CLEM, Ga. -- Channel 2 has learned, the mother of a 5-year-old girl mauled to death by a Rottweiler has been arrested before on meth and driving under the influence charges. Investigators say her arrests may not be related to her daughter's death they are looking into it.

Police told Channel 2 reporter Diana Davis Friday that Florence Pauley was arrested on February 3 for possession of methamphetamines.

Carroll County Sheriff Terry Langley stressed that Pauley's previous involvment with drugs may not be connected to the little girl's death.

Tiffany Pauley of Clem was found dead Thursday in a neighbor's yard a couple of hours after she was reported missing from her home. The initial investigation indicates she had wandered up to the chained dog and was killed.

Officials said Tiffany was last seen alive at 6:45 Thursday morning when her father left for work. The girl's mother, Florence Pauley, called 911 and reported the girl missing just after 11 a.m. and Tiffany’s body was discovered 2 hours later.

“We’re just saddened here in Carroll County for her and her family but we also wanted to make sure no laws have been broken,” said Sheriff Terry Langley.

Langley revealed that the mother of 5-year-old Tiffany Pauley has a criminal record.

41-year-old Florence Pauley pled guilty to possession of methamphetamine in April and to a DUI and child endangerment charge three years ago. She was picked up by Carrollton police on the DUI charge with her children in the car.

“We also, yesterday, obtained a search warrant to draw blood from her to see if there was any drug usage at the time this incident occurred,” said Langley.

Tiffany, who had Down Syndrome, was discovered dead just a few doors down from her home. She was killed by a Rottweiler chained in the backyard. That dog and two others are now in the custody of animal control.

Investigators are not drawing any conclusions about Florence Pauley’s past drug use but they say there are several unanswered questions about how Tiffany wandered away.

“We want to check out two things. First of all, was there any neglect, how the child got out of the home, who was watching the child,” said Langley.

Investigators said they took swabs of all three dogs to make sure it was only the Rottweiler and not the other two dogs that killed Tiffany. The dogs' owner is cooperating with authorities.

A decision on whether to euthanize one or all three of the dogs will be made in a few days.

“We certainly don’t want to put any dogs back into the community and another attack occur,” said Langley.

The blood sample from Florence Pauley won’t be back from the lab until early next week. The Pauley’s have two other children and they are now out of the Pauley home and in the care of other relatives.

The Department of Family and Children Services is investigating the situation.