EXCERPTED FROM THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

They say mountain lion to blame, want review of evidence

BY CATHY FRYE
May 8, 2003

A woman whose mauled body was discovered Saturday night in her sister's front yard appears to have been killed by the family dogs, authorities said Wednesday. But the victim's relatives continue to insist that she was attacked by a mountain lion, chastising lawmen for not taking this theory seriously.

"What we'd love is for somebody to look at the evidence we have here and give it a fair hearing," said Ken Davison, 59, adding that he has photographs and a plaster cast of large cat tracks that he found on his property in northern Van Buren County. "We've got sightings, prints, photographs - and if I see the damn thing, they'll have a dead cat, too," Davison said. But Van Buren County Sheriff Scott Bradley said a preliminary report from the medical exaniner shows that Leigh Cox, 41, known by family members as Leeann was covered with bites that appear to have been infliicted by several dogs. "And there is more evidence on the body that is going to support the dogs doing it," the sheriff added, declining to elaborate on what the evidence is until his investigation is finished. Cox's body was discovered at 9:45 p.m. Saturday when Davison and his wife, Barbara, returned from an afternoon trip to visit friends.

Right now, no one can speculate about why the dogs would have attacked Cox, who moved in with the Davisons about a month ago. There probably won't be any criminal charges filed in the case, the sheriff said, adding, "I think it was a very unfortunate accident."

As for the Davisons' contentions that a mountain lion is to blame, the sheriff said he thinks they may be desperately seeking another explanation for their loved one's death. While he can't rule out the possibility that someone might have seen a mountain lion, Bradley said wildlife officials have assured him there are no such cats in the area.

"All we want is for somebody to at least look at the evidence, OK?" Davison said. "They can blame it on our dogs, kill the rest of our three dogs, but that cat is still out there."

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