Posted on December 21, 2010 by Colleen Lynn

2010 Dog Bite Fatality: Houston-Area Baby Girl Killed by Family Rottweiler

Jeannette Vaughn, 3-months old, was killed by one of her family's rottweilers.

Criminal Charges Unlikely
UPDATE 12/21/10: New information reveals that baby Jeannette Vaughn was inside the home when one of the rottweilers pushed through a washing machine and a heavy slab of marble and mauled the infant to death. In a separate article, Chris Glaser of Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care (BARC)1 was quick to point out to abc13.com reporters, "You can't judge the family unless you know exactly what happened" and "you can't judge the dog breed."

This is despite the fact the Vaughn family had over 1,000 pounds of dogs -- all rottweilers and rottweiler-mixes -- in their home, two of which had known problems with the baby and were kept away from her, and that rottweilers trail only pit bulls in serious and fatal mauling attacks. Deputy Thomas Gilliland of the Harris County Sheriff's Office said there will likely be no charges filed. "As of this time right now, we're looking at it as a tragic accident," he said.2

Hoarders and Breeders Pile Up

The combination of hoarders and breeders continues to pile up in 2010 fatal attack statistics. This case marks at least the 9th (27%) of the 33 recorded deaths this year. Hoarding incidents include: Michael Winters, 30 (OH), Cason Byrant, 5 (AL) and Kaden Muckleroy (TX). Breeder incidents with six or more dogs on property3 include, Johnny Wilson, 56, (IL), Christina Stab, 37 (PA), Violet Haaker (FL), Taylor Becker (WI), John Reynolds, 84 (MO) and Jeannette (TX).

12/20/10: Mother Hysterical, "In Shock"
The newest fatal dog attack is being blamed on a rottweiler of at least 150 pounds. The dog -- one of nine dogs in the home -- forced open the back door and attacked the 3-month old girl who was in a baby swing. Authorities said the child's mother, Alva Vaughn, 41, thought she had secured the back door by "sliding a washing machine and slab of marble" behind it before going into the bathroom to bathe the biter’s father, a 200-pound rottweiler.4

Harris County Sheriff’s homicide sergeant Felipe Rivera said, "It’s a horrible, horrible deal. But a child is dead. Parents have to put the child first, animals later. You have to maintain the child’s safety." Rivera added that the scene was chaotic with so many dogs running around. Eight dogs were in the backyard when the attack occurred. Animal control removed all nine dogs -- four rottweilers and three mixed-breeds. The case is being referred to a grand jury.

12/20/10: Texas Infant Mauled by Dog
Houston, TX - In a developing story, a 3-month old baby died in northwest Houston Sunday after being mauled by the family dog. Harris County deputies responded to the incident. They did not release the child's name or any details about the dog. The child was rushed to Texas Children's Hospital but did not survive its injuries. No charges have been filed by authorities so far. This latest fatal dog attack follows the death of an East Texas toddler in November.

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

1Glaser is employed by the City of Houston to, "promote and protect public health and animal care," not to defend dangerous dog breeds.
2While these occurrences are tragic, they are not accidental.
3At the time of Violet's death, Lori Haaker only had 4 dogs on the property, but Haaker was an established breeder operating the Dream Bulldog Ranch.
4News continues to unfold in the fatal mauling of Jeannette Vaughn. Click2Houston.com and KHOU.com are reporting that authorities do not know which of the rottweilers killed the baby. They also upped the family's dog count from eight to nine.

Posted on December 10, 2010 by Colleen Lynn

2010 Dog Bite Fatality: 55-Year Old Man Killed by Pack of Dogs Near Gallup

Death Due to Bites
UPDATE 03/30/11: New information has been released about a 55-year old man who was discovered dead last December. Autopsy results from the state Office of Medical Investigator show that bite wounds inflicted by dogs killed Larry Armstrong on December 6. Investigators wrote in their report that they didn't know if Armstrong, who had a history of seizures, suffered one before the dogs attacked or if he was conscious when the dogs began attacking him.

Investigators do appear to know the owners of the dogs responsible for killing the man. Rob Platero, the Navajo Nation's chief of criminal investigations in Window Rock, is mentioned in the article. Platero said that samples from the dogs were "sent out for examination to test for rabies or other diseases." When the results come back, "an investigator will meet with a tribal prosecutor to determine if a complaint will be filed against the owners of the dogs," he said.

12/10/10: Victim Identified
McKinley County sheriff's deputies said they arrived to find a pack of dogs gnawing on the body. Deputies said they didn't know if the victim was alive or dead at the time of the mauling. The victim was identified as Larry Armstrong. Because the incident occurred on tribal land, the FBI and Navajo police will conduct a joint investigation. Deputies believe the man "could have been hit by a vehicle before the attack" due to nearby tire marks and vehicle debris.

The state Office of the Medical Investigator will determine the cause of death.

12/10/10: Sparse Information
Gallup, NM - In a developing story, the Gallup Independent reports that a 55-year old man was attacked and killed by a pack of "wild dogs" on Wednesday. The incident occurred just west of Sundance Road. The photo depicts a "rez dog" (short for Indian reservation dog) near the clothing of the victim and a law enforcement's vehicle with an open door. No further information was provided in the brief article. Please leave additional links in the below comment section.

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: Fatal Dog Attacks on American Indian Reservations.

Learn about breed-specific laws on Indian reservations in our Breed Safety Laws section.

1The incident involving Armstrong is similar to the January 2011 mauling that left Howard James Paul dead.

Posted on December 8, 2010 by Colleen Lynn

2010 Dog Bite Fatality: Murrieta Man Dies from Pit Bull Attack Injuries

Man Dies of Injuries
Murrieta, CA - Back in October, a 67-year old man was horribly mauled by his nephew's pit bull in the backyard of the family's home. At the time, authorities did not release his name. The Press-Enterprise described the incident as the dog "biting his arm and mauling his throat and groin." The victim was left in critical condition. According to the Riverside County coroner's office, Edward Mitchell died Sunday, due to complications from injuries he sustained in the dog attack.

The Enterprise described the animal as a 1.5-year old male, unaltered pit bull named Shadow. Officers had to subdue the animal by firing two shots from a tranquilizer dart gun. Officers of Animal Friends of the Valleys, which provides animal control services for Murrieta, "found blood and flesh all over the patio" at the attack site. Mitchell died nearly two months later at his home along the 24400 block of Tuscola Circle. The attack happened Oct. 14 at the same address.

MURRIETA: Pit bull victim critically injured

A 65-year-old man was in critical condition Friday, a day after he was mauled by his nephew's pit bull in the backyard of the family's Murrieta home, authorities said.

The man was alone with the pit bull, named Shadow, and two chihuahuas at the home in the 24400 block of Tuscola Circle late Thursday afternoon, said Monique Middleton, a supervisor with Animal Friends of the Valleys, which provides animal control services for Murrieta.

Murrieta police Lt. Dennis Vrooman said the man was in the backyard disciplining the dog when it turned on him, biting his arm and mauling his throat and groin. - Sarah Burge, October 15, 2010, pe.com

Man dies from pit bull attack injuries

A 67-year-old Murrieta man died this weekend of complications from injuries he suffered nearly two months ago when he was attacked by the family's pit bull, according to Riverside County coroner's officials.

Edward Mitchell died at 11:11 p.m. Sunday at his home along the 24400 block of Tuscola Circle. The attack happened Oct. 14 at the same address.
Mitchell was mauled by his nephew's dog in the backyard, authorities said soon after the attack.

The victim was alone with a pit bull named Shadow and two Chihuahuas, animal control investigators said.

Mitchell had been disciplining the pit bull when it turned on him, biting his arm and mauling his throat and groin, police Lt. Dennis Vrooman said after the preliminary investigation. - Richard Brooks, December 8, 2010, pe.com

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

Posted on November 18, 2010 by Colleen Lynn

2010 Dog Bite Fatality: Dillon County Man, 25, Killed by Pet Pit Bull

Justin Lane, 25-years old, was fatally attacked by his pit bull named Smoke.

Victim Identified
Latta, SC - Dillon County Sheriff's Office reports that a man found dead in his home on Skillet Road was killed by the family pit bull. Justin Lane, 25-years old, lived in the home with his mother. Lane's body was discovered Wednesday, but he was killed Tuesday. Currently, investigators aren't releasing the exact cause of death, just that the death was caused by the dog. Police removed the one and a half-year-old pit bull1 from the home. The dog remains at an undisclosed location.

An update in the evening revealed that Lane's mother discovered him dead on the couch, covered in blood. Police determined he was fatally attacked by his pit bull named Smoke. According to several close friends of Lane's, he got the pit bull when it was just 6-weeks old. They said the dog was friendly and never harmed anyone, reports CarolinaLive. Tiffany Dalrymple, who lives nearby, said, "It was very scary that something like that could happen right here next door to my neighbor."

      Dillon County Coroner Randy Grimsley identified the victim as Justin Lane.
      Deputies removed a pit bull from the home during the initial phase of the investigation Wednesday afternoon.
      The dog is expected to be euthanized as soon as the legal process to do that is completed, Arnette said.
      The dog, which belonged to the family, did not have an apparent history of violence, Arnette said.
      While there are still a “few more things to look into,” Arnette said he doesn’t see any charges being filed as a result of the investigation, in which the State Law Enforcement Division has assisted. - SCNow.com, November 18, 2010

1Pit bulls reach maturity between the ages of 1.5 to 2-years old. This is when pit bull aggression usually begins to show itself. 1.5 years old is also the average age of pit bulls in U.S. shelters. 80% of these dogs are surrendered by their owners. They likely do so at this time because they have witnessed this aggression. Humane groups are well aware of this, yet they promote pit bull puppy adoptions and tell the new owner, "It's all in how you raise 'em!"

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