Beloved Va. Church Elder, 88, Is Mauled to Death by Dog While Walking to Sister's House

An 88-year-old woman who was a beloved elder in her church died after being mauled by a dog, according to multiple reports.

Last Monday, friends and family said that Evangeline Brooks was walking to her sister's house in Richmond, Va., when a dog attacked her, reports WTVR.

Brooks was taken to the hospital after police responded, but she died from her injuries the next day, NBC 12 reported.

"It is a big loss. It is a big loss for me, but I know that I've made up in my mind each day I need to be the best that I can be. That is my responsibility," Brooks' son, Howavrd Brooks, told WSAZ 3.

The dog, a pit bull mix, has been euthanized, Richmond Animal Care and Control (RACC) Director Christie Chipps-Peter said, per WTVR.

While the investigation remains ongoing, the outlet reports that Richmond Police are working with RACC and will consult with the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office on the matter of bringing charges.

Dwight Jones, the former Mayor of Richmond who is now the senior pastor of First Baptist Church of South Richmond, Brooks' church, told WSAZ, "There need to be laws that will dictate the consequences of those dogs when they take the life of a woman in her upper 80s."

Jones said Brooks was "salt of the Earth. She was a wonderful person."

"For a person in their upper 80s to lose their life in such a horrendous way, it is something that really causes us concern on top of our grief," he said.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

According to WTVR, Brooks was a member of the First Baptist Church of Southside Richmond for 25 years, serving as a deacon, a choir member and a Sunday school teacher, Jones said. Friends and family also confirmed she was a schoolteacher for several years at the Chesterfield County Public Schools.

"We have members who come and go, but then, there are special members who really mean a lot," Jones said, WSAZ reports.

First Baptist Church of South Richmond executive minister Cheryl Ivey Green is also remembering her friend.

"She was very active in the Deacons Ministry of Richmond and vicinity. So I know that she was known all over the city of Richmond," Green said. "She was just such a wonderful mentor to all deacons, but especially female deacons.