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.

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 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.

Posted on October 19, 2021 by Colleen Lynn

2021 Dog Bite Fatality: 7-Month Old Baby Killed by Large Family Dog in Sevier County, Tennessee

A 7-month old baby boy died after being attacked by a St. Bernard in Sevier County.

Infant Killed by Dog
Sevier County, TN - Sevier County Sheriff Ron Seals issued a press release Monday afternoon stating that a 7-month baby died after being attacked by a family dog. On Sunday, emergency responders were dispatched to a home on Apache Lane at about 6:15 pm for a report of an infant not breathing after a dog attack. When first responders arrived, they found the infant dead and an occupant in the home suffering injuries from trying to protect the baby during the dog attack.

The large dog became aggressive toward emergency responders at the scene and was dispatched at the scene. The identity and gender of the baby was not released by the sheriff's office. The breed of dog was not released either. As of Tuesday, the case was still under investigation by the Sevier County Sheriff's Office. Earlier this year, two people were killed by the same dogs in Cocke County, Tennessee. The fatal attacks occurred about 3.5 months apart.

WVLT spoke to the mother of the baby, Tiffany Parker, who identified her baby as a boy. At the time of the attack, he was at his grandmother's home, she said. The grandmother was hurt while trying to help the baby, Parker said. "I’ll never get to hear him say mama," she said. WVTL also published a photograph of the baby boy. We expect this video segment will be updated, adding the mother to it, in preparation for the evening news cast. The death investigation remains ongoing.

Evening Updates

WTLV interviewed the baby's mother, Tiffany Parker. 7-month old baby Bentley was visiting his grandmother, according to the Sevier County Sheriff's Office, while his mother was moving into a home one block away. Parker heard some commotion coming from her mother's home and ran over to check on her son. The family dog, a St. Bernard, had attacked her mother and killed her son. Parker said the dog typically stayed outside when the baby was visiting his grandmother.

A "Beware of the Dog" sign hung on a fence at the grandmother's home in the 900 block of Apache Lane. Parker is distraught that she never got to hear her baby say "mama" for the first time. Parker also warned parents about aggressive dogs. “If you have any doubt about an animal, please please, just get rid of the dog or something,” she said. “You wouldn’t expect it to happen, but it does.” The dog got so aggressive with first responders that it was dispatched at the scene.

A family St. Bernard fatally attacked a baby boy and injured his grandmother who intervened.

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