Posted on February 24, 2010 by Colleen Lynn

2010 Dog Bite Fatality: 5-Day Old Infant Killed by Family Pit Bull

A 5-day old baby girl was killed by a family pit bull in Conyers, Georgia.

Death by Pit Bull Bite
Conyers, GA - Another newborn infant was killed by a family dog. According to a Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office press release, the mother of the 5-day old baby girl heard the infant crying last Thursday and found the pet pit bull on top of the baby’s bassinet. The bitten infant was taken to Rockdale Medical Center then airlifted to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston for surgery. The infant was listed in critical condition and died Tuesday, February 23, from the injuries.

      A newborn infant died Tuesday after being bitten by the family pet last week.
      According to a Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office press release, the mother of the 5-day-old baby girl heard the infant crying Thursday and found the family dog on top of the baby’s bassinet.
      “As she approached the bassinet, she realized that the dog had bitten her daughter,” read the release.
      The infant was taken to Rockdale Medical Center and later airlifted to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston for surgery. Doctors performed the surgery, but the infant was listed in critical condition and died Tuesday from the injuries.
      No charges are expected to be filed, according the release. - Rockdale/Newton Citizen, February 23, 2010

Danny Lowery, owner of Conyers K-9 Academy, incorrectly tells reporters that "a dog will tell you before it bites" in the article. It is well documented by humane groups that fighting dogs (pit bulls) frequently fail to communicate intention prior to an attack. Pit bulls may not offer a direct stare, a growl or bark before an attack. Due to selective breeding for the purposes of dogfighting, pit bulls also ignore traditional signs of submission and appeasement amongst other dogs.

2010 Dog Bite Fatality: 37-Year Old Philadelphia Woman Killed by Mother's Pit Bulls

Christine Staab, 37-years old, was mauled to death by one of her mother's six pit bulls.

Staab's Mother Speaks
UPDATE 02/21/10: The mother of Christine Staab (See: Video), Barbara Erb, told the local paper that the two had been arguing when Christine fell backward (See: Pit bull triggers) causing her pet pit bull to attack and kill her. Erb said she tried frantically to pull off the dog, Jade, but could not get the pit bull to release its grip on Staab's throat. The four surviving pit bulls were taken to an SPCA shelter. Like her husband, Thomas Fowler, Erb would like the dogs returned to her.

Erb described the six pit bulls as "house dogs" that were well cared for and even micro-chipped for identification. "They were spoiled rotten," Erb said. "They were not neglected in any way." The door of the house had one sign that read "Beware of dog," and another saying that in the case of fire, rescuers should save the six dogs inside. It listed their names: Paige, Peaches, Maggie, Satan, Bear, and Jade, as clearly the lives of Erb's dogs outweigh the lives of human beings.

2010 Dog Bite Fatality: 11-Day Old Baby Killed by Family Husky Dog in Independence

Robert Hocker, 11-days old, was killed by his family's husky dog.

Newborn Killed (Page 2)
Independence, MN - In another instance of a newborn being killed by a family husky dog, it is reported that 11-day old Robert D. Hocker suffered the same horrific fate Thursday. According to West Hennepin Public Safety Director Ray McCoy, "The infant boy was in his car seat on a bed in the bedroom, when he was bitten by the family Siberian husky." Emergency personnel "exhausted all life-saving measures, and the infant was pronounced dead at the scene," McCoy said.

An Independence family's newborn boy was killed by the family's Siberian husky, which jumped onto a bed where the 11-day-old was in a car seat and bit his head, authorities said Friday.

Robert D. Hocker "died of head injuries suffered in [a] canine attack," according to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner ...

McCoy said emergency crews tried to resuscitate the baby for 40 minutes before pronouncing him dead. He declined to say how many times the dog bit the boy. Although an "active death investigation" continues, he said, the boy's parents haven't been arrested. - Abby Simons, Paul Walsh, Star Tribune, February 19, 2010

In the recent DogsBite.org fatality report (See: Report: U.S. Dog Bite Fatalities January 2006 to December 2008) husky type dogs were responsible for 4 deaths (in comparison to pit bulls with 52), two of which involved infants: Alexis Hennessy, 6-days old (Hopatcong, NJ) and Kylie Daum 3-days old (Warren, OH) and the other involving 11-month old Trey Paeth. In 2009, huskies were involved in two deaths, one involving 3-week old Olivia Rozek, who was survived by her twin.

Posted on February 12, 2010 by Colleen Lynn

2010 Dog Bite Fatality: Terry Child, 5-years old, Killed by Neighbor's Pit Bull

Anastasia Bingham, 5-years old, was killed by a pit bull while playing in the snow.

No Grand Jury Indictment
06/26/10 UPDATE: Officials report that a Hinds County Grand Jury reached no conclusion on assigning guilt in the February mauling death of Anastasia Bingham. DNA testing on a pit bull discovered at the scene showed that the dog did not attack the girl. DNA taken of a dead pit bull found near the scene proved inconclusive. Authorities say that the little girl's family is being uncooperative and that it may have been a relative's pit bull that was involved in the attack.

"Hinds County investigators said they received confidential tips that stated that there were three other pit bulls, owned by the child's relatives, that were killed and dumped in a wooded area off Saw Mill Road in rural Hinds County.

"They have not been as cooperative as they could have been and given as much information as they could have given," said Hinds County Sheriff Malcolm McMillin.

Deputies also received anonymous reports of dog fighting in the area."

Though Anastasia's senseless death may go unpunished, a new animal ordinance was adopted on behalf of her death and may prevent a future serious or fatal pit bull mauling. The new Hinds County ordinance requires owners of pit bulls and wolf hybrids to have a permit, keep the animal enclosed in a 10 x 10-foot pen with 6-foot sides, a roof cover and cement flooring to keep the animal from digging out. The owners are also required to carry $100,000 in liability insurance.

02/18/10: Officials Declare Pit Bull Killer
Initial tests show that the quarantined pit bull is the lone killer of Anastasia Bingham. Sheriff Malcolm McMillin said, "The owner of the dog could possibly be charged with manslaughter; we're working that out now." The pit bull was among several kept on a property across the street from the little girl's home. Another pit bull was also found dead near the scene. Officials do not know how that dog died. The test conducted was for the presence of human blood, not a DNA test.

"What we were looking for in the tests was the presence of human blood in either of the dogs," he said. "We did get confirmation (Wednesday) that there was human blood in the live dog."

Investigators had taken swabs from the dog's mouth over the weekend.
DNA testing was not performed, McMillin said, because the cost is "prohibitive." - Hinds County Sheriff Malcolm McMillin

02/17/10: Dog Owner (Dogfighter) AWOL
The owner of the pit bull that killed Anastasia is reportedly the grandson of the property owner where several pit bulls were being stored. Anastasia's family members have given authorities the name of the individual. "We know we're going to catch (him)," Sheriff Malcolm McMillin said, "It's just a matter of time." Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith said the dog owner could face a depraved-heart murder charge or culpable negligence in connection to her death.

The dog owner may face animal cruelty charges as well. There are indications that the pit bull suspected in the attack was used for the purposes of dogfighting. That dog is currently being held at the Mississippi Animal Rescue League. Other pit bulls from the property -- seen in early photos and videos -- were quickly removed by unknown persons and their whereabouts now is unknown. Yet another indication that the dogs were being kept and bred for the purposes of dogfighting.

02/15/10: County Supervisor Calls for Ban
The pit bull that authorities believe killed Anastasia last Friday -- two days before her 6th Birthday -- will likely be euthanized this week. In response to the child's brutal mauling death, Hinds County Supervisor George Smith said he would propose banning pit bulls in the county. In 2008, in the same county, 3-year old Tony Evans Jr. was also killed by a a neighbor's pit bull. Smith said that since Evans' death, there has been discussion of banning pit bulls, but nothing has been done.

When asked by a reporter, "What do you say to that person, 'Well, I have a pit bull and it's never hurt anybody -- and I obey the law.'" Smith responded: "I would say to them, I understand that. These pit bulls have never done anything that we know of and look what happened." (Kudos to Supervisor George Smith!) This is a primary reason why jurisdictions regulate these dogs. The "unpredictability" of a pit bull and the inability for the public to know which pit bull is safe or not.

02/12/10: Young Child Found Dead in Snow
In a disturbingly accurate video that shows the deadly crime scene, police officers, family members and the remaining chained pit bulls on the adjacent property, one can begin to imagine the horror this young child faced. On a morning when Anastasia should have been in school, which was canceled due to snow, she instead suffered the most horrific manner of death conceivable to man. She was attacked, bitten, and ripped apart1 by the powerful jaws of a pit bull.

02/12/10: Attack Victim: Anastasia Bingham2
Terry, MS - In a developing story, another child has been mauled to death by a pit bull. Sheriff's deputies say 5-year old Anastasia Bingham walked out of the mobile home she lived in at 1911 Green Drive around 7:30am to go to a friend's house across the street. The pit bull attacked her between the two homes. It's believed the dog was kept with some other pit bulls in a small patch of woods behind a nearby house. The pit bulls do not belong to the little girl's family, police said.

1A separate report by the Clarion-Ledger indicates that the pit bull ripped out Anastasia's neck.
2The victim's name was also spelled as "Anataisa Bingham" in news reports.

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