Posted on March 6, 2013 by Colleen Lynn

2013 Dog Bite Fatality: 14-Month Old Wisconsin Boy Killed by Babysitter's Pit Bulls

Daxton Borchardt was mauled to death by two pit bulls belonging to his babysitter.

Police Release Details
UPDATE 04/02/13: On Monday, the Walworth County Sheriff's Office released new information about the fatal pit bull mauling of Daxton Borchardt. The reports detail the savage attack upon the 14-month old boy and the dogs' owner, Susan Iwicki, who was babysitting the boy at the time of the fatal mauling. According to reports, the two pit bulls turned from "playful and nippy" into a violent frenzy on March 6 as Iwicki took the two animals outside her home while holding Daxton.

Iwicki then lost hold of Daxton and the boy went sprawling to the ground. The dogs lunged onto Daxton and began a brutal and ultimately fatal attack on him, according to Iwicki's accounts.

Iwicki screamed for help and tried to kick the dogs away as one stood on her back, mauling her. As the dogs stalked in circles around Daxton, she somehow managed to get the pit bulls and Daxton separated. Inside her house, she used baby gates to keep Daxton and the dogs in different rooms while she called 911 and shouted frantic and panicked pleas for help.

By then, Daxton was critically injured and was losing massive amounts of blood, according to reports. (GazetteXtra.com)

A deputy was first to arrive at what he feared was a murder scene. Blood and fabric were all over the yard where the attack took place, according to reports. The deputy yelled for Iwicki to get the dogs out of the house and away from the scene. The officer discovered Daxton in one of the rooms in Iwicki's home. The toddler was fully naked and lying motionless on his back on the floor in a puddle of blood that was "everywhere," according to reports. The boy was still barely alive.

Daxton's father, Jeffery Borchardt, was helping Iwicki's boyfriend install carpeting at another home when his son was violently attacked. Iwicki called her boyfriend in a panic after the horrific mauling. He left right away and would NOT tell Jeffery why, only that something had happened involving Daxton, according to reports. No criminal charges against Susan Iwicki are pending. Jeffery told deputies after the attack that he never wanted to see Iwicki or her boyfriend again.

Veterinary records included in the reports showed that both dogs -- 3-year old pit bulls, a male and female -- had been spayed and neutered.

03/07/13: Father Shares Grief
As some readers already know, the father of Daxton Borchardt has been speaking out publicly on his Facebook page about the violent pit bull attack that took his son's life on Wednesday. The father's most recent post says: "What do I do now?...I don't know how I'm ever gonna continue on with life...I just want to die...why us?..why this way?" DogsBite.org and all of our readers grieve for this boy's young parents and the unbearable, life-altering loss they are suffering.1

Daxton Borchardt Fund
A memorial fund has been set up at Associated Bank. Donations can be made at any Associated Bank branch to the "Daxton Borchardt Fund."

03/07/13: Friends React to Death
Family friends tell Today's TMJ4 that the child's name is Dax. They gathered to mourn his loss and to support his parents. Dax was at his babysitter's "apartment" (a mere unit of the large home) when Susan Iwicki's two pit bulls berserked, attacking the child and their owner. The news agency is also trying to obtain the 911 call. It is unknown if Susan Iwicki may face criminal charges; she wouldn't be the first babysitter charged under similar circumstances after a child's death.

Separately, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting that the boy's death is the first fatal dog attack in Wisconsin in a decade. It was just a few years ago, however, that Taylor Becker, 4-years old, was mauled to death by a chained dog while "visiting" family friends in Hubbard Township.2

03/06/13: Boy Dies After Mauling
Walworth, WI - Another young boy has been savagely killed by a pit bull. Earlier today, we began following this story. 30-year old Susan Iwicki, the owner of the two attacking pit bulls, made the 911 call. She told authorities that she and a 14-month old boy were under attack by her two dogs and had sustained multiple injuries. The boy was transported to Mercy-Walworth Medical Center and Hospital then airlifted to a Milwaukee-area hospital that treats critical injuries.

The county coroner's office confirmed that the boy died of his injuries at 3:32 pm Wednesday. A separate story stated that the attack occurred shortly before noon. WISN learned more details by speaking to the son of the property owners where the attack took place. He believes Susan Iwicki may have been babysitting at the time, and that the child was not hers. Authorities have not released the child's name. Sheriff's deputies continue to investigate the fatal dog attack.

1Chris Brahm, quoted heavily in the Today's TMJ4 article is a disgraceful Maul Talker -- intentional or otherwise -- spouting off pit bull distortions such as "any dog can do it." Karen Adleman is no better, "it's almost like it's an act of God." The fact that this grief stricken father has to deal with tactless pit bull apologists at this time is an atrocity.
2The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel updated their article to include Taylor Becker after DogsBite.org sent correspondence.

Photo: Facebook.com

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Colleen Lynn

2013 Dog Bite Fatality: Elderly Woman Mauled to Death by Pit Bulls in Motel Room

Watercolorist Elsie Grace seen standing next to one of her paintings.

Memorial Website
UPDATE 02/25/13: Family members have created a memorial website for Elsie Grace who was found in a hotel room mauled to death by her son's two pit bulls on February 8. The website is devoted to the celebration of Elsie's life and her accomplishments as a teacher and watercolor painter. The website also hosts the Official Elsie Grace Scholarship for the Arts Fund. The starting goal is to raise $33,000 -- $1,000 for each year Elsie taught at Copper Mountain College.

By establishing the scholarship fund, the family hopes to carry on Elsie's legacy of sharing the love and appreciation of art by providing financial aid to Copper Mountain College students on an annual basis in the future. If readers are unable to give to the scholarship fund, the family asks that you share the Elsie Grace Memorial website and its cause "on every social medical platform that you can." The family adds, "Let's show the power of social media for a great cause."

02/11/13: A Watercolor Artist
New information from The Press-Enterprise indicates that Elsie Grace was a nationally recognized watercolor artist who taught for 33 years at Copper Mountain College in Joshua Tree, California. Grace was a member of the La Quinta Arts Association, where she last exhibited as part of the 2004 Art Under the Umbrellas program. She also belonged to other national watercolor associations, according to Karen Ellis, a Palm Springs consultant who said she knew Grace.

After her retirement in 2004, Grace was commissioned by La Quinta Hotel and painted 230 watercolor views of the hotel's casitas. Thus far, authorities have released no information about the victim's son who was staying with her at the motel, along with two family pit bulls. Details about the background of the dogs have not been released either, such as if they were adopted from a shelter or rescue group or even the actual owner of the dogs, which we expect is her son.

Jeff Sheppard, the president and CEO1 of the Ramona Humane Society, which has the animal control contract for the City of Hemet, suggested the woman was dead before the attack and that the dogs licked her to try to wake her up. Sheppard makes no mention of the nature of the attack described by police as inflicting a "great deal of trauma." As typical, another tax-payer funded humane group is awash in pit bull apologia in the instant wake of a brutal fatal pit bull mauling.

The dogs were removed and are being held by the Ramona Humane Society, which oversees animals control in the city.

"They don't seem really aggressive," said Jeff Sheppard, president and CEO of the Humane Society. "These are family pets."

Sheppard said he did not know the specifics of the case, but it would not be unusual for pets to lick an owner who is unresponsive.

"An animal's instinct is to try and wake them up," he said.

It's possible that the woman may have died before the animals attacked her, he said. The Press-Enterprise, February 11, 2013

02/11/13: Killed in Motel Room
Hemet, CA - Authorities say a 91-year old woman discovered dead in her motel room was mauled to death by two pit bulls. Elsie Grace was found dead in her Motel 6 room in Hemet on Friday morning. "The victim had a great deal of trauma to her body," according to Hemet police Lt. Duane Wisehart. Apparently, Grace and her son were staying at the motel because they were in the process of relocating to Hemet. Her unnamed son was away at the time of the deadly attack.

One of Elsie Grace's water color paintings from the Copper Mountain College's collection.

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

1Grace was killed on Friday -- 3 days before the media reported it. Yet, CEO Jeff Sheppard claimed he "did not know the specifics of the case." That's three strikes: 1.) Sheppard ignored the police statement describing the victim's injuries 2.) Instead, he suggested the victim was dead prior to the attack and 3.) As president and CEO, Sheppard also denied knowing "specifics" about a fatal dog attack under his own jurisdiction after 3 days.

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Colleen Lynn

2013 Dog Bite Fatality: 'Nightmare' Pit Bull Kills Uvalde County Boy

Parents of Isaiah Aguilar: Lisa Gonzales and Richard Aguilar.

History of Killing
UPDATE 02/19/13: Fox 29 reports (in the video) what we had suspected. There were two pit bulls in the neighbor's yard (See: related photo). The news group also reported that the female pit bull that attacked and killed Isaiah Aguilar had recently killed another pit bull. "The female that did this killed the Dad of the dogs," according to Isaiah's mother, Lisa Gonzales. She also said the animal ate most of her own puppies. "That dog attacked its own litter … and my son," Gonzales said.

02/18/13: Pit Bull Kills Young Boy
Sabinal, TX - In a developing story, a 2-year old boy was killed Saturday by a relative's pit bull. Isaiah Aguilar was playing with a balloon outside his home when the wind blew it into a backyard next door, according to police. When he went to retrieve the balloon, he came face-to-face with a female pit bull tied up in the yard. The dog viciously attacked the boy. The boy's sibling said that someone inside the home opened the door during the attack, but did not help the boy.1

By the time the boy's father, Richard Aguilar, reached him he was no longer breathing. A neighbor in the area performed CPR as the boy's family waited for police to arrive. The child was transported to a hospital in nearby Uvalde, but did not survive his injuries. The pit bull is currently being held in quarantine in Uvalde. Isaiah's mother, Lisa Gonzales, told police she was heartbroken that nobody came to help her son. "I just want all this to be a nightmare," she said.

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

1Remember, in Texas, you can't watch your dog attack and "do nothing."

Photo: KSAT.com

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Colleen Lynn

West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals Upholds Town of Ceredo's Pit Bull Ban

High Court Upholds Pit Bull Ban
Charleston, WV - In a memorandum decision filed January 14, the highest court in West Virginia affirmed the constitutionality of a breed-specific ordinance that prohibited the ownership of pit bull terriers in the Town of Ceredo. In the decision, the high court affirmed the order of Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Darrell Pratt, who had affirmed the Municipal Court of Ceredo's conviction of three defendants for the possession of pit bulls within the boundaries of Ceredo.

The defendants were convicted by the municipal court on November 12, 2009 and each fined $162 plus costs. They appealed to the Wayne County Circuit Court arguing that the ordinance was "unconstitutional in that it is arbitrary and unreasonable." At the circuit court hearing, defendant Glenna Pelfrey failed to appear. Her appeal was dismissed and her conviction affirmed. The circuit court then ruled on the constitutionality of the Town of Ceredo's pit bull ordinance.

Circuit Court's Findings:

"That each Defendant’s dogs are of the breed that is typically referred to generically as pit bull dogs which are aggressive by nature, have been known as attack animals with strong massive heads and jaws, and have been found to represent a public health hazard. The majority of jurisdictions have accepted the proposition that dogs of this type have a propensity to be aggressive and attack without provocation and it is well established that such dogs have gotten a lot of notoriety of being dangerous to public health and safety."
"That in the State of West Virginia, a municipality has the authority to pass an ordinance to promote the safety of its citizens and to prevent risk of harm to its citizens which is a legitimate exercise of their police powers as granted by the West Virginia Legislature in Chapter 8 Article 12 of the West Virginia Code."
"The ownership, maintenance and control of dogs or other animals within city limits is a local concern which does not exceed the limitations of the home rule doctrine."
"That § 505.16 of the Codified Ordinances of the Town of Ceredo is legitimate, specific, rationally related to that legitimate interest and exercises the constitutional powers of the municipality to impose safety regulations to insure the health, protection and welfare of the citizens."
"That the ordinance is not constitutionally vague nor does it violate the due process of the Defendants because the owners may by limited by and subject to the City’s legitimate exercise of police powers by living inside the city limits."
"That the conviction of each Defendant was based upon the evidence that these were pit bull dogs, they were within the city limits, and they were owned, harbored or maintained by each of the defendants within the jurisdiction and based upon the same the Court finds that there was no violation of due process."

Defendants Steve Hardwick and Sharon Nalley1 appealed the circuit court's order to the state Supreme Court. The Prosecuting Attorney for the Town of Ceredo, Lora L. Lake, filed the response to the appeal and successfully argued the circuit course case.

Supreme Court of Appeals:

After careful consideration of the parties’ arguments, this Court concludes
that the circuit court did not abuse its discretion in denying petitioners’ appeal. Having reviewed the circuit court’s “Order” entered
on June 7, 2011, we hereby adopt and incorporate the circuit court’s well-reasoned findings and conclusions as to the assignment of error
raised in this appeal. The Clerk is directed to attach a copy of the circuit court’s order to this memorandum decision.

For the foregoing reasons, we find no error in the decision of the circuit court and its June 7, 2011 order denying petitioners’ appeal is affirmed.

The State of West Virginia now joins eleven other U.S. states and the District of Columbia where appellate courts have affirmed the constitutionality of a breed-specific pit bull ordinance. These states include: Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, New Mexico, Ohio, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin. (Kudos to Prosecuting Attorney Lora Lake, Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Darrell Pratt and the concurring Supreme Court of Appeals Justices.)

See full decision: Steve Hardwick and Sharon Nalley v. Town of Ceredo

1West Virginia pit bull owners can thank Hardwick and Nalley for successfully paving the way for new West Virginia municipalities to adopt similar pit bull ordinances without fear of constitutional challenges in these areas.

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