Kingsley Wright, 3-years old, was killed by two dogs while visiting family in Roselawn.
Killed by Large Dogs
Cincinnati, OH - Late Friday, WLWT reported that a Cincinnati mother told them her 3-year old daughter was mauled to death by two dogs at a family member's house. Kingsley Wright died Friday morning, her mother said. Cincinnati police spokesperson Lt. Jonathan Cunningham confirmed her death Saturday to the Cincinnati Enquirer. The dog attack occurred just after 8:00 am at a residence in the 7000 block of Stillwell Road, Cunningham said. No other information was released by police.
In a Saturday update by WLWT, Wright's mother, Gina Smith, said her daughter was staying with a family member for the "first time ever" when the dogs attacked her. The mother had no idea these dogs were dangerous. She woke up to a horrifying call from the coroner stating that her daughter died at 9:30 am. Smith said the coroner would not let her see her daughter -- her injuries were so bad, it would not be appropriate. Smith awaits news from police about where the investigation stands.
Information from a commenter, partially confirmed, states that Wright was visiting her father's home. "Her Dad had those dogs in the cage, in a separate room from her, while she was sleep," Calisa H. wrote on the WLWT Facebook post. "They all were asleep, he woke up and found her, he is devastated and understands all of her mom and mom's family feelings, and is very sorry. This is a nightmare as he just learned that Kingsley was his daughter, he was so excited for her to spend time with him..."
Her death recalls the death of baby Barrett Hagans in Knox County, Ohio in 2017, who was spending the night alone with his father "for the first time," when his father's pit bull killed him as he slept in his bassinet. Teddy Hagans came under suspicion by police after they found dozens of empty beer cans, drug paraphernalia and a back room littered with "so much urine and feces in it that I could not breathe due to the odor," an investigator noted in a report. Hagans was never criminally charged.
The obituary for Kingsley Wright states she passed away Friday, December 27, 2024, in Cincinnati." She is described as "a happy girl with a beautiful laugh and smile." The biological father of Wright isn't named in her obituary. Also, no one with knowledge about her death on the WLWT Facebook post denies the dogs involved were pit bulls. Given the going trends of pit bulls, the dogs her father kept in a cage "in a separate room from her," stand a good chance of being of the XL bully variety.
Smith's boyfriend states in the WLWT piece the dogs are over 100 pounds. "Those kind of dogs are over 100 pounds," Josh said. "So did they just sit on her and kill her, and then start mauling on her?" He also states that Wright had been sleeping on the couch. "Why? What made them want to do that to just a little baby sleeping on the couch?" Smith is devastated that she never got to say goodbye to her daughter. Smith hopes law enforcement will keep her in the loop as the investigation continues.
911 Call & Dog Breed
On Monday, WLWT published part of the 911 call and information about the dog breed. "I just woke up and my daughter is dead. There's blood everywhere, I don't know what happened," the caller said, who described himself as Wright's father. When the 911 dispatcher told him to secure his dogs, he responded, "they're in the cage. That's why I'm like 'Did any of my pets attack her or something?' I would've heard it." The dispatcher asked if the dogs were loose, to which the caller responded, "no."
According to the 911 call, the dogs were "terriers," which indicates they were not a mastiff breed, such as a cane corso. They were, apparently, over 100 pound "terriers," which indicates an XL pit bull or American Staffordshire "terrier" breed. "Terrier" is also a term used to camouflage pit bull breeds. Numerous public shelters across the country label pit bulls "terrier-mix" in shelter adoption listings, most notoriously by Miami-Dade Animal Services to evade the county's former pit bull terrier ban.
Located Dog Owner
After the attack, Cincinnati Animal CARE removed three dogs from the home. Director Meaghan Colville stated that two of dogs are 50 pounds and identified the pair as "terrier mixes, mixed breed." Colville next falsely stated that only a DNA test could determine breed. "Cincy CARE," as it is known, is the sole taxpayer-funded provider for the county's dog warden and animal control services. But that does not stop the agency from lying to the public after a child is horrifically killed by dogs.
Due to Marlana calling the dogs' owner "My dad," Calisa H. being one of his Facebook friends, and the address of the fatal attack, we were able to identify the dogs' owner. The most recent images of one of his pit bulls is from August 2024, followed by September 2022, according to Reels on his Facebook page. These are American pit bull terriers -- not the XL bully or cane corso. It's unclear where the child's mother and boyfriend received the information about the dogs being "over 100 pounds."
The child's mother, Gina Smith, told WKRC that a security camera captured the attack. "All I know is what the detective has told us is that they had a home security camera; he had it in his living room where she had been sleeping on the couch," Smith said. "They told us what happened, stuff with the dogs attacking..." The time of the attack has not been released. It is only known that the father awoke about 7:50 am, walked into the living room, found blood all over and his daughter dead on the floor.
Three adult pit bulls seen on the dog owner's Facebook pages, one as recently as August.
Commenter Calisa H. on the WLWT Facebook post provided unconfirmed information.
A person who calls the father "Dad," posted on Facebook, "They went after my baby face what noises can she make if she was attacked in her face while she was sleep." She also said, "We still don’t know how the dogs got out or what even provoked them to attack my little sister."
View the DogsBite.org Google Map: Ohio Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.Related articles:
07/03/24: 2024 Dog Bite Fatality: 6-Year Old Boy Killed by Dog in Lorain, Ohio
09/29/17: 2017 Dog Bite Fatality: Family Pit Bull Fatally Mauls Infant in Knox County, Ohio
Law enforcement departments across the United States should release consistent "baseline" information to the media and the public after each fatal dog mauling, including these items.
Kingsley mom knew that pitbull are dangerous. Im pretty sure she hear the horrible stories of nice sweet pitbull killing babies.why would she let her baby stay at her father house.knowing there more chances that his pitbull would attacks or kill her baby.yeah the little girl dad should think its his fault the little girl is gone because his dog breed.sorry kid but both of your parents fail you.i’m surprised her aunt didn’t blame the baby herself.
Lord Have Mercy. I barely finished writing my last comment and here we are–another dead child, murdered by pitbulls.
“His dogs would *betray* him?”
Is this guy an idiot? Dogs don’t “betray” you. They act according to their genetics that is modified by their training.
If you get a beagle it will (unless it’s medically compromised) sniff everything, yodel when excited whether or not you live somewhere that accepts yowling dogs, play with your kids, chase bunnies and never be as clever as your old GSD. Born and bred to hunt in friendly packs.
If you get a labrador it will swim after ducks, chase a tennis ball for hours and have fun training it not to beg because it’s gonna need a committed training routine. Born and bred to carry game back to the owner.
Get a husky, it will run for hours, is a horrid choice with babies due to it’s inclination to grab them by the head like it does with puppies and shed a green garbage can each day in spring for at least two weeks. Born and bred for massive energy+stamina, sled pulling in freezing temperatures and working in teams.
None of them are “betraying” their basic nature or training. They’re doing what they do.
Get a pitbull and it fights other dogs and mauls people? It’s not a surprise. It’s not a flaw–it’s a feature. Born and bred to be energetic hard gripping dogs that can massacre other apex predators as well as prey.
Which is why, they need to be illegal to own.
What Boni wrote: Truth
One more thing it doesn’t matter if his pitbull were lock in cage in different room.once a pitbull suddenly attack they are willing to kill no matter what in their way. Im sure the little was their prey.I only have an ounce of sympathy for her mom because she can’t see her baby because of her horrifying injuries she can’t hold and kiss her daughter goodbye for the last time.because that once in a lifetime experience and she miss that.
People think because a pit bull hasn’t attacked *previously* that it isn’t dangerous. Nothing is further from the truth. The *first* time a pit attacks can be fatal.
These dog have been BRED for centuries to be the ultimate canine killing machine, you can’t get it out of them with wishful thinking and bellyrubs.
It’s magical thinking.
“I have a dog with a 50% dangerous inherited aggression rate but it won’t happen to me” is the same illogical thinking of someone eating raw poultry then wondering why on the third piece of the same chicken–they got salmonella.
It’s also a problem of protecting human qualities and reasoning ability onto dogs. They think “my pitbull loves my child and would never hurt him or her!” When I first discovered the truth about pitbulls, it was massively disillusioning to me in regards to all dogs, as I used to (to an extent) do the same sort of projection. Now it’s mostly come full circle for me and I can see non-bloodsport breeds and appreciate them more clearly for what they are and what they were bred to do. It still continues to boggles my mind that we are allowing a breed as a pet that specifically does what we domesticated working and companion dogs NOT to do – kill us.
Anyway, another entirely preventable tragedy. I just hate it so much.
The dogs in this case had no opportunity to get to love the child, they didn’t know the child, to them the child was just an intruder in the house.
Its possible that had the father introduced them more slowly to the kid before letting her stay over this would not have happened.
Unfortunately it seems he wasn’t very well educated so didn’t know 1) the propensity of pit bulls to attack and maim, and 2) the correct way to slowly introduce a dog to a child or a new guest of the house.
So sad. Regular people should not own these dogs, they are like loaded guns.
Given the frequency with which pit bulls maim and kill their owners without provocation, the idea that Kingsley’s father could have prevented her death by “slowly introducing” them to her is deflection. You are missing the larger point.
Perhaps they regarded her as an intruder. Doubtless her father was a moron guilty of criminal negligence—at least. Who cares? Such animals do not belong in human society. There is no correct way to introduce a human, let alone a child, to a pit bull, because they are not trustworthy under any circumstance.
Boni is right again!
Right again!
I just realized no one notice not one person heard that baby screaming loudly from getting attack by the dogs.her crying from the agony pains from those monsters.didn’t wake them up.like they discovered her when it too late.what kind of hectic lives are they living. When no one heard a little girl crying and screaming from the dog attack.
A bite to the neck = end of any possible sound.
They probably killed her with the first bite.
Most likely the dogs latched onto her throat or face and she couldn’t scream, or could not make a loud enough noise for the adults to wake up. It was probably quite quick, if that is of any comfort to you.
What I don’t understand is why no one is addressing that the father LIED about those dogs being caged. What, they opened their cage, attacked the baby and got back in their cage? Sounds like this man bred these dogs as either attack dogs or some type of security in his home. Either way, I understand a mistake but this goes beyond that because a precious life was lost, painfully lost.
Because police have not confirmed (or denied) this, nor have they released findings from their investigation. They did say they obtained a home security camera. It is unknown what it revealed.
One thing I’d like to address is putting pitbulls in crates. There is not a single wire crate or airline crate that will keep a pitbull contained sold in a pet store or on Craigslist. If pitbulls are ever being kept in crates, one must go online and find the dealers who provide cages for pitbulls, XLbullies, Presas, Cane Corsos, Dogo Argentinos, etc. These dogs can easily get through doors within a house. Thus a pitbull or XLbully in a wire crate in the back bedroom with the door closed is not confined in any house.
From my own experience with German shepherds, I had gotten an adult GSD from a friend. This dog, Cerberus, was out of German working bloodlines but didn’t have a mean bone in him. He had no interest in bitework but had the jaws and determination of German working lines. One day I left Cerberus outside in the backyard and left the property. When I got home, Cerberus was in the house.
He had clawed through a new steel exterior door, then ripped off pieces of steel with his teeth, and finally disarticulated the bottom half of the door frame.
Then there’s plain cleverness. Came home to find my husky in the crate, napping, door wide open. I never bothered shutting it again and I’d just put him in and he’d go to sleep until I got back. Crate did it’s job and I did mine.
It takes a professional crate from a place that specializes in them PLUS a proper lock and key for a dog that fights its crate.
If your house goes up in flames and your dog dies in the crate?
Next time, get a dog that you can train that’s not a danger to anything other than your leather boots if it gets out.
Or you know, just train your dog properly to be safe in the house while you are out.
I’ve never used a crate with mine. Then again I don’t own pit bulls. They might not be trustworthy alone.
What a sad, horrifying thing to happen to this family. This will haunt me for awhile.
Currently, the breed of dog has not been confirmed by police, but we suspect it to be a large bull breed variety—be it an XL bully or mastiff-type, such as a cane corso.* As we stated in the post, this was the first time the child had visited her father’s home. The mother did not seem to have any idea about the size or breed of dog, or even the crate set-up that apparently failed. Police are investigating because there is something to investigate. Police were so horrified, they turned off their body cameras to prevent images to be taken of the deceased child (this is the first time we have ever seen this). A WKRC report confirms the baby was at her father’s home. His name has not been released, nor will it likely be, unless he is charged with an offense.
*Notably, the definition of a “pit bull” in Ohio was litigated for many years. In Ohio, “a breed of dog commonly known as a pit bull” is a broad definition and includes American bulldogs and their derivatives, and other pit bull breeds.
Pit bulls are terriers. That isn’t wrong, but they aren’t the warm and fuzzy 5-20 pound terrier or terrier mix like I have. They are the killers. My daughter’s co worker had been a foster pit bull volunteer for years in Chicago. She was really lucky when one just chomped her hand and tore tendons and caused nerve damage. She had to have extensive rehab and wear a Skeletor splint for a prolonged time. She has sworn off trying to help that monster breed.
omg
Sat on her? These two pondering if this is how the XL pits killed her baby girl tells me they are part of pit culture. The mother still cannot comprehend how pits attack. She is responsible for thinking this was a safe arrangement.
Cult thinking. You can’t reason with it, you can only legislate against the results.
You can’t murder people if you’re in Charlie Manson’s cult and you can’t murder people “by accident” because you belong to the Cult of Pitbull.
This has been updated with dog information and more information about the attack toward the bottom of the post.
That has not been confirmed by police, and 50 pound dogs are not cane corsos. So, is animal control lying or is someone else? Mr. Peeper also does not live at the address where the fatal attack occurred, according to online records. But our suspected bio father does.
I have some screen shots that I’ll send you. I was curious as to why the boyfriend said the dogs were 100 lb dogs.
Just a side note.
Muscle weighs more than fat or fur.
So…a dog “size” that might look like 50lbs on a “normal” dog, may in fact, be 60+ pounds on a pitbull. Furry dogs often get taken as bigger than they are. Bath that big floof and find out there’s a little more than whippet-sized body underneath.
A Bouvier can weigh considerably more than a greyhound–even with the height disparity.
Actual sizes can be deceptive.
I would like to hear that 911 call.
Did the dog owner say he found the dogs inside their cages that morning after he awoke to find his daughter dead?
Apparently yes. But there are conflicting media reports about this. It was also reported there was one other person in the apartment with the father, and they both awoke at the same time (about 7:50 am). That person has not been heard from publicly and that person could also be a minor. We don’t know.
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FOX19-According to the 911 calls, Wright was asleep in the living room on the couch when she was attacked. “I just woke up and my daughter is dead. There’s blood everywhere, I don’t know what happened,” a man, who identified himself as Wright’s father, told dispatchers. “I don’t understand what went on.”
As emergency crews headed to the Roselawn apartment, the dispatcher advised the man to “put away” any pets.
“They’re in the cage, that’s why I’m like, ‘Did any of my pets attack her or something?’” He said.
“Were they out loose?” The dispatcher asked. “No,” the caller responded.
Of course – people are lying . “He did not hear nothing.”
This half -sister – she went back to her usual rubish fb posting, like nothing has happened.
This girl was sent to her “father” for the first time.
She was 3 years old left alone in a strange place in the dark – to sleep ! Maybe , just maybe she woke up in the middle of the night and called her “mother” ..but you know who answered … THE PROTECTORS (of the insane people ).
And did her mother know about this dogs, before she sent her daughter to her death bed -literally ?
I do not know – why people are speared of watching graphic videos -of pitbull mauling .
I think it should be shown to every new owner before getting a dog. Like any other warning when dealing with potentially dangerous objects.
There are many conflicting reports right now, and Cincinnati homicide is investigating. Like stated above, according to the 911 call, the dogs were secured. Animal control took 3 dogs from the home – said terriers, 2 weighing approximately 50lbs, 1 weighing 10-12lbs, but the attack reportedly involved 2 dogs. The mother made a statement early on about the dogs getting to well over 100lbs; someone claiming to be the aunt posted on WLWT’s story on Facebook that the dogs involved were Cane Corsos. Supposedly there was a camera in the living room, which is in police possession.
So with the conflicting reports, homicide involved, and a camera – it seems there is more to it. If it was just a matter of a dog attack caught on camera, it’d be an open/shut case already.
Noticed others have asked about the 10 day hold in Ohio – dogs are held for 10 days for rabies observation before any other actions are taken. Last report, Animal control is waiting on police for direction once the hold time is completed.
I think all dogs that bite someone should be microchipped denoting this. Any dogs that seriously injure someone should not be returned to the owner. No-kill shelters should not be run on taxpayer dollars.
I am concerned at the number of people here blaming the mother for the death of the 3 year old child in this case. She is not to blame: The law recognizes a father’s right to unsupervised time with his child, no matter how little he was involved previously and how little he understands how to care for the child.
If the mother refuses to share the child with the father, he can successfully sue her for total custody. Fathers who sue for full custody are often granted full even if there is no case for child abuse or drug addiction against the mother.
Look up “Parental Alienation” or the writing of Prof. Joan Meier (Huffington Post or her DVM website.)
The mother in this case is not at fault. The father is solely to blame as the child was under his supervision at the time.
Of course we all know that the first step to tragedies like this is opting to keep dangerous dogs.