Blake Bates, a 25-year-old resident of Marion, Ohio, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter on October 2, after his six-month-old son was fatally mauled by his dog at their home.
The attack occurred on April 28, 2024, when Bates and his partner, Alyssa Smith, allowed their pit bull mix, Kilo, near the infant without supervision.
Prosecutors described the attack in gruesome detail.
“The dog essentially crushed the child’s skull,” prosecutor Ray Grogan explained. “And as a result of that, the child’s brain was severely damaged.”
The boy was rushed to Marion General Hospital, but it was too late. He was pronounced lifeless moments after.
The owner of a pit bull that took the life of his six-month-old son pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter
According to Grogan, what makes the tragedy especially haunting is that it could have been prevented.
Just a year earlier, Kilo had already shown signs of aggression towards kids, when he tried to bite a neighborhood child.
Bates was charged after the incident and explicitly warned about the risks of keeping an aggressive dog, especially around children. Yet instead of rehoming Kilo or putting strict safeguards in place, Bates carried on as though nothing had happened.
That choice proved devastating on April 28, 2024. According to prosecutors, Bates and Alyssa Smith allowed Kilo to roam freely inside the house unsupervised around their infant son and another small child.
It took only moments for tragedy to strike. After the attack, Kilo was seized and subsequently euthanized.
“This guilty plea holds Bates accountable for a preventable horror that stole an innocent baby’s life,” Grogan said in a press release.
“Bates knew his pit bull was dangerous, yet he gambled with this baby’s safety. This recklessness demands severe consequences.”
The incident reignited debate over whether pit bulls are inherently aggressive or should be judged on a case-by-case basis
The case has struck a nerve online, with many taking the opportunity to reevaluate the risks of keeping breeds such as pit bulls in family homes.
“What is wrong with these people?” one dog owner wrote. “I have a rescue pit, and while he has never shown aggression, I would never let him around any children unsupervised.”
According to some readers, pit bull owners should always keep their pets muzzled when around small children.
Others pointed to the breed’s physical strength, and how it makes raising the breed particularly difficult.
“People keep saying ‘it’s how they’re raised,’ but that ignores biology,” one commenter argued.
“You can literally see from a pit bull’s skull and teeth that they’re built for grip and power, not soft warning bites. Even if it’s instinct or a split-second reaction, the outcome is catastrophic because of their jaw strength.”
“Had about enough of this breed,” another wrote.
Experts say environment, ownership, and socialization matter more than breed in predicting aggression
The debate over pit bull aggression has long divided science, lawmakers, and owners. Research, however, paints a complicated picture.
A 2008 study of dogs formally registered with the American Kennel Club found that pit bull-type dogs displayed significantly less aggression toward humans but higher levels toward other dogs.
Other studies, such as a 2019 University of Arizona paper, link pit bulls to increased impulsivity and inter-dog aggression, while others found no significant differences compared to other breeds.
At the same time, shelter observations suggest that pit bull-type dogs show similar behavior to other breeds once adopted, indicating that breed alone cannot predict aggression.
In light of the available evidence, experts believe that environment, socialization, and ownership are much more important than breed alone when predicting aggressive behavior.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) opposes breed-specific legislation, calling it ineffective. Instead, they urge evaluations based on individual dogs and stricter accountability for owners.
“Bates now faces up to three years in prison for the manslaughter charge. He also faces sentencing for prior crimes, including a fourth-degree felony strangulation of a woman he was involved with and a third-degree felony escape attempt,” the Prosecutor’s Office said.
He is due back in court on October 27.
“Heartbreaking.” Netizens shared their thoughts on the fatal incident
