84-year-old woman found dead near Apex, deputies investigate possible dog attack

The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the circumstances around a woman’s death on Tuesday morning near Apex.

Authorities found Betty Alston, 84, dead outside a home around 11 a.m. on Tuesday along Alston Road near New Hope Church Road.

Chatham County deputies received a call about a possible dog attack.

A family discovered three dogs near her body and got the animals to run away, according to the sheriff’s office.

Authorities have since secured the dogs.

There is no threat to the community, according to the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office.

The circumstances surrounding Alston’s death remain under investigation, including the role the dogs may have played in the incident. The North Carolina Medical Examiner’s Office is assisting with the investigation to determine the cause of death.

Neighbors told WRAL News that Alston was a beloved mother, grandmother and sister. They said she was a neighbor whom everyone could rely on. 

“She is very friendly. She would wave at us and just walk around almost every day," said Shanti Bhattarai, Alston's neighbor. 

People in the community call Alston's death alarming and devastating. 

WRAL News is working to learn more information about the breed of the dogs and who they belong to. 

WRAL News also requested 911 calls made about loose dogs in that area over the past year.

Chatham County 911/Emergency Management said it could not release information about the Alston Road incident due to the ongoing investigation. It provided six other reports between May 2025 and April 2026, including one report about a dog attacking another dog on a nearby street, but it is unclear if the reports are related to the May 19 incident.