Mother fatally mauled by pack of dogs in Quitman, Georgia, 3 children taken to hospital

State and local officials in South Georgia are investigating a mauling involving pack of dogs that left a woman dead and sent her three children to a hospital less than 72 hours before Mother's Day.

Brooks County Sheriff’s Office deputies say they found 35-year-old Courtney Williams dead in the yard of a home in Quitman, a small city near the Florida-Georgia state line about 55 miles northwest of Tallahassee.

Officials did not say what breeds of dogs were involved in the attack, reported by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which took place late last week in the family's driveway as the children walked home from school, family told USA TODAY.

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Several aggressive dogs found on property

Preliminary information provided by the GBI revealed about 4:45 p.m. on Thursday, deputies responded to the home for a report of multiple minors being attacked by a dog.  

“When deputies arrived, they encountered several aggressive dogs on the property,” the GBI wrote in a news release. “It was determined that an individual had already taken several minors to a local hospital.”

Deputies also located Williams’ body in the yard of the home.  

Officials did not release the children's ages or their respective injuries.

USA TODAY has reached out to the GBI.

Dogs who attacked Courtney Williams belonged to neighbor, family said

Williams' sister-in-law, Crystal Cox told USA TODAY the dogs belonged to a neighbor who lives behind the home where Williams − a stay-at-home mom − lives with three of her children and her husband.

Cox said about a dozen dogs went after Williams' three children − a 10-year-old girl, a 12-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy − after they got off the school bus.

The 12-year-old boy pushed his sister out of harm's way, Cox said, the children's mother rushed out to help, and the 14-year-old ran for help and flagged down a man driving by.

"I'm not sure if he was picking up his own kids from school or was just driving by," Cox said. "To me he was an angel that was there at the right time."

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Hero passerby stopped and helped fight off dogs

The man, Cox said, got out and intervened with the dogs, saving the siblings' lives.

Their mother did not survive.

"No one was able to get to her because of the dogs," Cox said. "We are just glad the kids didn't see her," Cox said.

The middle child, 12-year-old boy, suffered serious injuries in the attack, according to Cox, but his siblings were not physically injured.

"He was hurt pretty bad," Cox wrote on Facebook in a post. "They stapled him up. He is in pain and at my house resting."

In a subsequent post, Cox posted pictures of one of the children's apparent injuries suffered in the attack.

"The other two are shook up and doing their best to handle everything," Cox said. "I will be forever grateful for the man that stopped and helped them."

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'An amazing mother' who always put family first

Cox described her sister-in-law as an amazing mother who always put family first.

"They had a Jacksonville beach trip planned before all this happened," Cox said. "She love going there with them."

Cox said the family was asking for privacy at this time.

Fatal mauling remains under investigation

An autopsy will be performed by the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office to determine William's cause and manner of death, officials said.

Officials have not said whether any of the dogs involved were euthanized.

This case remained open on Monday.

Anyone with information is asked to call the GBI.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.