Posted on December 2, 2024 by Colleen Lynn

2024 Dog Bite Fatality: Family Dogs Kill 8-Year Old Boy Over the Holiday Weekend in Onslow County, North Carolina

Family dogs killed an 8-year old boy in Onslow County over the holiday weekend.

Suffered Neck Bites
Jacksonville, NC - On Monday, the Onslow County Sheriff's Office issued a press release about a child killed by two family dogs over the holiday weekend. On November 29, 2024, at 2:54 pm, deputies responded to a 911 call to Harris Creek Road regarding a dog attacking a minor, states the release. Arriving deputies found the boy, who had sustained "bite marks on the neck." Life-saving measures were performed before transporting the boy to Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune, where he died.

Investigators said the child and a sibling were letting the dogs out of the home to use the bathroom when the attack occurred. The two dogs were identified as pit bull-great dane mixes. "Family members of the victim stated the dogs did not show signs of aggressive behaviors prior to the attack," states the release. The dogs were not known to Onslow County Animal Control or area law enforcement prior to the fatal mauling. Both canines were secured by animal control and are being held in quarantine.

FATAL DOG ATTACK TRAGICALLY CLAIMS LIFE OF MINOR
Onslow County – It is with profound sadness that the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office reports the death of a minor following a fatal dog attack in Jacksonville last week.
On Friday, November 29, 2024, at 2:54 p.m., deputies responded to a 911 call to Harris Creek Road in Jacksonville regarding a dog attacking a minor.

When deputies arrived, they found an 8-year-old boy suffering from bite marks on the neck. Emergency Medical Services performed life-saving measures on the scene before transferring the child to Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune. Despite swift actions by first responders, the child succumbed to his injuries shortly after arrival.

Investigators determined the child and a sibling were letting the dogs out of the residence to use the bathroom when the attack occurred. Family members of the victim stated the dogs did not show signs of aggressive behaviors prior to the attack. Neither law enforcement nor Onslow County Animal Control has experienced interactions with the dogs prior to the incident.

The dogs were identified as a Pit Bull/Great Dane mix. Both dogs were secured and have been quarantined by animal control.

“This is an unimaginable tragedy for the family and our community. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this incredibly difficult time,” said Sheriff Chris Thomas.

The case remains an open investigation and additional information will be released as the investigation allows.

We urge residents to remain vigilant and ensure the safety of their families and pets. - Onslow County Sheriff's Office, Dec. 2, 2024

GoFundMe Created for "Caleb"

We were notified over the weekend about two GoFundMe campaigns created for the child victim identified as Caleb. One does not mention the dog attack, "Caleb (8) was a son, brother, grandson, cousin, nephew and the sweetest friend. He was a light in this world, and if you knew him, you were lucky." This fund has raised over $15,000 as of Sunday. The other campaign, created by the boy's uncle, states that Caleb died "unexpectedly to a dog attack." This fund has raised under $1,000.

The funds helped us identify the child's parents on social media. We were able to obtain an image of one of the "pit bull-great dane" mixes. On September 26, 2024, the child's stepmother posted to the Jacksonville NC, Lost and Found Pets Facebook group that her "pit bull Xena" (she did not identify the dog as a "pit bull-great dane" mix) had "run off" again. One commenter even asked, "Is this an old post or did she get loose again?" Xena had gotten loose again. The sex of the other dog is unknown.

family dogs kill boy onslow county, north carolina

One of the family's pit bulls had bolted from the home multiple times before the fatal attack.

family dogs kill 8-year old boy onslow county

The day after Thanksgiving Day, two family dogs killed 8-year old Caleb Brown outside of a residence on Harris Creek Road in Jacksonville, Onslow County, North Carolina.

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

Baseline reporting requirements:
Law enforcement departments across the United States should release consistent "baseline" information to the media and the public after each fatal dog mauling, including these items.

Posted on November 25, 2024 by Colleen Lynn

Dog Bite Fatality Suspected: Woman Killed by Dog in the 16th Police District of Philadelphia

A 51-year old woman was found dead in the 16th Police District of Philadelphia.

Citizen App
Philadelphia, PA - Earlier today, Citizen App announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, a fatal dog attack in the 4100 block of Parrish Street in the Mantua section of West Philadelphia. Audio dispatch log files from Philadelphia Police Dispatch - West, the 16th District, add more information. "4115 Parrish Street ... for a female attacked by a dog," the dispatcher states. "The female was pronounced at 12:15 by Medic 26. The dog is contained. They have one male in custody ... There is a [scene] inside."

We were first alerted to this attack by a retired Philadelphia police officer, who now writes the Gorman Growl blog, according to his Facebook page. He heard the same audio dispatch log file as us. The last fatal dog attack in the city also occurred in West Philadelphia, about three miles away. Antonio Shaw, 63, died two months after being attacked by two pit bulls on North 62nd Street. While being treated at Lankenau Hospital, he underwent 15 surgeries and doctors had to amputate one of his legs.

CBS News Philadelphia was the first mainstream media outlet to report this attack. The victim is 51-years old. Police said she was often at the West Philadelphia home. Four pit bulls are seen being led from the Parrish Street residence in red leashes. Sources told CBS that the victim had a good relationship with the dogs. The number of dog bites she sustained is unknown. Her death is being characterized as a death investigation. The medical examiner will determine the cause of death.

NBC reports the victim is a mother of five. She lives at the home on Parrish Street with her five dogs. After family members had not heard from her for a day or so, one of her sons stopped by the home to check on her and found her unresponsive. Family members believe their mother was killed and that this is a homicide investigation. During this news report, police stood outside of the front door that remained open, waiting for the medical examiner to arrive. The attack occurred inside the home.

Four pit bulls seen being led from the home on Parrish Street, where a woman died.

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

Posted on November 19, 2024 by Colleen Lynn

2024 Dog Bite Fatality: Family Pit Bull Attacks Owners, Killing One, Injures Two Police Officers in Boston

Jeriline McGinnis, 73-years old, died late Monday after being attacked by her own pit bull.

Multi-Victim Attack
Boston, MA - A woman is dead after being mauled by a family pit bull. The dog also attacked her husband and two police officers. First responders were dispatched to a multi-family home on Dennison Street around 4:50 pm Monday after reports that an aggressive dog attacked its owners -- a man and woman -- inside the home. The dog then attacked two officers who arrived at the scene. Officers fired on the vicious dog, injuring it. The woman, Jeriline Brady McGinnis, 73-years old, died late Monday.

"Obviously the dog, given what he did to the two victims, the owners of the dogs, the officers made the decision to discharge and put the dog down," Boston Police Deputy Superintendent Paul McLaughlin said. After the multi-victim attack, animal control removed three other dogs -- all pit bulls -- from the home. McGinnis had owned pit bulls for over 10 years, according to her multiple Facebook pages. In August, she posted a video of her three pit bulls playing in the snow in her front yard.

Surveillance video obtained by news stations captured the dog confronting the officers. One neighbor, who was not identified, said he heard three shots fired. "I heard two shots, and I saw that the dog was down. About a minute or so later, less than that, I heard a third shot," he said. A source told WBZ-TV the dog latched onto McGinnis' arm, nearly taking it off. When her husband jumped into save her, he also attacked. Last night at the scene, police said the husband sustained "very serious injuries."

The multi-family home is owned by civil rights leader Jean McGuire. She was walking her own dog in a nearby park when a pit bull named "Deuce" attacked McGinnis and her husband in their first-floor unit. "She’s a wonderful person. A very generous, a very loving person. Loved animals," McGuire said of McGuire. "I’ve lost my sister. She’s a sister." McGuire also said the couple "put them in cages" to keep the dogs from fighting, indicating the other three pit bulls may have been kenneled during the attack.

Had Dogs for 6 Years

NBC Boston reports that McGinnis was living in the home with four pit bulls that her son allegedly brought home about six years ago. McGinnis had owned a similar pit bull, "Buddha," since 2014. McGuire, who lives upstairs, had concerns about the dogs. "They had too many dogs," she said, shaking her head. Neighbors said the dogs "bark all night" and did not seem socialized. McGinnis' husband remains in the ICU at an area hospital. The city euthanized Deuce,1 the attacking dog.

An updated report identified her husband as Leon McGinnis. McGuire said that she has been renting to the couple for decades, who live downstairs with one of their three sons. In a telephone interview with the Boston Globe, McGuire said she doesn't know what unfolded. "I don’t know what happened, and until I find out from Leon, I won’t know," she said. McGuire also described the couple of having "a pit bull family." She added that the McGinnis’s would breed the dogs and sell the pit bull puppies.

put bull attacks owners killing one in Boston

McGinnis often posted her dogs to Facebook groups like Staffordshire Bull Terrier Lovers and Tiggers Outlaw Bullies. The dog in the right panel column could be "Deuce."

The multi-family home on Dennison St. where a pit bull killed its owner, Jeriline McGinnis

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

1CBS News states that Buddha is the killer. That would mean the dog is at least 10-years old. However, McGinnis also called this dog "Buddha" (who is possibly Buddha Junior) in a Facebook reel.

Posted on November 9, 2024 by Colleen Lynn

2024 Dogs Bite Fatality: Woman Killed by Two Pit Bulls Taken in as Strays in Fontana, California

Juanita Sanchez, 35-years old, was killed by two pit bulls in Fontana.

Pit Bulls Kill Woman
Fontana, CA - A 35-year old woman died on November 3 after being bitten in the neck by two pit bulls. The is the second fatal pit bull attack in San Bernardino County that occurred on November 3. A homeless man, still unidentified by police, was stabbed and mauled by pit bulls in Perris Hill Park in the city of San Bernardino on the same day. The news article reporting the death of Juanita Sanchez, 35, of Pomona, remains behind a paywall. But Reddit and the PressBee have published much of it.

Police and paramedics were dispatched to a home in the 13800 block of Jurupa Avenue around 3:00 am Sunday. Sanchez and another resident had been in the backyard when two of the pit bulls bit Sanchez in the neck, Sgt. Nathan Weiske said, a Fontana Police Department spokesperson. Two other people were injured trying to rescue Sanchez. "They were feverishly trying to pull them off her," Weiske said. The family had taken in four stray pit bulls some months earlier, Weiske said.

The family had later asked Sanchez, a family friend, to live with them. According to Weiske, there had been no problems between Sanchez and the dogs. Animal control officers euthanized both dogs, Weiske said. It's unclear if the other two pit bulls remained at the home. Investigators determined that no criminal charges were warranted. "They could tell it was just a tragic accident," Weiske said. Sanchez was pronounced dead after being transported to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center.

Victims Ages 30-49 Years Rising

Sanchez's death marks another rise of deaths in the 30-49 year old age group. In our data, dog bite fatalities in this age group have been rising since 2010, mainly driven by females. But ages 30-49 years has never rivaled ages 50-69 years. In 2024, the 30-49 age group is heavily driven by males. 80% of these men were Black or Hispanic, and 80% of these cases involved pit bulls. The Perris Hill Park homeless male victim is excluded because his age, race, and cause of death are unknown.

2024 dog bite fatalities by age, gender and pit bull deaths

So far in 2024, deaths in the 30-49 years age group are dominated by male victims.

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

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