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Chicago-area woman fatally mauled by French bulldog she rescued

Police believe the dog bit the woman's boyfriend last month.

A Chicago-area woman was fatally mauled by a French bulldog she had rescued, police said Wednesday.

Image: Lisa Urso
Lisa Urso, 52Facebook

The coroner of Lake County, Illinois, identified the woman as 52-year-old Lisa Urso of Ingleside. She died from injuries sustained in the attack, according to preliminary results of an autopsy, the coroner's office said.

Urso had rescued the dog, which bit her boyfriend last month, Jimmy Lee, chief of Fox Lake police, which patrols Ingleside, said. It wasn't clear when she adopted the French bulldog.

Officers went to Urso's home after 4 p.m. Saturday and discovered her dead, Lee said. "It was a gruesome attack," the chief said.

"The initial attack took place inside her home," Lake County Coroner Howard Cooper said in a statement. "She did exit the home, onto her patio, which is where she ultimately died."

The woman owned three dogs, Lee said. The French bulldog was hard to handle but is now in the custody of Lake County Animal Care and Control, he said.

"Not so friendly," the chief said.

Though the cause of death was determined, toxicology tests were still outstanding, Lee said.

"There are no signs of foul play," he said. "It's an unfortunate tragedy."