PATASKALA, Ohio — A 75-year-old woman who died on Christmas Day after being attacked by her neighbor’s pig succumbed to extensive blood loss, according to the Licking County Coroner’s Office.
Rebecca Westergaard was found deceased outside her home in the 4000 block of Mink Street in Pataskala after relatives became concerned when she did not arrive for a holiday gathering. A police officer who responded to the scene saw a large pig on the property. Further investigation pointed to the pig, owned by a neighbor, being involved in the woman’s injuries.
According to Ken Ford, an Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator at Ohio State University, pigs are naturally inquisitive, and if they were more pets than farm animals, they may have set upon Westergaard believing she could play with or feed them…