that night, when the animals turned on her in a brutal “vicious dog attack.”
Police say Riley was found dead in the backyard of a residential home around 4:15 p.m. Friday. A neighbor immediately called 911, and deputies from the Smith County Sheriff’s Office rushed to the scene—by that point the pit bulls had already launched their assault.
“During the attack, the dogs suddenly focused on him. He pulled out his service weapon and fired at one of the dogs, killing it,” Sergeant Larry Christian, a public‑information officer with the sheriff’s office, recounted to local news outlets.
Riley was a child‑care major at the University of Texas at Tyler, slated to graduate six months later. Her mother, Jennifer Hubbell, told reporters she sank to her knees when she received the news and had been struggling to make sense of the sudden change in the dogs’ behavior that Madison had noticed a short time before.
Hubbell also shared that Madison was an experienced animal caregiver. She had regularly looked after the family’s children and believed managing the pit bulls would be a safe task—she had even taken care of the kids for weeks.
It isn’t clear whether she was watching the children on the day she was killed; officials reported that the homeowners were away at that time.
On the GoFundMe page set up in Madison’s memory, Hubbell praised her daughter’s gift for making every child feel safe and special.
She noted that “Her K‑3rd grade students adored her,” underscoring the impact Madison was set to have in early childhood education, a field she chose partly because of her younger brother’s experiences growing up with autism.
A court hearing concerning the two surviving pit bulls is scheduled for Wednesday.
Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in world News on Latest NewsX. Follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter(X), Gettr and subscribe our Youtube Channel.
