Posted on March 9, 2011 by Colleen Lynn

2011 Dog Bite Fatality: San Bernardino Woman Dies After Pet Pit Bull-Mix Attacks

Woman Dies After Attack
San Bernardino, CA - In a developing story, homicide detectives are investigating the death of Jennie Erquiaga, 47, who died at her home Sunday after being attacked by her dog. Police responded to the incident just after 10:00 pm. The dog, a pit bull-mix, inflicted wounds to Erquiaga's arms, left leg and shoulder. Medical issues beyond the attack may have contributed to her death. Autopsy results are expected from the San Bernardino County Coroner's Office.

In January 2011, Linda Leal of Colusa County suffered a similar fate. Last year, the State of California led dog bite fatalities with 7 deaths; pit bulls contributed to 83% (6).

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

Posted on March 7, 2011 by Colleen Lynn

2011 Dog Bite Fatality: Rottweilers Kill 3-Year Old Girl in Delaware County, Iowa

Vanessa Husmann, 3-years old, was killed by her grandfather's two rottweilers.

Family Speaks Out
UPDATE 03/07/11: New information has been released about the attack that killed Vanessa, including the 911 call made by Blake Muller.1 The child's mother, Rhonda Marty, said the girl was "never left unattended with the dogs. Somehow they had gotten out on their own." She said that the dogs might have dug underneath the fence surrounding the kennel. But no one knows for sure. The following day, family members "destroyed the kennel and removed it."

Marty also clarified that Vanessa went into her fenced-in backyard because it was "her yard." Her swing set was outside. "She came and went a lot," she said. The two rottweilers were kept in a separate, locked kennel in the same area, but for undetermined reasons got out that day (In the video, the mother's statement includes that the gate was "still locked" after the attack2). The Des Moines Register offers additional insight into Blake Muller's account that day.

03/07/11: Mauling Victim Identified
The young victim has been identified as Vanessa Husmann. The Des Moines Register reports that by the end of the day Sunday, persons working in the backyard of the family's home had removed all reminders of the little girl and the dogs, including: a swing set, a playhouse and the dog kennel. A painful photo depicts a yellow tractor removing a fence as well. The scene recalls a glimpse into what occurred after the death of Kaden Muckleroy last November.

Delaware County Sheriff John LeClere said the dogs where owned by the child's grandfather and were usually kept in Monticello. It was not known if the animals had a prior history of problems. According to LeClere, Vanessa's father, Vaughn Husmann, and her mother, Rhonda Marty, were not home when the attack occurred. The child had been left in the care of her brother, Brandon Marty. Family members did not comment. No charges have been filed.

The City of Hopkinton currently bans pit bulls. Mayor Cathy Harris said that City Council may add rottweilers to its list of prohibited breeds.

03/06/11: Death Investigation Continues
Information from WCRG-TV reveals that the babysitter was the victim's 18-year old half brother. Somehow the toddler got out of the house while under his care and into the backyard with the dogs. The child's grandparents were not home during the incident. A neighbor witnessed the mauling and called 911. Some neighbors said the family breeds rottweilers, others said they rarely saw the animals. The little girl's name has still not been released.

03/05/11: Toddler Killed by Rottweilers
Hopkinton, IA - In a developing story, two dogs killed a toddler Saturday in the small town of Hopkinton. The Des Moines Register reports that the girl was in a fenced backyard when the rottweilers attacked. Hopkinton is yet another rural town -- population of about 700 -- to be struck by a devastating fatal dog attack this year. KCRG-TV reports that the dogs belonged to the victim's grandparents, but at the time of the incident was being watched by a babysitter.

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: U.S. Fatal Rottweiler Attacks By State

1Blake Muller, an 18-year old student at Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo, was visiting his mother's house on Saturday who lives across the street from the Husmann family.
2This magical explanation not only refers to the somehow Maul Talk term, but may truly be otherworldly, such as a creature from the X-files re-locked the gate afterward.

Photo: Des Moines Register

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Colleen Lynn

2011 Dog Bite Fatality: Rottweilers Fatally Maul Woman in Dillon County

Sirlinda Hayes, 66-years old, was attacked and killed by two rottweilers.

Victims Blamed
UPDATE 02/21/11: In a disturbing update, the victim's nephew, Billy Odom, blamed the attack on Sirlinda by suggesting the rottweilers attacked her because she was holding a hoe. Sirlinda had been using the hoe while she gardened just before the attack. Odom then blamed the next attack on Shawn Samuel -- the dogs' owner and also his cousin -- for not being "friendly" enough while trying to cage the killers. Samuel's leg was amputated due to the injuries he sustained.

"He was distraught by what he saw and what had happened," Odom said in reference to Samuel, who is also his cousin. Odom said Samuel's reaction was the determining factor in understanding why the dogs then attacked Samuel.

"He snapped, you know. He was trying to get them in and he wasn't as friendly as he normally would be in putting them back in the cage."

Dillon County Coroner Donnie Grimsley said the autopsy results show Hayes died as a result of the injuries she sustained. Samuel's leg was amputated as a result of the injuries he sustained. - Alisha Laventure, Live 5 News, February 21, 2011

01/18/11: Breeding Operation Uncovered
FoxNews.com reports that Sirlinda Jayne Hayes, 66-years old, was tending turnips and collard greens just outside her home when the dogs viciously attacked. In addition to killing the two rottweilers, authorities reportedly removed three other rottweilers from the dog owner's home (another deadly breeding operation). Dillon County Capt. Cliff Arnette hopes to talk to the dogs' owner, who still remains hospitalized with serious injuries to learn how the incident unfolded.

The dogs would not let emergency responders near Hayes or their owner. Deputies finally shot both of the animals, which were carted off by animal control.

Animal control officials removed two other adult dogs and one puppy from the owner's home late Thursday. County officials must decide if they will be put up for adoption or euthanized.

Authorities said they had received no formal complaints about the animals, but a woman who lives nearby says she believes the pair killed her dog earlier this week. - Associated Press, February 18, 2011

02/17/11: Woman Killed by Rottweilers
Dillon, SC - In a developing story, at least one dog attacked two people, killing one. Dillon County Captain Cliff Arnette did not know if one or two loose rottweilers attacked the woman who died. The owner of the animals attempted to save the woman, Sirlinda Jane Hayes, but his own rottweilers attacked him too, sending him to the hospital. Both dogs were shot dead on the scene. Last November, a pet pit bull killed Justin Lane, 25-years old, also of Dillon County.

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: U.S. Fatal Rottweiler Attacks By State

Posted on February 19, 2011 by Colleen Lynn

2011 Dog Bite Fatality: Kalamazoo Infant Mauled to Death by Family Pit Bull

Darius Tillman, 15-days old, was mauled to death by a family pit bull.

Victim Identified
UPDATE 06/03/11: In February, baby John Doe was killed by a pet pit bull in Kalamazoo. Several days later, the story fell silent. The Kalamazoo Gazette recently obtained a copy of the police report under the state Freedom of Information Act. A Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety report shows that detectives sought involuntary manslaughter charges against the child's mother, Mallory Wildig, but the county prosecutor's office declined to pursue.

Darius Tillman was 15-days old at the time of his death.

The document mirrors what was previously reported in the media, but offers new details, such as the 1-year old dog, named Buster, was well fed prior to the incident. According to the report, an autopsy performed on the dog that day showed its stomach "was full of food."1 Wildig, though, states in the report that she discovered her baby "mauled and partially consumed by Buster." The report also confirmed that the door to the child's bedroom did not latch.

There was no mention of the household's other pit bull.

02/21/11: Pet Pit Bull Euthanized
Wood TV reports that the "infant-killing" pit bull has been euthanized. This is not the first infant-killing pit bull in the State of Michigan. Leonard Lovejoy Jr. captured headlines in 2009, as did baby John Doe in 2004 and Brian Lillis in 1987. In the latest variance, the mother placed the infant in a bassinet then laid down in another bedroom. While napping, one of the pit bulls pushed open the baby's bedroom door, dragged him from the crib and mauled him to death.

View Related video

02/21/11: Tragic Accident Cited
In yet another instance of an infant killed by a family pit bull, law enforcement officials are wrongly calling this preventable death a "tragic accident." Kalamazoo Public Safety Chief Jeff Hadley said, "These cases are very difficult, and obviously, it’s a very emotional topic. But sometimes ... it's just a tragic, tragic accident." The loss of this baby's life is indeed tragic, but it was no accident.2 (A single mother with an infant, toddler and two pit bulls in a small home?)

02/19/11: 10-Day Old Baby Killed
Kalamazoo, MI - In a developing story, a 10-day old baby boy was killed by the family pit bull at a house on the 400 block of Garfield Avenue. According to a police press release, the newborn suffered extensive trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene. The name of the victim and his family members are still being withheld pending an investigation. The infant's mother, his 2-year old sibling and two pit bulls were at the residence at the time of fatal incident.

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

1Another "hungry and abused" pit bull story falls on its face.
2As Kerry Dougherty writes: "Same old story, different set of jaws."

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