A 10-month-old baby girl tragically died after she was attacked by the family’s two Rottweiler dogs.
The incident happened last week in Willow Spring, North Carolina, when the infant’s father had stepped away from the room to move a sprinkler in the yard.
“The father had left the small child inside the residence unattended for only a couple of minutes,” Johnston County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Capt. Danny Johnson told reporters during a press briefing at the scene. “He heard a lot of commotion in the house, went back inside and found the baby unresponsive.”
The father, who is himself a law enforcement officer, immediately called 911, but responding deputies and EMS workers’ attempts to revive the child were unsuccessful.
The baby girl was pronounced dead at the scene.
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“It appears the family’s dogs attacked the child and that is the reason for its death,” Johnson said. “It’s a bad scene anytime that a young child like that passes.”
JCSO Criminal Investigations Capt. Jeff Caldwell identified the child as Malia Scott Winberry in a statement to WECT, deeming the incident a “tragic accident.”
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to Scott Winberry and Bianca Patel for the tragic loss of their 10-month-old daughter, Malia Scott Winberry,” Caldwell said.
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Caldwell also noted that the two Rottweilers were taken by animal control officials after the incident. The dogs were seized by animal control and according to local statute, the family can decide to bring the dogs back home or have them euthanized.
Johnston County Animal Control director Chad Massengill confirmed on Wednesday that the dogs have been deemed dangerous by the county. According to authorities said they were not aware of any prior issues with the dogs.
“It’s very solemn around here this morning,” Massengill admitted. “It’s very difficult to deal with.”