Woman found dead with multiple dog bites at Alief home with two full-grown Doberman Pinschers

Elaine Richman is shown with one of her Doberman Pinschers. Elaine Richman is shown with one of her Doberman Pinschers. Photo: Bruce Richman Photo: Bruce Richman Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Woman found dead with multiple dog bites at Alief home with two full-grown Doberman Pinschers 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

Elaine Richman lived for her Doberman Pinschers, her brother said.

She had owned more than a handful of the dogs, and they were her world. On Friday, she was found dead in her backyard with several dog bite marks on her face, arms and hands, Houston Police said.

While ruled an accident, Richman died by “sharp force injuries,” according to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. Two Doberman Pinschers were found inside her home.

The 66-year-old's brother said it would be premature to talk about how she died, mentioning that full medical reports were not complete.

“It is tragic and unfortunate that she’s leaving us at such a young age,” Bruce Richman said. “It is just a very, very sad event that has taken place, but you know you have to remember the joy that she brought to so many of these dogs.”

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Authorities found the woman around 8 a.m. Friday after being dispatched to the 12800 block of Susanna Lane in Alief for a welfare check. When they arrived, they saw the unresponsive woman, later identified as Richman, in the backyard with her wounds, Houston police said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Witnesses told police they hadn't seen the woman at her dog training classes for the last two days, authorities said in a news release. Richman prided herself on the animals, her brother said.

“What she liked to do was to be with her dogs,” he said. “I always say that whenever I talked to her, her voice would light up in discussion on what this dog or that dog did.”

Richman has had a number of the Dobermans – all different sizes and colors. One of them, Oz, was a prize show dog, Bruce Richman said.

Dog handler Theresa Nail, who has shown Oz in competitions, said that Richman's dogs were "champions," well-behaved and very sweet.

Doberman Pinschers are known as protective dogs that are "royalty in the canine kingdom," according to the American Kennel Club. Originally bred by a tax collector in 19th century Germany, they're muscular and compact dogs weighing up to 100 pounds in males and 90 pounds in females. They're usually more than 2 feet tall and live between 10 and 12 years.

Studies pointing to any potential danger of Dobermans are hard to come by, and efforts to categorize harmful behaviors of breeds have been criticized by several prominent animal organizations. Factors other than genetics play into harmful behavior of dogs, the CDC said in a 2001 report.

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No recent data was available, however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted a study in the mid-90s that found eight Doberman Pinschers involved in dog bite-related deaths from 1978 to 1996. The number placed Dobermans in the top 10 of dog-bite deaths by breed, but still ranked below pit bull-type dogs, Rottweilers, German shepherds, huskies and Alaskan malamutes.

Tom Pincus, the president of the Houston Kennel Club, said he was skeptical that Richman's dogs would have caused her death. He added that she wasn't a member of his organization.

"That is extremely unusual, that a person is attacked by their personal dogs," Pincus said. "I would not believe that for a second until I heard that from a coroner's report."

It’s unclear what happened to Richman’s dogs after she died. Her brother said that “they are being handled properly right now,” but declined to clarify any further.

A Houston police spokesman said that investigators on the case were off work on Monday and couldn’t provide an immediate update on the status of the pets.

One neighbor, who declined to be identified, said that she saw a dog being led out of the house on Friday. Several other people who live on the street said they weren't familiar with Richman's home or the Dobermans.

The only indication that she had pets was a sign on her fence that read, "Beware of dog."

Richman has been affiliated with a number of Doberman groups, including the Katoba Dobermans breeders. They declined to comment for this story.

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She had also been involved in the Doberman Pinscher Club of Houston and was accused of stealing from the organization, which was dedicated to the breed she so openly adored.

Authorities said that between Nov. 10, 2011, and May 31, 2012, Richman stole $23,250 from the club while she was its treasurer, according to Harris County court records. She was also accused of falsifying financial statements, inflating the funds that were available.

Richman agreed to deferred adjudication and was given probation for eight years, ending in November 2020. Her brother declined to comment on the matter, saying it has "zero relevancy to the situation at hand."

She will be well-remembered by her family, her brother said. She had seven siblings.

Richman's dogs were gorgeous, her brother said, and she could tell you anything you wanted to know about the breed. She was an accountant by trade, but the dogs were her life, Bruce Richman said.

“She, from a very young age, had a compassion and joy for dogs,” he said. “They were her children.”

Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com | NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here.