A 5-month-old boy was killed by a 130-pound dog after being left with relatives who were watching the baby as his mom celebrated her birthday, police said.
The Volusia Sheriff's Office said deputies responded to a home near Ormond Beach around 9:50 p.m. Wednesday , where the infant’s great-grandmother and great aunt were watching him as his parents were out at his mother’s 21st birthday dinner.
Officials said the family members put the infant, Carter, in a bedroom after becoming fussy and shut the door. While the great-aunt made tea and toast, she let her three dogs out of their kennels. Investigators said a Great Dane/Husky mix opened the bedroom door, and the great-aunt later found Carter bleeding and unresponsive with the 130-pound dog beside him.
Carter’s parents returned home and rushed him to the hospital, but he died from his injuries.
"This young mother will remember on her birthday that her child is dead," he said. "It is so, so, so tragic. This was supposed to be a great night, and now I just can't imagine how anyone in this family feels,” Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said in a press conference.
Volusia County Animal Services took custody of the dog, which usually holds animals in quarantine for 10 days. After that, the family can appeal before the dog is euthanized.
In this case, the dog was classified as "dangerous," giving officials the authority to euthanize it. The family chose not to appeal the decision and surrendered the dog, which was euthanized Thursday.
Randa Matusiak, Volusia County's director of public protection, said that there had been no prior calls related to the home, adding that dog attacks are “rare occurrences” in the area.
"It is a tragic accident," Matusiak said. "It's difficult because any dog has the potential of doing some harm. It's important to be aware of the dog when it's in your house, to understand dog behavior, to make sure you're properly socializing that dog and monitoring it."
In a chilling twist, photos taken by Fox 35 Orlando captured a Halloween-like yard decor, including a large human skeleton and a dog skeleton in the front yard of the home dressed in Hawaiian shirts and surrounded by beach gear.
A yard sign also read, “Crazy dogs live here. Do not knock. They will bark. I will yell. Things will get ugly.”
Chitwood asked community members to be compassionate in this situation as the incident remains under investigation.
