A beloved grandmother was tragically mauled to death by a deer she had rescued and cared for after becoming trapped inside its enclosure on her rural property.
Jodi Proger, 64, spent over a decade rehabilitating injured whitetail deer on her five-acre home in Stewartsville, Ohio. But on November 15, she died after a brutal attack by a buck inside her private deer enclosure, officials confirmed to WSYX.
Multiple deer were in the pen with her when the horrific incident occurred, and it remains unclear which animal caused the fatal injuries. Belmont County deputies were forced to shoot one aggressive buck while attempting to reach Proger’s body.
“Family members attempted to intervene and dispatch the animal prior to the arrival of law enforcement to reach the victim; however, the animal was ultimately dispatched by responding deputies to ensure scene safety,” Sheriff James Zusack wrote in a statement, per PEOPLE.
“Tragically, Ms. Proger succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene," he added.
Rumors denied as community mourns
Following the incident, speculation quickly turned to Wheezer, a neutered deer Proger had rescued and raised like a pet.
The grandmother had famously found the days-old fawn wandering after its mother was struck by a car in 2013. “He was running back and forth, back and forth,” she told The Dodo in a 2015 interview. “I wasn’t gonna do it, but I did it,” she said of her decision to rescue the orphaned deer.
She raised Wheezer indoors for two years and was later granted a permit to keep him as part of her plans to launch a rehabilitation center. For years, she posted photos and videos of the animal resting on furniture and even sharing her bed.
After news of her death broke, her daughter Jennifer Bryan took to Facebook to put one rumor to rest: “Wheezer DID NOT kill my mom.”
“She worked within Belmont County to rescue and aide [sic] many animals over her lifespan,” Bryan added. “My mom knew the dangers of owning deer.”
Jennifer remembers her late mom as "an advocate for animals," saying: "She was loved....my mother knew the risks, but she enjoyed every minute of loving and nurturing these animals."
The grieving daughter said her mother's death is a "sad tragedy" and added that the family deserves "RESPECT and time to grieve".
At the time of her death, Proger was caring for four other does and bucks. Investigators are now reviewing the housing and legal status of the deer, with both the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Agriculture involved.
Proger’s death also remains under investigation.