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Children of Warren County dog mauling victim continue call for new investigation

The daughter of Mary Matthews said she has gathered information about her mother's death and is echoing her brother's request that authorities take a deeper look at the case.

Matthews, 49, was found dead in a bathroom of her Clearcreek Twp. home on Nov. 1. The Warren County Coroner's Office has concluded the family's two Great Danes mauled her to death.

RELATED: Family of mauling victim doubts Warren County death investigation 

Brooke Francis is not accepting the coroner's conclusion.

"I'm doing this because I want justice for her," Francis told News Center 7's Sean Cudahy on Wednesday night.

"I believe that there is a possibility that there is someone who had something to do with this and wanted her gone," Francis said.

Her brother, Brandon Evans, said in November that his mother was a problem for local police and the subject of a protection order neighbors obtained from the courts.

"They said she was a pain in their side," Evans said days after his mother's death. "They didn't like her."

Dale Mark Matthews, her husband, called police that day and reported finding his wife unresponsive as a possible overdose victim.

Evans said police appeared to conclude their investigation that day, based partly on the husband’s statements. Dale Mark Matthews reported that Mary Matthews was unable to defend herself from the dogs.

Neither Evans nor Francis will accept the law enforcement version of what happened.

Francis said she has collected phone records, text message chains and legal documents she said are enough to prompt a fresh look at her mother's death.

She said she doesn't doubt her mother was mauled, but believes there's more to why it happened.

“I felt and we felt that there wasn’t enough investigating done to prove that these dogs actually did it …and there wasn’t…something else that could have contributed to this, or to get those dogs to attack her.”

She declined to share her theories because she doesn't want to implicate anyone who hasn't been formally charged.

"I wouldn’t [share theories] unless I had solid evidence," Francis said, "but yes I have other theories about this and I have evidence to prove it."

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