Pregnant woman's face is mauled by vicious dogs while she held her stomach to protect her unborn twins

By RACHEL BOWMAN, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 15:46, 26 July 2026 | Updated: 15:57, 26 July 2026 An unsuspecting Kansas woman had her face mauled in a vicious dog attack while she clutched her stomach to protect her unborn twins.  Audrey Suarez, 31, was walking to a relative's house at the Highland Park Townhomes in Topeka when she was attacked by two dogs on July 17. Police said an unrelated altercation was occurring at the same time Suarez walked by, and a child of one of the individuals involved let two dogs out, WIBW reported. The two dogs attacked Suarez, who was 24 weeks pregnant at the time, leaving her severely injured. Her partner, CJ Austin, told the local news station the expecting mother tried to protect the twins during the attack and almost lost her eye. 'She had ended up breaking her pinky because when the dog was attacking her, all she could think about was covering her stomach, so the dog wouldn't get to her stomach and hurt the twins,' Austin said. 'She had a 10-hour surgery on her face to put her face back together, and then she had a 4-hour surgery on her eye because the dog, when he bit her, it lacerated her iris.' Austin explained that a bystander intervened to help Suarez, and when police arrived an officer shot and killed one of the dogs. Audrey Suarez, 31, had her face mauled in a vicious dog attack while she clutched her stomach to protect her unborn twins Her partner, CJ Austin, told the local news station the expecting mother tried to protect the twins during the attack and almost lost her eye 'If it wasn't for the gentleman - our friend who stepped in - he said the dogs would have killed her,' he said. The second dog is being held in quarantine, and police issued a citation to the owner of the dogs. However, Austin said he does not feel like that is a harsh enough punishment due to the severity of Suarez's injuries.  'You just mess somebody's whole life up. She's going to be scarred for the rest of her life. She has nightmares of that dog attacking her,' he said. 'She wakes up in the middle of the night screaming, "Get him off me. Get him off me." That's traumatizing her.'  Suarez's family has set up a GoFundMe to support her while she recovers and prepares to give birth. 'Audrey was simply taking a walk through her apartment complex when her life changed in an instant,' the fundraiser said. 'The emotional and physical toll is overwhelming, and the road to recovery will be long and challenging. The two dogs attacked Suarez, who was 24 weeks pregnant at the time, leaving her severely injured Police said an unrelated altercation was occurring at the same time Suarez walked by, and a child of one of the individuals involved let two dogs out One of the dogs was shot dead at the scene, the other is being held in quarantine. Police issued the owner a citation, which Austin feels is not a harsh enough punishment  'As she prepares to welcome her twins, the stress of these expenses makes an already difficult situation even harder for her and her loved ones.' The fundraiser also criticized the dog owner.  'Audrey’s situation is a heartbreaking reminder of the risks posed by irresponsible ownership of dangerous animals,' it said. The Daily Mail contacted the Topeka Police Department for comment.