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Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009

Toddler killed after attack by babysitter's dog

A young life was cut short Friday morning when an infant boy was fatally attacked by his babysitter's pit bull, the Merced County Sheriff's Department said.

The mauling happened in the 9000 block of Donovan's Way at about 9:30 a.m., sheriff's spokesman Tom MacKenzie said.

The 17-month-old boy was mauled by a 65-pound pit bull while he was being watched by a babysitter, a woman whose name isn't being released by authorities.

According to MacKenzie, the babysitter called 911, screaming hysterically just after 9:30 a.m.

When the line went dead, deputies drove to the home to make sure everything was all right.

When they arrived, there was blood on the doorstep and no one home, MacKenzie said.

The boy was located after other deputies in the area pulled over the babysitter's car for driving erratically near Swanson and Merced avenues in Delhi.

The babysitter stopped the car, jumped out and handed the bloodied boy to Deputy Joey Cardenas, Sheriff Mark Pazin said.

The woman told Cardenas she was babysitting the boy when her 65-pound pit bull and Akita mixed-breed dog bit the child's throat and dragged him around the yard.

She was able to rescue the baby after stabbing the dog with a fork several times.

She called 911 during the attack, but hung up to drive to the hospital.

After the traffic stop, paramedics took the child from the side of the road to Turlock Emanuel Hospital.

He was later airlifted to Valley Children's Hospital in Madera, where he died soon after landing, MacKenzie said.

There were no other children at the house during the attack.

The boy's parents have been notified.

Animal control arrived at the home before noon and took the pit bull into custody.

The dog is at the Merced County Animal Shelter and is being held separately from other animals and people there, Merced County spokeswoman Katie Albertson said.

County and sheriff's officials couldn't confirm whether the animal had a history of violent attacks.

No charges have yet been filed. The sheriff's major crime unit continued investigations in and around the home late Friday afternoon.

"A 17-month-old toddler is dead -- that's the bottom line. Any death, we're going to investigate to bring closure to that family," Sheriff and Coroner Mark Pazin said. "We're going to collect all the facts and submit them to the district attorney. It's a tragedy, but we do have to investigate it."

It remains unclear whether the babysitter was related to the child.

Cardenas and Deputy Micah Brawley, who also tried to help the child on the side of the road, finished a critical incident debriefing for Merced County officials late Friday afternoon.

The deputies were shook up, Pazin said, but did "a yeoman's job in trying to save that toddler's life."

The death marked the second vicious pit bull attack in Delhi this month.

On Oct. 1, a 28-year-old Delhi woman was attacked by a 60-pound pit bull at Shanks Road and Letteau Avenue, less than a mile away from Friday's attack.

The woman was treated for several lacerations at Turlock Emanuel Hospital, and her own dog recovered from a bite to its neck.

The pit bull in that case, believed to be a three-year-old named Daisy, was taken into custody that day and has since been euthanized.

Albertson said "the health and safety of the general public are foremost in our minds and that will weigh heavily" on any decision whether to euthanize the animal that attacked on Friday.

Reporter Danielle E. Gaines can be reached at (209) 385-2407 or dgaines@mercedsun-star.com.