Posted on September 21, 2011 by Colleen Lynn

2011 Dog Bite Fatality: 9-Day Old Infant Mauled to Death by Family Dogs

Second Arrest
UPDATE 09/21/11: A second arrest has been made in connection to the death of a 9-day old baby mauled to death by family dogs. The grandfather of the infant, Nelson Ernest Camerino, 49-years old, was arrested Tuesday and charged with involuntary manslaughter. According to the Bladen County Sheriff's Office, he is in Bladen County Jail under a $150,000 secured bond. Addyson Camerino died after being attacked by a group of family dogs August 30.

09/19/11: D.A. Issues Statement
Bladen County District Attorney Jon David issued a statement to the media today regarding the death of 9-day old Addyson Camerino (See: Full statement here). "Everyone who worked on the investigation was impacted by the gruesome nature of the death," David stated in the release. After law enforcement slowly and deliberately pieced together what led to the infant's death August 30, David called for a special session of the Blade County Grand Jury.

The young mother of the deceased child was arrested shortly thereafter.

The group of dogs seized from the family home, each of which presumably participated in the fatal mauling, include a pit bull, bulldog, Alaskan malamute, German shepherd and a mixed breed. It was also noted that the dogs lived in the same home as Addyson, along with her mother, grandparents, uncles and an "upstairs tenant." Because the case is pending, David said that prosecutors and law enforcement cannot say much else about the investigation.

09/18/11: Mother of Child Arrested
On Friday, Bladen County Sheriff's deputies arrested the mother of a 9-day old baby who was mauled to death by family dogs last month. 18-year old Chelsea Lynn Brigman (also identified as Chelsea Lynn Bridman), was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter. She was later released from jail under $50,000 bond. Animal control continues to hold the five family dogs. Earlier reports stated that up to four dogs were involved in the infant's death.

09/02/11: Victim: Addyson Camerino
Clarkton, NC - A 9-day old baby was killed by family dogs inside a Clarkton home Tuesday. Few details regarding the death have been revealed by the Bladen County Sheriff's Office. A newspaper obituary revealed that the baby was buried on Thursday in Lumberton. A baby shower for for the newborn was listed on Facebook for Wednesday, but it was cancelled. Five dogs were removed from the Bladen County home, including a pit bull and a bulldog.1

Court records show that the baby's father, 21-year old Charles Nelson Camerino, was in jail at the time of the deadly attack. Information from FayObserver.com shows that the newborn was at the home of her grandparents -- Nelson and Linda Camerino -- when it was killed by the dogs. The child's parents, Chelsea Lynn Brigman, 18, and Charles, also live at the residence. A 911 tape released Thursday revealed that at least three dogs were involved in the attack.

North Carolina Statistics

Of the six recorded fatal dog maulings in North Carolina since 2006, two have led to charges: Charles Dalton, 52-years old (Davie County) 2006 and Makalya Woodard, 5-years old (Union County) 2011. Other victims include: Julius Graham, 2-years old (Greene County), Karson Gilroy, 2-years old (Lincoln County) and Julian Slack, 3-years old (Onslow County). This is a 33% average in bringing charges, as opposed to the national average of about 20%.

1A separate article listed the breeds as a pit bull, bulldog, Alaskan malamute, German shepherd and German shepherd-bulldog mix.

Photos: Bladen County Sheriff's Office

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Colleen Lynn

2011 Dog Bite Fatality: 71-Year Old Woman Killed by Protection Dog in Cooke County

Woman Killed by Own Dog archived
Valley View, TX - A Valley View woman was found dead Friday after being attacked by her dog. Cooke County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Jim Carter said that Donna Harmon Conrad, 71-years old, was in her backyard in the 500 block of Northshore Lane on the La Cantera Ranch Resort when she died. "It appears she was in the backyard watering and one of the pets -- a doberman pinscher -- is believed to have attacked her and, ultimately killed her," Carter said.

Pct. 4 Justice of the Peace Jason Brinkley ordered an autopsy to determine if Conrad’s death was caused by the attack, Carter noted.

No one apparently witnessed the incident.

“There were a couple of other ladies in the house at the time but they
weren’t aware what was going on in the backyard,” he said.

Cooke County Sheriff Mike Compton said he believes the Doberman pincher was imported from Hungary and had been trained to protect humans.

The woman’s injuries include deep head and throat lacerations, he said,
adding, “It was a brutal attack.”

Compton said the dog is being confined at a local veterinary clinic. - Gainesville Daily Register

At the time of the incident, several women were in the victim's home, but they were unaware of what was going on in the backyard. Cooke County Sheriff Mike Compton said he believes the doberman pinscher was imported from Hungary and had been trained to protect humans. The woman's injuries included deep head and throat lacerations. Compton added, "It was a brutal attack." The following Monday, the dog was put down and tested negative for rabies.

Posted on September 5, 2011 by Colleen Lynn

2011 Dog Bite Fatality: Two-Week Old Baby Killed by Family Pit Bull-Mix

Victim Identified
UPDATE 09/05/11: Authorities have identified the infant who died early Sunday after being mauled by a dog. Brayden McCollen was in a baby carrier on the floor in a room at his family's home in Cypress when the dog began sniffing the newborn then mauling him. A spokesman for the Harris County Sheriff's Office, Thomas Gilliland, said the baby's mother was outside at the time, watching him through a window. The dog pushed through a pair of French doors to reach the baby.

"The dog is a large pit bull. More than 100 pounds. It is unknown now how the dog got access to the child. It appears precautions were taken to prevent this, but it occurred anyway," said Harris County Sheriff's Deputy Dennis Wolfford.

The less than ten pound, 13-day-old baby was in a bouncing seat. Investigators say three people were at home at the time including at least one adult. My Fox Houston, Sept. 5, 2011

09/04/11: Another Baby Killed by a Dog
Cypress, TX - There has been another U.S. fatal dog mauling. The most recent death also involves a newborn. It was reported today that a 13-day old baby boy was mauled to death by the family's pit bull1 Saturday evening. The attack occurred in the 16500 block of Cypress Bridge Drive. Investigators said the pet attacked the baby as it laid in a baby swing on the living room floor. The Harris County District Attorney's Office is reviewing the case for possible charges.

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

1Animal control officials identified the dog as a pit bull. The Harris County Sheriff's Office report has the dog listed as a "lab-mix." Sheriff's investigators clarified later Monday the dog was a large pit bull.

Posted on September 2, 2011 by Colleen Lynn

2011 Dog Bite Fatality: Philadelphia Woman Killed by Husband's Pit Bulls

Memorial sign after Carmen Ramos was mauled to death by her husband's pit bulls.

Protocol Breakdown?
UPDATE 09/02/11: A week before the brutal attack that left Carmen Ramos dead, neighbor Dolores Estrella described how the same pit bulls had attacked and bitten her. Estrella was not the only person bitten in the August 19 incident, Gus Castro was as well. The PSCPA allegedly sent the dogs home three days later, which is a rabies protocol violation in many cities. The agency likely should have kept the dogs in quarantine for 10 days after the August 19 bites.1

When the dogs were returned, everybody on the block "was in shock," [Gus] Castro said.

Unfortunately, returning a dangerous, biting pit bull to its owner should not shock anyone, as many state laws allow for multiple bites prior to deeming a dog "dangerous" and long before a court ordered euthanization. What should shock all persons is when a rabies protocol violation occurs -- a disregard or error concerning the 10 day quarantine following a biting incident -- coupled with a person being mauled to death by the same dogs in a very close time span!

More Protocol Breakdowns?

Further review of early news reports shows more potential protocol violations by the PSPCA. One neighbor, Victor Viruet, claimed that Jose Alvarez had at least three previous run-ins with the agency. According to his brother Ariel, "He kept paying $200, $300 and they'd give the dogs back." Ariel added that the PSPCA removed 10 dogs from the Alvarez home last year and found dead dogs in his basement. The agency later returned the "living" pit bulls to him.

On September 1, City Managing Director Brian Abernathy launched an internal investigation into animal control -- the PSPCA -- to review if proper procedures were followed. It seems that many procedures were not. At the very least, the discretion of the investigating officers who continued to interact with Alvarez and his pit bulls was sorely lacking. The sufferers include the dead victim and her children, the bitten neighbors and the neighborhood as a whole.

09/01/11: Death Due to Canine Bites
Philadelphia, PA - A Hunting Park woman was mauled to death by her husband's pet pit bulls Tuesday night. Preliminary autopsy results show that 50-year old Carmen Ramos died from multiple canine bites. The manner of death was ruled accidental, according to the report. The victim's husband, 55-year old Jose Alvarez, told police he came home from work to discover his wife being attacked by five pit bulls in their living room in the 400 block of West Carey Street.

According to police, the victim suffered severe trauma to her head, face and legs. Neighbors said the dogs were vicious and that everyone was afraid of them. Neighbors also said the pit bulls were taken away August 19 by the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PSPCA) after they attacked two residents, but were returned to the residence three days later. The victim's son, Pedro Ramos, now places part of the blame on the animal control agency.

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

1Some states, such as Pennsylvania (See: Pennsylvania Dangerous Dog Statute), allow for "home quarantine," where the owner of a biting dog is allowed to keep the animal secure for 10 days in his home. Cities within these states, however, often create stricter rules that disallow home quarantines. It is unknown what the protocol is for Philadelphia, but clearly, it was unwise to place the dogs back into the Alvarez household.

DogsBite blog ::