Posted on November 10, 2021 by Colleen Lynn

2021 Dog Bite Fatality: Newborn Killed by Family Pit Bull in Johnston County, North Carolina

A newborn baby boy was killed by a family pit bull in Johnston County, North Carolina.

Family Dog Kills Infant
Kenly, NC - A newborn baby boy is dead after being attacked by a pit bull. Just after 5:00 am, Kenly Police and emergency responders were dispatched to a residence in the 200 block of South Church Street. Arriving officers discovered that a male infant had been attacked inside the home by a female pit bull. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and Johnston County Medical Examiner’s Office will be assisting Kenly Police with the infant's death investigation.

Police Chief Josh Gibson said the death is being treated as accidental. “First and foremost, we offer our sincere condolences to the family and their friends during this difficult time,” Chief Gibson said in a prepared statement. The pit bull was taken into custody by Johnston County Animal Services. Officials said the dog was surrendered to them. After a 72 hour hold, the dog will be euthanized. Counseling will be offered to all of the first responders who were at the scene.

Audio dispatch logs from Johnston County Public Safety at Broadcastify.com state it was a family dog. "Family dog, code blue, code blue," states the dispatcher. "Respond to a 1-month old male," states the dispatcher. The infant's death comes after 10-month old Malia Winberry was fatally attacked by a pair of family rottweilers in the same county back in May. The father of Malia was a law enforcement officer in Wake County and her mother worked for Johnston County's EMS.

In late April, 7-year old Jayden Henderson was killed by her neighbor's two pit bulls in the adjacent county of Wake County. After months of court proceedings, those pit bulls were finally euthanized. The death of Jayden, and the subsequent legal actions by the dogs' owners to have the dogs returned to them, received enormous press coverage in this area. Why "any" parent or caretaker would have a newborn baby in the same household as a pit bull is simply unimaginable to us.

On Thursday, WRAL News provided new information about the 8-day old baby boy's mauling death. Initially, Chief Gibson said the family had taken in the pit bull as a stray just a few days prior to the fatal attack. On Friday, Detective Rayne Biggs clarified that the dog was rehomed and familiar to the family. "The dog was rehomed, and the family was familiar with the dog from previous encounters," Biggs said. The identity of the infant boy was not released by police.

Infant Dog Bite Fatalities

Despite the fact that all dog breeds are "capable" of killing infants (< 1 year old), most dog breeds do not. Over the 16-year period of 2005 through 2020, canines killed 72 infants in the U.S. Pit bulls accounted for 49% of these killings, followed by huskies, 13%, rottweilers, 10%, and German shepherds, 8%. 16 different dog breeds inflicted these infant deaths, the majority of these breeds having only 1 death attribution. The AKC currently recognizes 197 different dog breeds in U.S.

Dog breeds "capable" of killing infants in no way reflects the breeds that actually do kill infants. Pit bulls alone accounted for half of these deaths.

newborn killed by pit bull johnston county

Area of the fatal pit bull attack, the 200 block of South Church Street in Kenly, North Carolina.

Home on South Church Street where a newly taken in stray pit bull fatally mauled an infant.

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 6, 2021 by Colleen Lynn

Pit Bull Suspected in Death of 41-Year Old Man in McKeesport, Pennsylvania; Police Continue to Investigate

A 41-year old man was found dead in a home, and a pit bull was the initial suspect.1

Few Details Released
McKeesport, PA - On Friday afternoon, just after 4:30 pm, Allegheny County Police were dispatched to the 2900 block of Grover Street, for an "individual possibly injured by a dog. Unknown the severity of injuries," according to audio dispatch logs from Allegheny County Public Safety. Allegheny County Homicide is investigating the death of a man believed to be the result of a dog attack, McKeesport Police Captain Christopher Halaszynski told KDKA Friday night.

Multiple neighbors told KDKA that they heard about four gunshots and believe the dog had been shot once they came out and saw this. "There was blood and vomit on the street. There were four shell casings on the street," one neighbor told KDKA. The dog involved was a brindle-colored pit bull, who neighbors believed to be about 4-years old. McKeesport police said the dog was alive and was taken into custody by animal control officials. It's unclear if the dog had been shot.

The man was identified as Stephen Rucinski, 41, by the Allegheny County medical examiner’s office. By Saturday, Halaszynski said that police no longer believe that the dog was involved. He requested that Allegheny County Homicide detectives "sort out what happened," WPXI reported. That department is now overseeing the investigation. At 6:50 pm Friday, Allegheny County Fire was asked to do a "spray down" on Grover Street, according to audio dispatch log files.

Rucinski was found wounded and dead inside by a family member, according to emergency personnel, reports Tube City Almanac. The extent of Rucinski’s injuries was not publicly released and it was not clear who owned the dog. The pit bull bolted from the home too. McKeesport police and animal control officers had to search the neighborhood for an hour after the "incident" to locate the animal. The investigation is continuing, but further information will not be released.

Pennsylvania Undercount

Back in 2017, we commented on three fatal or near fatal pit bull maulings in Philadelphia, none of which are included in our dog bite fatality statistics due to lack of confirmation by Philadelphia police, an agency that has never responded to our FOIA requests. Now, another victim may be added in the Pittsburg area. We know from CDC Wonder database that we have undercounted dog bite fatalities in Pennsylvania with the most obvious areas being Philadelphia and Pittsburg.

Since 2005, we have recorded three fatal dog maulings in Philadelphia (population 1.6 million), but none in Pittsburg (population 302,000), the second largest city in Pennsylvania. Suburbs of Pittsburg, however, have reported fatal dog maulings during the period, including one fatal attack in McKeesport (population 19,000) in 2012 and another in West Mifflin (population 20,000) in 2015. It is unknown if we will learn anything else about the death of Stephen Rucinski.

1Notably, in the 2013 Google Street View photograph of the home on Grover Street, there is a lighter colored, non-brindle pit bull curled up behind the fence sleeping, where a sign reads, "Guard Dog on Duty." Ambiance.

Posted on October 21, 2021 by Colleen Lynn

2021 Dog Bite Fatality: 7-Year Old Boy Found Dead in Creek County, Oklahoma was Killed by a Family Dog

James McNeelis, 7-years old, was fatally bitten by a dog in Creek County, Oklahoma.

Mixed-Breed Dog
UPDATE 11/06/21: Michael and Hannah McNeelis spoke to Fox 23 News and clarified some information about the dog that killed their son. The male dog, named Max, was picked up by the boy's grandmother, along with several other stray dogs about three weeks earlier. James and his parents lived with his grandmother. Presumably, it was the grandmother who initially described the dog as a "sheltie-corgi" mix to media outlets, causing a stir among dog trainers and dog owners.

Michael admitted he didn't know what type of dog Max was. He said it was "about knee height, white, long hair, fluffy. It’s face looked kind of like a collie, a sheep dog type breed." Max had never shown signs of aggression, the parents said. Since the attack, the dog has been held at an animal control facility. The status of Max is unknown, along with the status of the other dogs that resided in the grandmother's home. The memorial fund for James has so far raised close to $15,000.

10/21/21: Boy Killed by Dog
Creek County, OK - A 7-year old boy was discovered dead Wednesday night after a dog attack, according to the Creek County Sheriff's Office. The parents of the child called deputies just after 7:00 pm to report that he was missing from a home in the 5000 block of West 171st Street. The boy had been outside playing and wandered off. Deputies put together a search team and found the boy dead near West 171st Street South and Highway 75-A in Creek County, near Kiefer.

"The child was pronounced deceased at approximately 7:35 pm. Our preliminary investigation indicate the child was attacked by a family pet (dog). The dog is being held at an animal control facility. We are currently working with the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office on this investigation," the Creek County Sheriff's Office said. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife was also involved, who made the determination the child was attacked by a dog, not a wild animal.

The child's family described the dog as a sheltie-corgi mixed breed. They had taken the dog in as a stray three weeks earlier, according to family members. The dog had not shown aggression before the attack, family members said. No photos of the dog were released. The dog is currently being held at an unnamed animal control facility. We have no records of shelties or corgis being the primary attacker in a fatal dog attack, not even of infants, much less a 7-year old male child.

No information was provided about the boy's injuries either. Certainly, a well-placed bite by the majority of dog breeds could kill a child, such as when a family Weimaraner fatally bit 2-year old Liam Peck in the neck in 2009. A Welsh corgi could not be excluded from a fatal attack after two pit bull-mixes mutilated and killed 71-year old Carshena Benjamin in 2007. That corgi was also found at the scene. These are the dog breeds most commonly involved in fatal human attacks.

The home on West 171st Street where a 7-year old boy was fatally bitten by a family dog.

Posted on October 19, 2021 by Colleen Lynn

2021 Dog Bite Fatality: Grandmother Bitten in the Throat, Killed by Family Pit Bull in Matthews, Indiana

Kathleen Bertram, 69, of Matthews, died after being bitten in throat by a family pit bull.

Fatal Neck Bite
Grant County, IN - The Grant County Corner's Office issued a statement Tuesday about a dog bite fatality. At about 2:12 pm Monday, Grant County Medics, Jefferson Township Fire Department, Grant County Sheriff's deputies and Matthews Town Marshal responded to 303 High Street for a dog bite. "Subject has been bitten in the throat by a dog. Bleeding excessively at this time," according to audio dispatch logs. "She is bleeding heavily from her throat," the dispatcher said.

Noah Roy reported he was in the back bedroom of his home when he heard loud screams from the living room. Roy reported he then found the family dog, a pit bull, had attacked his 69-year old mother, Kathleen Bertram. His mother had been sitting on a chair in the living room holding her 3-year old granddaughter. She then fell from the chair and the granddaughter screamed. At that moment, the pit bull attacked Bertram, "biting down on her neck," according to the statement.

Matthews Police Marshal Chet Johnson, who responded to the scene, said that Bertram sat down on an "uneven" chair and fell to the floor. According to the coroner's office, Bertram was holding the 3-year old when she fell. Her granddaughter started crying. When she began crying, the dog came into the living room and attacked Bertram as she laid on the floor. The child's mother was in the room at the time of the attack. She called for her brother and husband to help, Johnson said.

Medical personnel arrived at the scene and began administering CPR to the victim. Due to the severity of the injuries, Bertram was pronounced dead at 2:55 pm. Marion Animal Control was called to the scene to take custody of the pit bull. Officers had to tranquilize the dog due to the animal still being actively aggressive at the scene, according to the statement. The dog was then removed from the residence. An autopsy of Bertram is pending, according to the statement.

Last month, 84-year old Loretta Moore was partially dismembered and killed by her son's five dogs in Boone County, Indiana. Her son, James Moore, then fought to get the dogs returned to him. Boone County officials were eventually forced to release all five dogs to their owners. A pit bull that James had been fostering for about a month was returned to its original rescue. The four other dogs, including two huskies, were returned to James under an agreement with the county.

Both Indiana fatal dog attacks involved family dogs killing a family member on the owner's property. Under normal circumstances, family members like Roy automatically surrender the dog to authorities. Typically no law forces them too. Boone County officials wanted to euthanize all five dogs involved in Moore's death, but could not because James refused to surrender them and state, county and local laws have no provision for euthanizing dogs that kill a person at home.

Disproportionate Response

Pit bulls habitually execute the killing bite as a disproportionate response to stimuli. These killing bites, targeting the head or neck, are often inflicted by family pit bulls on family members too. Even when in a safe, predictable environment, pit bulls consistently display these dangerous traits, "failure to communicate intention before an attack, disinhibited aggression and a disproportionate response to stimuli," we stated in our comments to the Department of Transportation last year.

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

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