‘A lot of love to give’: Mum mourns daughter after horror mauling

When she heard a knock at her door, she thought her daughter would be on the other side. Instead, it was the police bringing nightmare news.

When she heard a knock at her front door, Maryborough’s Bonnie Carmichael expected to see her daughter Amanda on the other side.

Instead, it was the police bringing the nightmare news that Amanda had been killed after being attacked by three dogs at a Milton Street home.

Still struggling to process what had occurred, Bonnie spoke to the Chronicle, sharing memories of Amanda who died on June 8 aged just 41.

Bonnie is the first to admit her daughter had a troubled life.

Amanda had struggled with drug addiction and mental illness.

But despite the difficulties she experienced, there were still good times which are now treasured memories.

“She was very kind and caring,” she said.

“She loved life. She would do anything for anybody.”

Amanda cherished her family and friends, especially her beloved daughter and her brother, Anthony.

Due to her ongoing battle with drug addiction and free spirited nature, stability was sometimes hard to come by and Amanda had experienced homelessness, Bonnie said.

But she kept in touch with her family “without fail”.

Earlier in the year, the family had spent Easter camping together.

“She had issues but she was loved and cared for,” Bonnie said.

“She still had a lot of love to give.”

Bonnie tearfully recounted the moment she was told what had happened to her daughter.

She is frank about how she had spent years fearing Amanda would be found beaten or dead in a gutter, the victim of violence or drug related crime.

But Bonnie said no one could ever have prepared her for being told her daughter had lost her life in a freak dog attack.

She said she had not heard from anyone who was at the home the day of the attack and still had many questions regarding Amanda’s death.

The family has been left to comfort one another in the aftermath of their loss, while trying to hold onto everything they can belonging to Amanda – something which is being made more difficult due to her transient lifestyle.

Bonnie has asked for her clothes to be returned to the family.

And the four rings Amanda was wearing when she was attacked have been recovered and will be returned to Bonnie and her daughter.

The three dogs involved in the attack, believed to be pitbull cross breeds, were found to be unregistered and have since been destroyed.

A report is being prepared for the coroner.