Georgia woman, 80, dies after being attacked by daughter's dogs, deputies say

TROUP COUNTY, Ga. - A Georgia woman is facing charges after authorities say her dogs violently attacked her mother, which resulted in her death.

The incident happened the evening of Oct. 7 on Terrace Drive in Troup County.

According to Sheriff James Woodruff, 911 dispatchers received a call around 7:45 p.m. about an elderly woman who was screaming from a window for help because her sister was being attacked by dogs inside the home.

When the deputy arrived at the home, they say they found an elderly woman laying on the floor with visible wounds. Three large dogs were also inside. The sheriff said the deputy had to use pepper spray to get the dogs outside. The dogs were not hit with the spray directly, but deputies deployed the spray in their direction and the dogs took off through a "doggie door" to the backyard.

The woman, identified as 80-year-old Rosetta Gesselman, was taken to the hospital where officials say she later died from her injuries.

The dogs in question were a female pit bull mix and two male pit bull/great mastiff mixes. One of the dogs was captured and later euthanized, according to authorities. The other two had to be put down by first responders at the scene "due to their aggressiveness."

"The dog’s owner, Tongia Gesselman, who is the daughter of the victim, knew the dogs had previously killed family pets and had also bit someone, which required a hospital visit. These incidents were never reported by Tongia and at the time of this incident, Tongia was not home," Sheriff Woodruff said.

Tongia Gesselman, 48, was charged with reckless conduct and felony involuntary manslaughter.