Five-month-old baby mauled to death by dogs after mum left for birthday dinner
The mother had left her infant son with her relatives at their home in Volusia, Florida, while she went out to celebrate her 21st birthday - but tragedy struck when their 130lb Great Dane entered the same room
A little boy was mauled to death by a dog after his mother left the infant in the care of relatives on her birthday.
Sheriff Mike Chitwood of the Volusia County Sheriff's Department looked visibly upset as he branded the case "extremely, extremely heartbreaking" at a press conference on Thursday.
“We have a young couple that leaves their five-month-old son, Carter, in the custody of their great-grandmother and great aunt, and they go out to dinner to celebrate mom’s birthday." It comes after teachers found dead in murder-suicide leaving two kids, 3 and 5, without a mum.
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The incident happened on Wednesday when the woman went out to celebrate her 21st birthday, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
Sheriff Chitwood explained how the baby had started getting "fussy", so the great grandma and great aunt put him in a bedroom, closing the door behind them. At the same time, they let their three dogs out to roam freely in the home while he was safe in the room.
The women went to the kitchen to make some tea, but were horrified when they realised the door separating the dogs from the child was now open.
On entering the room, the great grandma saw their 130lb Great Dane and husky mix sitting next to the child, who was lifeless and covered in blood.
It was around this time that the baby's parents returned to the property and immediately rushed the child to Advent Hospital in Daytona Beach. Despite the best efforts of medics, he was pronounced dead.
The dog was seized and there is now a 10-day period in which the family can appeal it being euthanised.
“This is tragic. Tragic all the way around. You have a young mother will remember on her birthday that her child is dead,” Chitwood said at the press conference, his voice cracking with emotion as he spoke.
“And the grandparents, I mean, I just don’t know how anybody feels about this,” he continued. “It is so, so, so tragic on what started to be a great night, ends up when you return home, your child is dead.”
“I can’t imagine how anybody in this family feels.”