Posted on December 17, 2013 by Colleen Lynn

2013 Dog Bite Fatality: Valencia County Woman Mauled to Death by Pet Pit Bull

"It was Her Time"
UPDATE 12/16/13: We are issuing a warning for readers about this update. Part one: We do not have sympathy for pit bull breeders. Part two: We do not trust any pit bull owner, no matter the stage of grieving, who says the violent death of a loved one by a pit bull was a "freak accident" and "it was her time to go." Nicholas Hare, the dead victim's boyfriend, is about as reprehensible as they come. Where was Hare when his girlfriend's neck was being ripped out by the pit bull?

Nicholas Hare

This is something that came completely out of left field.

I mean, it was her time...

As horrible and tragic as it was, it was…

It's really hard to lose five family members in one day basically [referring to four pit bulls authorities euthanized due to their aggression and his girlfriend], because they were our children for years and years.
[Concerning the breeding of pit bulls]

We did it together because it's what made our family stronger.

The last "premier" Super Nutter that arose after a fatal pit bull mauling was the husband of Darla Napora, 6-months pregnant with a child in Pacifica, California. Greg Napora was also absent when the family pit bull was ripping Darla's neck out. Napora called his wife and unborn child's violent death a "freak accident" and "It's not the breed's fault," and, in case readers have forgotten, Napora said he would bury his wife and her unborn child with the pit bull that murdered them.

RIP Michal Nelson. It was not your time.

12/15/13: Mauling Victim Identified
The Valencia County Sherifff's office released the deceased woman's name over the weekend. Michal Nelson, 41-years old, was mauled to death by one of her own pit bulls on Friday in Jarales, just south of Belen. Nelson had 12 pit bulls on her property. According to county investigators, Nelson went into one of the pens outside and was "breaking the ice out of a water bowl" when one of her pit bulls attacked her. Nelson's son discovered her body. He shot and killed the dog.

Valencia County Sheriff's officials are now looking into whether or not Nelson was a breeder.

The Albuquerque Journal provides other details, reporting that her son arrived at her Jarales home to find the pit bull on top of her, according to Valencia County Sheriff Louis Burkhard. Sheriff Burkhard added that five pit bulls were removed from Nelson's property because they displayed aggressive characteristics. "There’s no way for us to determine what caused the dog to act like it did or attack her," Burkhard said. (Because he has not seen: What prompts a pit bull to attack?)

12/13/13: Woman Killed by Pit Bull
Valencia County, NM - In a developing a story, a Valencia County woman was mauled to death by a pit bull Friday afternoon. The attack occurred at about 5:30 pm at the woman's home off Crawford Road in Jarales, just south of Belen. The Valencia County Sheriff's Department said the woman's son came home and found his mother dead from the attack. The son killed the dog immediately after the attack. The woman owned up to 12 dogs, including the pit bull that killed her.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that the woman was 41-years old. At the time of the attack, she had been "breaking ice in her front yard" when the dog mauled her to death, according to Valencia County Sheriff Louis Burkhard. The woman had around 12 dogs, Burkhard said. None of the animals appeared abused. The Office of the Medical Examiner is on scene. KRQE reports that investigators are reviewing whether she was running a dog shelter or if the animals were pets.

Photo: KRQE.com

Posted on December 13, 2013 by Colleen Lynn

Video: Mother of Fatal Pit Bull Attack Victim Shares Story with State Representative

Beau Rutledge, 2-years old, was killed by family pit bull named "Kissy Face."

Rep. Waites and Mrs. Rutledge
Atlanta, GA - On April 24, Beau Rutledge, 2-years old, was horrifically mauled to death by his family's pit bull in Fulton County, Georgia. The family had owned the pit bull, Kissy Face, for eight years without any aggression issues. On Thursday, State Representative Keisha Waites posted this moving video to her Facebook Page. The video is a conversation between Rep. Waites and Angela Rutledge, Beau's mother, discussing why Rutledge supports Bully Breed Legislation.

Partial Transcript:

When I came downstairs, it wasn't because I heard anything. It wasn't because I heard a scream or any banging. I don't even to this moment understand how I did not hear anything. There was no music playing in my house.

It was so quick.

My son had puncture wounds in his neck. Gashes in his head. And he laid there, and I screamed so loud ...

I ran upstairs to go get my cell phone so I could call 911. I couldn't even call 911 because I kept slipping in the blood, and I kept dropping my phone...

The reason why I am supporting this legislation is to undo the lie.

There's a horrible rumor out there saying that nature will submit to nurture.

It's almost like if you were to get a lion as a cub -- They are very innocent and very sweet, but there comes a point … They are ticking time bombs. You cannot reach into their minds to know what is going to click on that detonator and set them off. You just don't know...

I believed that if you loved these dogs and took care of these dogs -- Kissy Face was never chained up, never tethered, never kenneled. She has slept in a bed ... She wore pink. There were times when I got a pedicure, she got a pedicure. When I was getting my nails done, she was getting her nails done.

I want to see something done where people are not blindsided by propaganda...
[Speaking to families who own pit bulls]

Ponder this one thing: Would you rather keep your dog and take that chance, and grieve for a lifetime, or would you rather put that dog down and grieve for just a moment?

There is no comparison in the grief. I have put a pit bull down, and I have also put a child down. The child is a lot more painful. - Angela Rutledge

To our knowledge, a similar type of video has never been produced or publicly aired before.

Posted on December 12, 2013 by Colleen Lynn

2013 Dog Bite Fatality: Baby Dies in Columbus, Injuries Consistent with Dog Attack

Autopsy Results
UPDATE 12/11/13: Autopsy results confirmed that dog bites caused the death of a 3-month old girl. Franklin County Coroner Jan Gorniak said that Mia Gibson died from internal injuries due to dog bites. The baby died on Tuesday at Nationwide Children’s Hospital at about 7:45 am. Her mother found her on the floor next to the living-room couch where her father was sleeping just before 7:00 am. Mia had fallen from the couch and was fatally injured by the family's two dogs.

12/10/14: Baby Dies, Dogs Suspected
Columbus, OH - Columbus news organizations report that a baby girl was killed today by family dogs while her father slept on the couch. According to Columbus police, homicide detectives were called to a home on Lake Shore Drive in Hidden Lake Condominiums shortly before 8:50 am to investigate the death of a 3-month old baby. Franklin County Coroner, Dr. Jan Gorniak, told NBC4 that the young child, identified as Mia Gibson, sustained injuries consistent with a dog attack.

An autopsy will be conducted Wednesday to determine the exact cause of the baby's death.

Sgt. Steven Little, of the first-shift homicide squad, told the Columbus Dispatch that Mia was on the couch with her father, who was asleep, when she apparently fell off the couch and the dogs caused injuries that led to her death. Mia's mother, Sabrena Gibson, 34, was in her bedroom when one of the dogs at the bedroom door woke her. She went into the living room and discovered her daughter injured. Mia’s father, Chris Kusumi, 33, told detectives he had slept through it all.

Little said it appears the dogs caused the baby's death. Though the baby had no major visible trauma, she did have several small puncture wounds on her body. Animal control seized two dogs, both Japanese shiba inus, from the home. Detectives do not anticipate charging either parent. The case will be forwarded to the Franklin County prosecutor's office to decide if criminal charges are warranted. "It’s just an unfortunate situation and it’s a sad situation for the family," Little said.

Posted on December 10, 2013 by Colleen Lynn

2013 Dog Bite Fatality: 2-Year Old Girl Mauled to Death by Dogs in South Chicago

Family Calls for Justice
UPDATE 12/10/13: Authorities continue to investigate the death of Jah'Niyah White. She died on Saturday while staying at her maternal grandfather's home after suffering injuries from a dog attack. Family members gathered in front of his home on Monday in the freezing cold to mourn the child and call for justice. Jah'Niyah's mother, Kashairah Gardner, and family members attached balloons, photos and pink paper to a street signpost on East 91st Street and Buffalo Avenue.

It's a way to remember her, to keep her close to our hearts - Lakeeta Gardner

The child's family does not understand why no one is in jail after her death was ruled a homicide. "I want him locked up," Britt Williams-Nelson said, who is the child's paternal grandmother. "I want the police to be over here and see him and take him into custody ... It's been ruled a homicide. Why is no one in jail?" she demanded. "I want justice for Jah'Niyah," she said. "The person that did this to Jah'Niyah? I want to see them behind bars for what they did to my granddaughter."

Kashairah said she left her daughter at her father's house Friday night. She said she left work early Saturday, "haunted by an eerie feeling," states the Tribune article. When authorities told her about her daughter's death, "They told me my baby was gone, just gone," she said. When asked by reporters if she had ever worried about her father's two pit bulls, Gardner shook her head through tears. Gardner said her daughter "was attached to them, and they was attached to her."

12/09/13: Two Pit Bulls Seized
The Chicago Tribune reports more information about the little girl's family members and circumstances surrounding her death. Jah-Niyah White, 2, was pronounced dead on Saturday after suffering multiple injuries from a dog attack. Britt Williams-Nelson, the child's paternal grandmother, told the Tribune when reached by phone: "I've been up for the last 48 hours," she said mournfully. "I can't sleep. I can't eat. I can't do anything except worry about my baby."

Williams-Nelson resides in Phoenix, a suburb south of Chicago. At the time of the attack, Jah-Niyah was staying at her maternal grandfather's home in the 3300 block of East 91st Street in South Chicago. The Chicago Police Department continues to investigate her death. No arrests or charges have been filed as of Monday morning. The city's Department of Animal Care and Control seized two dogs from the grandfather's home; the girl's family said both dogs were pit bulls.

Police contacted the city's Department of Animal Care and Control, who took custody of two dogs, one named "Brownie" and another named "General Chico,"’ according to a police report. Officials with the Department of Animal Care and Control have not returned several telephone calls today. The family said both dogs were pit bulls, an adult female dog and her puppy. - Chicago Tribune

The Tribune also reached Jah'Niyah White's mother, Kashairah Gardner, 20, by phone this morning, "I'm doing okay," she said. "I'm hanging in there." Jah'Niyah's father, John White, 21, lives and works in Missouri, but arrived at his mother's Phoenix home last Thursday, bringing Christmas presents for his daughter. Williams-Nelson said the girl's parents are no longer together, but remain good friends. Williams-Nelson said her son "can't stop crying" since the child's death.

Williams-Nelson and her husband cared for the child at least once a week. "We were part of her life as much as her parents were. My husband loved (her) more than life itself," Williams-Nelson told the Tribune. She also said she had 4,000 photos of the child on her cellphone and is currently surrounded by a room filled with Christmas presents that were intended for Jah'Niyah. Kashairah Gardner, sadly, is now arranging to give to needy children the gifts she purchased for Jah'Niyah.

Circumstances Surrounding Her Death

Chicago Police detectives were called to the East 91st Street home at 2:45 pm Saturday to assist Chicago Fire Department. According to a police report, the 50-year old man who called police led officers to the bathroom of his third floor apartment, where the child was found "lying on the floor on her back with a white towel around her neck." The man told police officers she was "bouncing on a bed when she fell off and struck her head on the corner of a dresser," the report stated.

The man's relationship to the child was not given in the police report.

Officers saw that Jah'Niyah was still breathing and felt a pulse. Paramedics began rushing her to University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital. On the way there, however, she "went into defibleration (sp)" and paramedics had to go to the nearest hospital, Jackson Park Hospital, where she later died. A doctor told police that Jah'Niyah had several lacerations and puncture wounds on the back of her head and her neck, and that her left ear lobe was missing, the report stated.

12/08/13: Girl Killed by Dogs
Chicago, IL - In a developing story, a 2-year old girl was mauled to death by one or more dogs at a South Chicago home yesterday. Jah’niyah White died at Jackson Park Hospital on Saturday at 3:40 pm after suffering a head injury at her maternal grandfather's home in the 3300 block of East 91st. An autopsy conducted Sunday found the girl had been neglected and died from multiple injuries she sustained in a dog attack, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.

The medical examiner’s office ruled her death a homicide.

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is investigating the girl's grandfather for allegations of abuse. A spokeswoman said the agency has had no prior contact with the family. The grandfather has not been charged with a crime. Jah’niyah's father, John White, said she did not live at the 91st Street home, but was staying there while her mother was at work. He said he was told the girl fell. Erin Lewis, a family friend, said, "Everybody is just really in pieces right now."

"Visiting" the Dog's Owner

So far in 2013, 41% of all victims of fatal dog maulings were either visiting or living temporarily with the dog's owner at the time of the deadly attack. 83% of these victims were children, 7-years and younger. Over half of these victims, 58%, were under the care of a family member, relative, friend or babysitter at the time of the fatal attack. One of these incidents (8%) involved a chained dog and a young child. Excluding the death of Jah'niyah White, 91% of these attacks involved pit bulls.

Breed information still remains unavailable in the most recent U.S. dog attack resulting in death.

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

Recent Cook County fatalities:
08/17/12: 2012 Dog Bite Fatality: Chicago Man Killed by Pit Bull(s) in His Home
01/18/10: 2010 Dog Bite Fatality: 56-Year Old Man Killed by Daughter's Six Pit Bulls

Photo: Daily Mail

DogsBite blog ::