Posted on August 4, 2018 by Colleen Lynn

2018 Dog Bite Fatality: Large Pit Bull Kills Woman on Chicago's Far South Side

Karen Brown, known as "Punchi", was killed by a large pit bull in South Deering.

Dog's Owners Flee
UPDATE 08/06/18: An autopsy Sunday determined that Karen Brown, 57, died from multiple injuries inflicted by a dog. The manner of death was ruled accidental, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office. Brown was viciously attacked by a loose pit bull on Saturday in the 10100 block of South Calhoun Avenue on Chicago's Far South Side. According to neighbors, the pit bull was kept in an unfenced backyard by owners who kept multiple dogs in crates.

The owners of the pit bull vacated their home and fled after their dog brutally attacked and killed Karen Brown, according to neighbors.

A community vigil was held Sunday at the scene of the deadly dog mauling. Over 100 people attended. Friends said that Brown was on her way to a home on the street to start house sitting when she was attacked. In addition to at least one previous attack, residents said the pit bull had long been a problem in the neighborhood. When police officers responded Saturday, a hail of gunfire was heard in the neighborhood. Officers fired up to 30 bullets at the pit bull, killing it.

08/04/18: Pit Bull Kills Woman
Chicago, IL - A 57-year old woman is dead after being mauled to death by a large pit bull, Chicago police said. The victim was in the 10100 block of South Calhoun Avenue in the South Deering neighborhood at 12:25 pm when the dog attacked, biting her neck and all over her body. A pair of police officers shot and killed the animal after it lunged at them. She was taken to University of Chicago Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. Police continue to investigate.

ABC 7 reports that residents knew the victim as a "jack of all trades" type in the neighborhood, like cutting grass and going to get groceries for neighbors. She could always be counted on to offer a helping hand. She was about to cut grass when the pit bull violently attacked her. Chicago police and animal control officers remain at the scene of the deadly dog attack. Currently, officers are going door-to-door trying to find out who owned the pit bull and how the animal got loose.

"I would have never thought … that nobody -- my family -- it hit home. It hit home. That she lost her life because of a pit bull." - Laniece Jones

In it's evening broadcast, ABC 7 interviewed relative Laniece Jones who believes that special precautions should be in place for pit bulls. "If you have a pit bull, it should be put away, locked up -- something," she said. An unidentified neighbor said his friend Rick was attacked a week and a half ago by the same dog. "I don't know how [the owner] manages to get away with it, but he does. They should be held accountable for that. They really should. That's a murder," he said.

Unfortunately, Illinois has the worst track record in the country when it comes to filing criminal charges after a fatal dog attack. From 2005 to 2017, canines killed 16 people in the state. Pit bulls were responsible for 81% (13) of these deaths. No charges were brought in any of these cases, including the death of James Nevils III. The dog's owner was issued two infractions. The child's grandfather was appalled, "My grandson’s gone forever, and all you get is two tickets?"

CBS Chicago confirmed the victim's name is Karen Brown. Her nickname was "Punchi." Family members say there will be a vigil at the scene of the fatal dog mauling Sunday at 6:00 pm.

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: Illinois Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.

Baseline reporting requirements:
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.

Posted on August 1, 2018 by Colleen Lynn

2018 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bulls Kill Toddler, Injure Babysitter in Philadelphia's Port Richmond Section

Jaevon Torres, 2-years old, was mauled to death by three pit bulls on August 1.

Child Identified
UPDATE 08/03/18: On Friday, the city Medical Examiner's Office identified the boy who was killed by pit bulls in a rowhouse on Agate Street as Jaevon Torres. The cause of death was determined to be "multiple blunt and penetrating injuries" and the manner of death was ruled accidental. On Wednesday, Jaevon was savagely attacked by three pit bulls in the home while under the care of a babysitter. There were two additional pit bulls in the home that were caged during the attack.

"I couldn't sleep. I was up all night. I was at the station. I threw up twice. It's just horrifying -- scary." - Neighbor and witness of the attack, Jason Rash

One of the adults in the home who was trying to protect the boy was 27-year old Rebecca Olan, a police source told Philly.com. Olan lived in the home, is the owner of the five pit bulls and was babysitting the child at the time of the attack. Olan was the boy's godmother, but not a relative. The boy and his mother lived in another location. Upstairs in the home at the time of the attack was Olan's 16-year old cousin and a 25-year old woman. Police questioned all three of them.

Earlier news reports noted that there was no furniture on the first floor of the rowhouse -- just five dog cages. Police Commissioner Richard Ross even stated to Fox 29, "In fact, the house wasn't in disarray other than the cages on the inside. It's a bit of a mystery to us." The question of why Olan had five caged pit bulls has yet to be answered. The District Attorney's Office indicated Friday that no decision would be made regarding criminal charges until the death investigation is complete.

08/02/18: Criminal Charges Unlikely
Last night, police were called to a rowhouse on Agate Street after reports that multiple pit bulls were attacking a toddler. Dramatic cellphone video shows the moments police officers arrived and began open firing through the front doorway before entering the home to rescue the young child. "Their main concern was to get to the 2-year old child who was unconscious, bleeding from his head, face, body, both arms and legs," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.

Police fired seven shots at the pit bulls, killing one and injuring two others. There were five pit bulls in the household. "The dogs had blood all over them from biting the baby. They had blood all over them," neighbor Jason Rash told NBC 10. An unidentified female neighbor said the child's babysitter was bloody and in shock. "She had blood all over her shirt. She looked really distraught, in shock. We were all crying. This innocent baby got chewed up by some pit bulls," she said.

"It's just horrible all around. It breaks our heart to see the poor baby was injured and ultimately killed in this fashion." - Police Commissioner Richard Ross

Ross said that three pit bulls were involved in the attack; two other pit bulls were caged. The 23-year old babysitter, the child's aunt, was not seriously hurt in the attack, Ross said. A 36-year old and a 16-year old were also inside the home during the attack. All of the pit bulls belonged to residents of the home, Ross said. There was no evidence of dogfighting. A woman in the home let one dog out of its cage prior to the attack. Two others got loose at that time as well, Ross said.

"[Police officers] made a valiant attempt to get in and save the baby under some very difficult circumstances," Ross said. "With some very powerful animals charging you. And they did the best they could." The Special Victims Unit is investigating whether there was neglect or endangerment involved. "Right now, we don't have any obvious signs of that," Ross said. Neighbors on Agate Street said they had often seen the young boy "visiting family" at the two-story rowhouse.

08/01/18: Pit Bulls Kill Toddler
Philadelphia, PA - A 2-year old boy is dead and a 23-year old woman was injured after being attacked by two pit bulls in the city's Port Richmond section. Police were called to a home in the 3000 block of Agate Street about 5:15 pm, where the dogs were attacking a toddler. When police arrived, the pit bulls were actively attacking both victims. Police open fired, killing two of the pit bulls and injuring a third. Police said there were a total of five or six dogs inside the home.

The boy was transported to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in extremely critical condition, where he succumbed to his injuries. He was pronounced dead at 6:05 pm. The female victim was transported to Temple University Hospital. The severity of her injuries remains unknown. Initial news reports say the woman was the child's aunt and was babysitting the boy at the time. The child's identity has not yet been released. Police continue to investigate his mauling death.

Late Evening Updates

WPVI-TV reports that Special Victims Unit is now investigating the deadly attack to see if charges are warranted against the homeowners for keeping five pit bulls in the home where the attack took place. Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told WPVI that when police arrived, they could see the child lying in the middle of the living room floor and said, "the dogs were around the child attacking the child." Thus police took immediate action, open firing on the pack of pit bulls.

"The main concern was to get to the child who was completely bleeding from the head, face body, both arms, and legs," Chief Insp. Small said. Medics rushed the boy to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, where he died about a half hour later. Neighbor Jason Rash said he tried to help. "All of a sudden I see the dogs plucking at the baby and the aunt and all of a sudden they kept telling me to go in and get the baby, but you can't because they're surrounded by all these dogs."

Multi-Pit Bull Households

In February, we examined the "Single Dog Shrinking Metric" in fatal dog attacks since the 1980s. From 2005 to 2017, 47% of all deadly attacks involved multiple dogs, up from 30% during the CDC years (1979-1988). Attacks by pit bulls involving more than one dog contributed to 72% of the multi-dog subset. Furthermore, over this 13-year period, 51% of all fatal pit bull attacks (146 of 284) involved more than one dog, vs. 38% (56 of 149) of fatal attacks not involving pit bulls.

In our Discussion Notes post, we also talked about the likelihood of serious injuries or death when more than one pit bull is involved in an attack upon a human. Rather than a simple multiplying effect (i.e., x, x + x = 2x, 2x + x = 3x), increasing the number of pit bulls would be an "exponential effect" (i.e., 1 = x1, 2 = x2, 3 = x3), according to Dr. Peter L. Borchelt, PhD, who testified as an expert witness for the City and County of Denver when it defended its pit bull ban in 2005.

In the Philadelphia attack, it remains unclear where the dogs were normally kept. Were they kept in cages or a room and "somehow got out?" That point is moot -- there were five pit bulls in the home attacking the child and his babysitter. Jason Rash said it the best, "they kept telling me to go in and get the baby, but you can't because they're surrounded by all these dogs." To stack the "death chips" even higher, a mere babysitter was supposed to ward off a pack of vicious pit bulls.

View the DogsBite.org Google State Map: Pennsylvania Fatal Pit Bull Attacks.

Posted on July 31, 2018 by Colleen Lynn

Pit Bull Owner Arrested and Charged after the Attack

Omaha Police Lt. Jake Ritonya speaking to WOWT News on Friday, July 27.

Severe Facial Attack
Omaha, NE - On Friday about 6:00 pm, Omaha police responded to a home in the 4700 block of Laurel Avenue after a report that a child was being attacked by a family pit bull. The 9-year old girl suffered severe facial injuries in the attack. As police carried the girl from the home, the pit bull continued to try to attack her. The fire department had a catch pole they used to detain the pit bull, a large 2-year old female named "Layla" that was reportedly in heat at the time of the attack.

"This one was rather difficult to see her in the hospital. I haven't seen anything quite like that in my career." - Omaha Police Lieutenant Jake Ritonya

There were three pit bulls in the home -- a multi-pit bull household. Reports Friday stated the attack erupted when the child went to "pick up a knocked over trashcan." As the dog savaged the child's face, one of her siblings ran to a neighbor who called 911. The young girl was rushed to Nebraska Medical Center in critical condition. At least three children lived in the home. On Saturday, the Omaha World-Herald reported that the owner of the pit bull was arrested.

"There were three pit bulls running around. It was kind of a crazy, chaotic scene," Lt. Jake Ritonya said. Initial reports also stated the victim suffered skull fractures. We located the pit bull owner late Friday, but were unable to confirm this until today. An updated report from the World-Herald (though still time stamped for the 28th) confirmed the dog's owner is Jerrica Jackson, 24, who is also a resident of the home. On July 25, Jackson posted a breeding advertisement of her pit bull.

A police report identified the victim as Kahliyah Lloyd. Her condition has been upgraded from critical to serious condition. Kahliyah's mother is listed on the police report as Shamiah Campos, who also lives at the Laurel Avenue residence with her children. The arrest charges for Jerrica Jackson includes: suspicion of harboring a dangerous animal, failing to have an animal license and two counts of lack of vaccinations and failing to have dangerous animal liability insurance.

In 2008, the City of Omaha passed a breed-specific ordinance that requires multiple fighting breeds to carry $100,00 in liability insurance.

By Tuesday, Jackson had locked down her Facebook page. But over the weekend, we captured screenshots. Jackson's plan early on was to breed Layla (the offspring of King Leonidus X Lexi).1
Just two days before the brutal attack, Jackson was advertising upcoming puppies starting at $1,500 with KaneO, an exaggerated, gargoyle Bully type owned by LaStephan Brown Sr. who likely also has failed to license, vaccinate and insure the multiple pit bull dogs in his home.

Beautiful Face Destroyed by a Pit Bull

We get so tired of beautiful young faces being destroyed by these dogs. Especially when the pit bull "suddenly" unleashes explosive, unprovoked aggression at the age of two -- when the dog reaches sexual maturity and the most common time for these devastating attacks. This "tiring" is amplified by backyard pit bull "designer" breeders producing XL, XXL pit bulls for cash, all while these owners thumb their noses at local ordinances and unwanted pit bulls fill up city shelters.

The World-Herald reports that Lt. Jake Ritonya, who was on scene Friday and at the emergency room, said that doctors and nurses appeared to be shaken by the extent of the girl's bite injuries, which were apparently confined to one side of her face and scalp. "The looks on their faces said it all," Ritonya said. The Nebraska Humane Society seized all three pit bulls in the Laurel Avenue home. The attacker, and "planned breeding" pit bull Layla, is expected to be euthanized.

Jackson's mother, Jessica, said the attack was "totally out of character" for Layla, ignoring the reality of a 2-year old pit bull in heat. She said that Kahliyah "looks better than I expected" and is "going to have some scars." She added that, "we're looking forward to her getting healed and being the smart, beautiful girl she's always been." It's unknown what the fate is for the other two pit bulls. Possibly when Kahliyah is released from the hospital, they will greet her in her home.

The pit bull "Layla" that savaged the little girl's face is the offspring of ManMade Kennel's King Leonidus and Lexi from a late 2016 litter. ManMade Kennels claims they create "Pit Bulls Made for Families" on their corporate website. They also claim: "Our dogs are temperament bred for families, we DO NOT breed HA (Human Aggressive) dogs AT ALL" (emphasis by ManMade). If that were true, they would no longer breed King Leonidus or Lexi, who produced a child mauler.

1Jackson misspells the sire's name multiple times as does BullyPedia.

Posted on July 16, 2018 by Colleen Lynn

2018 Dog Bite Fatality: Child with Life-Threatening Injuries from Dog Attack Dies in Jacksonville

Jaelah Smith, 6, died after suffering life-threatening injuries from a dog attack.

Child Did Not Survive
UPDATE: 07/18/18: Family members confirmed late Tuesday that 6-year old Jaelah Smith died after suffering life-threatening injuries from a dog attack Sunday morning. She was attacked in the neck by a pit bull-mix her family had been dog sitting while its owner was away on vacation. The dog did not belong to her family. Jaelah had been on life support systems since the attack at Wolfson Children's Hospital. She is survived by her two siblings, ages 7 and 9-years old.

"Unfortunately my princess is no longer with us. I would like for you guys to keep my family in your prayers." - Devin Holcomb, the child's father

More than one dog was in the home at the time of the attack. Authorities removed a second dog, a young rottweiler, from the home Sunday as well. The Florida Department of Children and Families is also investigating the attack, reports News4Jax. The owner of the pit bull-mix has not been identified. It is also unknown how long the little girl's family had been pet sitting the dog. Jaelah Smith is the 220th child killed by a pit bull since 1980, when the pit bull problem began to emerge.

Associate Medical Examiner Peter Gillespie said the child died from lack of oxygen and blood to her brain, as well as sharp force injuries to a major vein and artery on her neck, reports The Florida Times-Union. "She suffered irreversible brain injury," Gillespie said. He also said he was unsure how many times she was bitten. (That statement typically indicates multiple, overlapping bites after a repeated attack.) She was pronounced brain dead shortly before 7 pm Tuesday.

07/17/18: Child Remains on Life Support
Today a child nearly killed by a dog Sunday was identified as 6-year old Jaelah Smith. A pit bull-mix her family was watching for friends attacked her in the neck. She was unresponsive when Fire-Rescue arrived. Jaelah was transported to Memorial Hospital in a "severe life-threatening" condition, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. She was later transferred to Wolfson Children's Hospital. Jaelah's 7 and 9-year old siblings were not harmed in the attack.

The Florida Times-Union helped explain (potentially) news footage taken Sunday that shows a young rottweiler dog being seized by authorities. Times-Union spoke to neighbor Mattie Hightower, who said her granddaughter called 911 after the attack and "helped scrub blood" off the driveway after emergency personnel rushed Jaelah away. Hightower also said the child's mother, Sheree Smith, is a good mother and "keeps her own dog, a rottweiler, in a cage when necessary."

It is fairly routine for authorities to seize all dogs in a home after an extreme attack. Times-Union also spoke to Emily Patterson-Kane, an American Veterinary Medical Association animal welfare scientist. She described a classic pit bull attack, "amplify rapidly and cannot be easily de-escalated" and "it doesn't take much for things to go wrong," but refused to attribute these breed-specific attack characteristics to them. It is a distortion that all breeds attack in this manner.

07/16/18: Child Suffers Critical Injuries
Jacksonville, FL - Police confirm that a 6-year old girl suffered life-threatening injuries after being attacked in the neck by a pit bull-mix. On Sunday at 10:17 am, police responded to the 2700 block of Herrick Drive. The child was unresponsive at the scene. Jacksonville Fire-Rescue immediately transported the child to a local hospital. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office issued a statement Sunday stating that the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Homicide Unit is handling the investigation.

"Possible trauma red. Patient is not breathing. Patient attacked on the neck from dog." - Webcastify. Jacksonville Fire Audio Archives, July 15, 2018

Multiple dogs were in the home at the time. The attacking dog was not a family pet, states the release. The child's family had been dog sitting the pit bull-mix for someone who was away on vacation. There were other children and a parent in the home at the time of the attack. No information was provided Sunday about how many other dogs were in the home. Jacksonville Animal Services confiscated at least one dog from the home and placed it into quarantine.

This attack follows a deadly dog mauling in south Florida back in May. Liana Valino, 9-months old, was attacked and killed by a family pit bull while under the care of her paternal grandmother at her father's home. The grandmother told a Spanish-speaking 911 translator, "My son's dog killed the 9-month-old girl. I locked the dog in the bathroom and the baby is dead in the living room." The father owned three pit bulls, all related. The culprit was the male offspring, about 3 or 4 years old.

Both attacks involve multi-dog households, a person "watching" the attacking dog other than its owner and a devastating attack on a child. In the Jacksonville case, it is unknown if the child had previous experience with the dog. It is also unknown how long the family had been dog sitting. In cases of fatal dog maulings, all of these factors heighten the risk of an attack and children are the primary victims. As of Monday early afternoon, the condition of the Jacksonville child is unknown.

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: Florida Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.

DogsBite blog ::

2018 Dog Bite Fatality: Large Pit Bull Kills Woman on Chicago's Far South Side

2018 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bulls Kill Toddler, Injure Babysitter in Philadelphia's Port Richmond Section

Severe Attack in Omaha: Another Beautiful Face Destroyed by a Family Pit Bull in a Multi-Pit Bull Household

Pit Bull Owner Arrested and Charged after the Attack

2018 Dog Bite Fatality: Child with Life-Threatening Injuries from Dog Attack Dies in Jacksonville