Posted on April 15, 2014 by Colleen Lynn

Jury Acquits Pit Bull Owners After Long-Delayed Trial

Peter Lucas and Rachelle Kay Lucas were taken into custody on June 9, 2014.

Couple Acquitted
UPDATE 05/16/19: A Comal County jury acquitted a Canyon Lake couple in connection to the brutal dog mauling death of a woman in late 2013. Betty Clark, 75-years old, was viciously attacked by two loose pit bulls on December 21, 2013. She died of her injuries 16 days later, on January 6, at University Hospital in San Antonio. Clark never regained consciousness after the attack. It took a jury less than fours hours to find Peter Lucas and Rachelle Lucas not guilty.

Most of the local news coverage of the trial is behind a pay wall. We subscribed to follow the daily updates. It was clear from day one that prosecutors faced an uphill battle. Their primary witness, a man who came to Clark's aid, was later convicted of multiple felonies. He came before the jury in shackles. If that weren't bad enough, the lack of experience of the investigators in preparing a fatal dog mauling case -- which is the norm not the exception -- proved to be ruinous to their case.

Criminal charges must be proven "beyond a reasonable doubt," the highest burden of proof. Defense successfully raised sufficient doubt.

Defense performed so well that prosecutors Jessica Frazier and Kiera Kilday did not even comment after the case. No family member or friend of Clark commented on her behalf either. Peter Lucas even had the audacity to say, "The dogs that did this to Miss Betty are still out there." Not according to our research. On multiple occasions after pit bulls have killed a person, and were released or never captured, the same pit bulls have killed another person within three months.

The 2014 fatal pit bull attacks of David Glass Sr. and Derrick Sanders in Mississippi and the 2016 fatal pit bull attack of Valente Lopez Aguirre and related death of Robert Simonian in California.

Criminal Trial Underway

On May 8, the trial of a Canyon Lake couple charged in connection to the dog mauling death of 75-year old Betty Clark began after 15 postponements over the last five years. The defendants, Peter Lucas, 54, and Rachelle Kay Lucas, 52, each face a second-degree felony punishable by up to a $10,000 fine and up to 20 years in prison if found guilty. Seven men and seven women were seated as jurors and alternates. 433rd District Court Judge Dib Waldrip presided over the trial.

On December 21, 2013 two loose pit bulls savagely attacked Betty Clark. She was airlifted to University Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

"Their dogs attacked Miss Betty because they failed to effectively secure their property," Assistant Criminal District Attorney Jessica Frazier told the jury during opening arguments. "And 16 days later, Miss Betty died as a result." Defense argued there were many flaws in the Comal County Sheriff's Office investigation, including relying heavily on statements of two witnesses -- both who fired shots to scatter the pit bulls -- who were later convicted of crimes that sent them to prison.

Key elements of the criminal trial include defense tearing into the credibility of the two people who came to Clark's aid, Dwight Leon Hammett and Kayla White. The couple lived near the attack site at the intersection of Deer Valley and Overhill streets in Canyon Lake. Other defense tactics included questioning CCSO officers, who they believe botched the investigation from the get-go, as well as questioning the reliability of the DNA sample that matched one of the Lucases pit bulls.

"Yes, seeing her with one dog on her arms and another on her legs had an impact on me," Hammett said. "Her face was being chewed off and I couldn’t do anything about it."

After Hammett shot a round from the pistol into the ground, the dogs -- a caramel-colored female and a black, white-patched male -- scattered toward the Lucas residence on Deer Valley, just yards away the attack.

"They were on a mission to kill or hurt someone -- and they did." Hammett said. - Herald-Zeitung, May 9, 2019

Notably, former CCSO investigator Keith Wilson, stated under cross-examination that he and the two detectives on the case, Frank Cockrell and Anthony Moreno, had no experience with dog attack cases (of a criminal nature). This is not uncommon, as there are only about 38 fatal dog maulings annually in the U.S. and only 20% of them ever result in criminal charges. Ominously, just over a year after Clark's death, a 7-year old boy is also killed by dogs in Canyon Lake.

DNA evidence taken from the Lucases two pit bulls resulted in only the female pit bull connected to DNA in a blood sample from Clark taken after her death. Defense served up expert James Crosby, who testified that people at the scene before EMS units arrived, could have transported blood and tissue evidence from the site that later wound up on the dogs and other ways the connecting DNA sample might have been compromised. Prosecutors rested their case Friday.

Information about the trial comes from the Herald-Zeitung, the local newspaper in New Braunfels. Most of the content is behind a pay wall. We summarized the trial proceedings after subscribing.

06/11/14: Dog Owners Arrested
On June 4, 2014 a Comal County grand jury indicted Rachelle Kay Lucas, 47, and Peter Lucas, 49, both of Canyon Lake, for allowing their two pit bulls to roam free and cause the death of 75-year old Betty Clark, according to court documents obtained by the Herald-Zeitung. The grand jury found enough evidence existed to try the couple on a charge of attack by dog resulting in death. The two Lucases were arrested and jailed on June 9. Each is being held under a $15,000 bond.

On or about Dec. 21, the defendants “did then and there with criminal negligence, fail to secure a dog or dogs and one or more of those dogs made an unprovoked attack on another person, namely Betty Clark ...,” the one-count indictments read.

The court documents state the attack happened at the intersection of Deer Valley and Overhill streets away from the couple’s home. The attack caused Clark’s death, the indictments said. Dalondo Moultrie, Herald-Zeitung

It appears the two are being charged under Part 1 of the Texas felony dog attack law, "criminal negligence" (See: Section 6.03 of Texas Penal Code), which we are less familiar with. Usually, charges fall under Part 2. We understand that "criminal negligence" boils down to proving the same essential elements of Part 2 beyond a reasonable doubt: the dog owner knew or should have known the dog would cause serious injury or death, and the attack occurred off-property.1

Sec. 822.005. Attack by Dog. (a) A person commits an offense if the person is the owner of a dog and the person:

(1) with criminal negligence, as defined by Section 6.03, Penal Code, fails to secure the dog and the dog makes an unprovoked attack on another person that occurs at a location other than the owner's real property or in or on the owner's motor vehicle or boat and that causes serious bodily injury, as defined by Section 1.07, Penal Code, or death to the other person; or

(2) knows the dog is a dangerous dog by learning in a manner described by Section 822.042(g) that the person is the owner of a dangerous dog, and the dangerous dog makes an unprovoked attack on another person that occurs at a location other than a secure enclosure in which the dog is restrained in accordance with Subchapter D and that causes serious bodily injury, as defined by Section 822.001, or death to the other person.

(b) An offense under this section is a felony of the third degree unless the attack causes death, in which event the offense is a felony of the second degree.

04/15/14: Woman Dies After Dog Attack
Canyon Lake, TX - While literally in the midst of preparing to contact the Comal County Animal Control Dept. about a reported dog bite fatality noted in a Spring 2014 Comal County Public Health Dept. newsletter, information about this death was reported by the San Antonio Express-News late last night. Betty Clark, 75-years old, was delivering presents to her Canyon Lake neighbors on December 21 when she was attacked by two pit bulls in her neighborhood.

Information about Clark was revealed in the same late night article that reported the death of 83-year old Petra Aguirre, also killed by a pit bull.

Clark was discovered unresponsive with bites all over her body. She died on January 6 at University Hospital having never regained consciousness after the attack. "She died because of those injuries," said Dr. Natasha Keric, an assistant professor of surgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center who treated Clark. Specifically, she had bite injuries on all of her limbs, torso, abdomen and head, according to a case presentation on her death prepared by her doctor.

The Comal County Sheriff's Office has not released the full incident report about Clark's attack citing an ongoing investigation. According to doctors and her niece, both dogs were pit bulls.

Doctors at University Hospital Respond

In 2011, the Annals of Surgery published a critical peer-reviewed scientific study pertaining to severe and fatal pit bull injuries (Mortality, Mauling and Maiming by Vicious Dogs, by John K. Bini, et al.), authored by doctors at San Antonio University Hospital. In the landmark 2012 Tracey v. Solesky decision, which declared pit bulls "inherently dangerous," the highest court in Maryland cited the entire abstract of this study. The conclusions by the University Hospital doctors:

Conclusions: Attacks by pit bulls are associated with higher morbidity rates, higher hospital charges, and a higher risk of death than are attacks by other breeds of dogs. Strict regulation of pit bulls may substantially reduce the US mortality rates related to dog bites.

The majority of the San Antonio Express-News article (who many readers cannot see because it is behind a paywall) pertains to this study and a rehearsed rehashing of the 30-year old pit bull debate. One of the primary authors of the study, Dr. Stephen Cohn, is interviewed in the article. "We've had people that have almost lost their legs just going out for a run," said Dr. Stephen Cohn, a professor of surgery at the Health Science Center. "This is a complete hazard for all of us."

Cohn, one of the University Hospital doctors, has been vocal in his call for regulations on breeds such as pit bulls. He was one of the authors of a 2011 study that found that, while fatal attacks were rare, pit bulls were "the single breed responsible for the vast majority of deaths due to dog attacks."

Cohn also pointed to a 2010 study that analyzed the effect of breed-specific rules on dog bites in a region of Spain. Governments there enacted regulations that required additional steps for owners of “potentially dangerous dogs,” some of which were defined by breed.

According to the study, there was a "noticeable decline" in hospitalizations from dog bites after the rules went into effect. - San Antonio Express-News

In a nutshell, while DogsBite.org has substantial concerns about fatal dog maulings of all breeds failing to be reported by media outlets in all 50 states, the deaths of both Betty Clark, 75-years old of Canyon Lake, and Petra Aguirre, 83-years old of San Antonio, are possibly on public record at all today due to assistance from doctors at University Hospital. The victims' advocacy movement needs health officials in every state to ensure that this information is known to the community.

Both victims fall into the most underreported scenario: senior citizens who suffer horrific injuries from a dog attack and die while being hospitalized for these injuries. Neither Clark nor Aguirre had an immediate news report of their attack either, which left devastating injuries all over their bodies. Clark was attacked on December 21 while delivering Christmas presents in her neighborhood. Aguirre was attacked on March 31 while feeding her cats in her own backyard. Not news worthy?

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

Join Texas Dog Bite Victims' Advocacy - Join our Texas email list to stay informed

1Section 6.03, Penal Code: A person acts with criminal negligence, or is criminally negligent, with respect to circumstances surrounding his conduct or the result of his conduct when he ought to be aware of a substantial and unjustifiable risk that the circumstances exist or the result will occur. The risk must be of such a nature and degree that the failure to perceive it constitutes a gross deviation from the standard of care that an ordinary person would exercise under all the circumstances as viewed from the actor's standpoint." Learn more about "criminal negligence" (Part 1) in Texas felony dog attack law at dogbitelaw.com.

Posted on April 15, 2014 by Colleen Lynn

2014 Dog Bite Fatality: San Antonio Woman, 83, Dies After Pit Bull Attack

Felony Charge, Owner Jailed
UPDATE 12/12/14: In what may be the first felony charges brought by Bexar County officials under Lillian's Law, 34-year old Perla Rojas was indicted on November 24 on a charge of a dangerous dog attack leading to death, according to court records. The second-degree felony carries up to 20-years in prison if convicted. On March 31, Rojas' two pit bulls brutally attacked 83-year old Petra Aguirre in her own backyard. Aguirre died at University Hospital on April 11.

Aguirre had been feeding her cats when her neighbor's pit bulls crawled under the fence and attacked her. Previously, it was reported that only one pit bull was involved. The two attacking pit bulls, both female, and a third dog belonging to Rojas attacked a 13-year old boy in May 2013. The boy was treated for his bite injuries and the dogs were quarantined. The dogs were then released back to Rojas. 10-months later, her two pit bulls will savagely attack and kill Aguirre.

Rojas was booked on November 25, a day after the indictment. She remains in Bexar County Jail in lieu of $20,000 bail. Of the 6 fatal dog attacks that occurred in Texas so far this year, 83% (5) involved pit bulls. Two other fatal attacks also resulted in felony charges under Lillian's Law: Betty Clark, 75-years old (Comal County) and Christina Bell, 43-years old (Harris County). Predictably, all three felony dog attack charges in Texas in 2014 were brought against the owners of pit bulls.

04/25/14: Like a "Shark Attack"
In a devastating follow up news article, San Antonio authorities are "grasping at straws" after the death of Petra Aguirre. She was brutally mauled by her neighbor's pit bull while in her own backyard, just 10-feet from her door. Her injuries are described as her ears torn off and "cavernous" gashes on her arms and legs. Her son Chris Aguirre said, "It's just like a shark attack." Medical journals and doctors have made the same comparison about pit bull injuries.1

We remind readers that the attacker was a 2-year old female pit bull, probably 35-pounds, not a 5,000-pound Great White ocean predator.

Petra was attacked on March 31 and underwent a new surgery every day at University Hospital. Family and friends said that she managed a blink or a nod at times. Her body was ravaged with infection and doctors advised that amputations might save her. Chris did not want his mother to live that way. "We had a family meeting," he said. Petra died of her injuries on April 11. She was 83 and a devout Catholic. Chris believes she forgave the dog owner within minutes of the attack.

City specific issues discussed in the article involve the massive population of roaming dogs in San Antonio (mainly owners not securing their dogs). It has been estimated that 150,000 dogs roam city streets on any given day. In 2011, San Antonio began a special court program to address this problem. Notably, this pit bull was not "free roaming" when it attacked. It crawled beneath its owner's crappy chain-link fence specifically to attack, which is a separate public safety issue.2

Properly securing pit bulls is a breed-specific issue and is being carried out in the City of Garland.

04/17/14: More Information Released
What was formerly behind a paywall is now viewable (at least for DogsBite). On April 14, the San Antonio Express-News reported more details about the mauling death of Petra Aguirre. She had been feeding her cats in her backyard when a pit bull-mix, named Skirtgles, crawled under the fence and attacked the 83-year old woman "from her scalp to her toes," according to family members and authorities. The animal belonged to her neighbor and had a history of biting.

The attack occurred on March 31. She died at University Hospital on April 11. The dog was described as an unsprayed 2-year old female pit bull-mix. The animal was surrendered by its owner after the attack and euthanized. Perla Rojas-Ibarra, the dog's owner, was "cited for the bite." Skirtgles and two other dogs owned by Rojas-Ibarra, were also involved in a biting incident last May. The dogs attacked a 13-year old boy who was walking down West Salinas Street.

Petra was living with two brothers and a nephew at the home when the vicious attack occurred, according to her son Chris Aguirre. The nephew was away at work and, horrifically, her two brothers could not hear what was happening. Her nephew, Simon Yanez, told KSAT.com that he is still haunted by the image of his mother's bloodied and bruised body. "She had bites on her arms, on her legs, her neck, her skull, her ear," Yanez said. "I didn't believe it was only one dog."

Aguirre also told the Express-News that his mother was a devout Catholic who taught religious education to children at St. Gabriel's parish for many years and was the "bedrock" of her family.

Texas Felony Dog Attack Law

For readers who are unaware of the Texas felony dog attack law, please see Lillilan's Law. Despite the attack on Petra fulfilling the two central requirements of the law -- the dog attacked off its owner's property and has a documented history of aggression -- there is still no word from San Antonio authorities about criminal charges. They are "still investigating" the incident, according to Express-News and KSAT news reports, KSAT even called it a "multiple-agency investigation."3

04/15/14: Senior Citizen Killed by Pit Bull
San Antonio, TX - An elderly woman has died for the second time this year at University Hospital (See a related study from the same hospital: Mortality, Mauling and Maiming by Vicious Dogs). Petra Aguirre, 83-years old, was attacked by a neighbor's pit bull in her backyard last month. Aguirre had bites all over her body, according to officials and family members. She died Friday evening at the hospital. The 2-year old pit bull had been involved in a previous biting incident.

It is "highly probable" that the language used to describe the pit bull, "a 2-year old American Staffordshire terrier-mix," was supplied to the reporting news group by San Antonio's Animal Control Dept. to lessen the blow to the country's top killing dog breed and to confuse the public. The same article also states that 75-year old Betty Clark of neighboring Comal County died in January at the same hospital after being attacked by two dogs in her Canon Lake neighborhood.4

A news report by the Associated Press states she was attacked on March 31 while feeding her cats in her own backyard. The Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office said Petra Aguirre died on Friday from dog bite complications. Animal Care Services spokeswoman Lisa Norwood says the dog "got past Aguirre's fence." The pit bull inflicted bites to her head, neck, arms and legs. That dog and two others where involved in an attack last May when a 13-year old boy was bitten.

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

Join Texas Dog Bite Victims' Advocacy - Join our Texas email list to stay informed

1The 1988 study by University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston doctors, Pit Bull Attack: Case Report and Literature Review, references this: "Most breeds do not repeatedly bite their victims; however, a pit bull attack has been compared to a shark attack and often results in multiple bites and extensive soft-tissue loss," as did Dr. Tom Veverka who treated Duane VanLanHam, "It was like a shark attack. His legs were like hamburger."
2The article basically states that the owner's failure to properly secure his dog resulted in Petra's death. This is true, but it fails to point out the public safety difference between dog breeds. Had a collie crawled under the fence, no one would be making "shark attack" injury comparisons.
3As if special opts were involved. This same special opts team failed to notify the media when the attack occurred. Quite literally, dogs are murdering senior citizens in this area of Texas and the public has only learned about it after the victim died and because University Hospital was willing to bring the information forward.
4So, how many unreported fatal dog maulings to the media are there just in Texas alone?

Photo: KSAT.com

Posted on April 7, 2014 by Colleen Lynn

2014 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bull Kills 5-Year Old Boy in St. Clair County, Alabama

Mother Terrorized at Grave
UPDATE 07/01/14: In a painfully ominous development, the mother of John Harvard, who was brutally attacked and killed by a neighbor's pit bull in April, was recently terrorized by a pit bull while visiting her son's grave. This is the second time this has occurred and the last time with this pit bull. After the dog charged at her on Sunday while visiting her son's grave, Johnna Harvard scrambled into her car and called 911. A Pell City Police officer responded and shot the dog dead.

Watch raw video footage Johnna Harvard took at the scene with her cell phone.

Harvard captured the incident on video. "She had to shoot it. When that happened yesterday, I was shocked the dog was still there. It charged; it was not going to stop."
After losing a son to a dog attack and almost becoming a victim, Harvard says there needs to be stronger leash laws and regulations, especially where pit bulls are concerned.
"We need to do something on a state level because that was the closest I've ever felt to death and I had that fear of being chased by an animal. I felt like I felt what my son felt and no one should feel that way." - ABC 33/40

Johnna correctly states, "These dogs are everywhere." This includes cemeteries. In the raw video, Johnna weeps -- she cannot believe this is happening as she kneels beside her son's grave, still covered in beautiful flowers. The loud gunshot by the Pell City Police officer followed by her tears serves as a reminder of how real the pit bull problem is and why it no longer can be ignored. To read Johnna's full account of the attack that took her son's life, please visit Daxton's Friends.

06/18/14: Pit Bull Owner Indicted
A St. Clair County grand jury indicted the owner of a pit bull on a charge of criminally negligent homicide, a misdemeanor, in connection to the death of 5-year old John Harvard. On June 17, Johnny Ray Kay Sr., 57, of Riverside, turned himself in following his indictment. "Evidence obtained by the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department into the death investigation of John Harvard was presented to a grand jury last week," St. Clair County District Attorney Richard Minor said.

Minor said that if Kay is convicted of criminally negligent homicide, he could face up to one year in jail and a $6,000 fine. Kay is scheduled to be in court for his arraignment on August 13. Both Kay and the victim's father, Jeremy Harvard, declined comment on Wednesday. Last month, however, Harvard said that he had never seen the dog until after it attacked his son. He said his children had never played with the dog either -- disputing several media reports that followed the attack.1

Harvard said he last saw his son alive next to the front porch. He had his bicycle upside down and was putting a chain on it. Harvard said he went inside to change his clothes. About 5-minutes later, his older son came into the bedroom yelling, "A dog is on John!" Harvard grabbed his pistol and ran out of the house. He first yelled at the dog then shot at the animal several times in order to retrieve his son. Harvard rushed his younger son to the hospital, but he did not survive his injuries.

04/11/14: Parents Interviewed
In an emotional interview that aired at 5 pm CST on ABC 33/40, the parents of a little boy mauled to death by a neighbor's pit bull spoke out publicly for the first time about their horror and loss. Jeremy Harvard, the little boy's father, told ABC 33/40, "It's sad because I read a story on Facebook the other day about a 5-year old being mauled by a pit bull," said Harvard. "And I never dreamed I'd be talking about that to you today, because it happened to us. It happened to John."

Readers should know that there will likely come a day when a great majority of Americans will know a person or pet who has been mauled by a pit bull. This sentiment was also recently echoed by a Winston-Salem Journal columnist after 3-year old Braelynn Coulter was killed by her family's pet pit bull: "Anecdotally, many of us know that pit bulls are trouble. Increasingly, more of us know someone who’s been attacked by a pit bull, or whose dog has been attacked," John Railey states.

We ask readers to once again review the 31-Year Summary of Pit Bull Trends (1982 to 2013)

Donations can be made to the John Triton Harvard Memorial Fund at YouCaring.com.

04/10/14: Pit Bull Euthanized
New information has been released about the mauling death of 5-year old John Harvard who was brutally attacked and killed by a neighbor's pit bull on April 6. The pit bull was reportedly only 8-months old, according to the Daily Mail, and has since been euthanized. The City of Riverside does not have a leash law. However, St. Clair Undersheriff Billy Murray said that law enforcement would still likely consult with the St. Clair County District Attorney's Office about the evidence.

Because the dog was technically "at large" when it attacked the boy (and also lived next door to the boy in a semi-rural area), there has been a flurry of attention on "passing a leash law" to prevent similar future tragedies. Every town has to start somewhere and in semi-rural and rural communities, it usually starts at the base level of a leash law. A balloon release event is being organized for Saturday to help Riverside community members say goodbye to John Harvard.

View John Harvard tribute video

04/07/14: Burial Fund Started
A family friend or relative has started the John Triton Harvard Burial Fund at fundly.com. "Please help a grieving mother bring her deceased child home with her to California for a burial surrounded by family and siblings," states Jodi who created the page. The boy's mother, who had been staying in California with family, "has begun the 2,300 mile journey to retrieve her precious son's body and bring it home to rest in peace forever near her and his siblings," states the More Info of the fund.

04/06/14: Pit Bull Kills Child
St. Clair County, AL - In a developing story, a 5-year old boy died Sunday after being attacked by a pit bull in Riverside, Mayor Rusty Jessup told ABC 33/40. The victim was playing with his 9-year old brother when the animal attacked him, according to Jessup. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police have identified the 5-year old boy as John Harvard. ABC 33/40 has a crew en route to the scene and will be livestreaming from the scene.

WVTM adds additional details about the attack. Jessup said the attack occurred just after 4:00 pm Sunday. The two brothers were playing in their yard when an 80-pound pit bull came onto their property and attacked the younger boy, Jessup said. The 9-year old tried to get the animal off his brother, but could not. He ran into their house to get help. The father ran back outside and shot at the pit bull. The boy was rushed to St. Vincent's Hospital in St. Clair County, where he died.

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

1According to news reports, Mayor Rusty Jessup said the neighbor's dog used to play with the boys. Neighbors told the mayor that they had seen that dog playing with kids in the past too. The criminal trial should shed light on this.

Photo: ABC 33/40

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Colleen Lynn

2014 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bulls Owned by Family Members Kill 3-Year Old Mississippi Boy

One of the two young pit bulls that killed 3-year old Christopher Malone.

Ban Debate Erupts
UPDATE 04/10/14: Shortly after Christopher's death, Holmes County Sheriff Willie March said that there is a pit bull ban in the nearby town of Lexington and that he would address county officials about adopting a countywide ban. The debate about pit bulls in Mississippi increased after 4-year old Victoria Mullins was brutally attacked by three of her grandfather's 10 pit bulls in Simpson County on April 9. The three dogs burst through the back door of his residence to reach the child.

The Clarion-Ledger article also created an interactive map of severe and fatal dog attacks in Mississippi for the years 2003 to 2014. Users can view by breed type, year and victims. Pit bulls are overwhelmingly the perpetrators. A related graphical charts shows a steep rise in maulings and fatalities since 2006. A separate Ledger article published on the same day outlines cities and counties with pit bull laws, resourced by the DogsBite.org Mississippi breed-specific laws page.

04/01/14: On Scene Footage
Video footage from WAFB shows the high fenced pen the two pit bulls escaped from and attacked the child who was playing nearby. How the dogs escaped the enclosure is unknown. The footage also shows authorities carrying away both pit bulls, referred to by the child's aunt, Lucy Mayze, as "puppies." When asked if the dogs were vicious before, Mayze told reporters, "Not the puppies. They never been no real vicious dog they never bit nobody they never jumped on nobody..."

"The dogs just jumped him and took him down and dragged him in the back and killed him, ate him up," Mayze said.

Captain Sam Chambers with the Holmes County Sheriff's Department said, "The children were outside playing and [the mother] missed her child and when she went around to look for him that's when she saw the dogs on him and she went up there to try to get the dogs off her child and she ended up getting bit too." Chambers added, "Sad, when it comes to a child, real sad." The child's mother was treated at Lexington hospital. The little boy's death remains under investigation.

View Related video

03/31/14: Pit Bulls Kill Child
Holmes County, MS - In a developing story, two pit bulls owned by a family member killed a 3-year old boy on Monday afternoon in Holmes County. The attack occurred in the Thornton community. The boy died on the scene. Holmes County Sheriff Willie March said it appears the dogs were in a pen and got out. Family members owned the two pit bulls, March said. The boy has been identified as Christopher Malone. The coroner and Holmes County Sheriff's Department are on the scene.

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

Photo: WAFB.com

DogsBite blog ::

2014 Dog Bite Fatality: Comal County Woman, 75, Dies After Pit Bull Attack

Jury Acquits Pit Bull Owners After Long-Delayed Trial

2014 Dog Bite Fatality: San Antonio Woman, 83, Dies After Pit Bull Attack

2014 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bull Kills 5-Year Old Boy in St. Clair County, Alabama

2014 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bulls Owned by Family Members Kill 3-Year Old Mississippi Boy