Iowa: Dogs which mauled 7-year-old Iowa boy to death have been euthanized

IOWA -- A 7-year-old boy was playing outside his home with two of his family’s dogs Thursday when he was fatally mauled by the dogs.
 
Investigators have found no witnesses to the attack.

Malaki Mildward, a first-grader at Garfield Elementary in Clarinda, died after the attack by two 6-month-old dogs, said Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer.

The dogs — a 25-pound female and a 35-pound male — were mixed-breeds with some bulldog heritage, he said. But neither would be considered a pit bull. And neither had ever indicated it might be vicious, he said.

Palmer saw the dogs in the pound Friday morning before they were euthanized.

“Those puppies today … they showed no aggressiveness,” he said. “When I went in this morning, they were still wagging their tails.”

ARE THEY PIT BULLS OR NOT?
Six months ago his mother posted this photo on Facebook next to the
caption: 'Have Pitbull English bulldog pups got shots and
 ready to go message me for details and pics'

Malaki’s family also had another dog, a bulldog type that wasn’t involved in the attack, put down Friday morning, the sheriff said.

“They are in shock,” he said of the boy’s family. “They want to make sure this never happens again.”

Palmer said he hopes to have the investigation wrapped up this weekend. He does not expect any charges to be filed.

“We don’t suspect any negligence or neglect on the parents’ part,” he said. “We have no idea what transpired … I don’t know if we’ll ever know.

“This is a child who has probably played with the puppies since they were born.”

Malaki lived with his older sister, his mother, Amber Braymen, Jeremiah Hicks and Hicks’ son at Hicks’ home in College Springs, a town of 214 located about 80 miles southeast of Omaha.

The white-frame house sits on the east edge of town, with an open field separating it from most of the rest of College Springs.

Malaki often played with the dogs in the yard, Palmer said. On Thursday, his mother was at work, but Hicks was at home with other family members. A relative found Malaki outside after the attack. Someone called 911 just before 5 p.m.

Malaki Mildward, seven, was mauled to death by
the family's two six-month-old dogs
(it is unclear if was the dogs in this photo)

When deputies arrived, paramedics were administering CPR to the boy in the yard; he was not breathing. Malaki was taken to Clarinda Regional Health Center, where he was pronounced dead at 5:50 p.m.

Paramedics and deputies at the scene said both of the dogs stood by calmly as paramedics tried to save the child.

Palmer was in College Springs early Friday afternoon, going door to door, trying to find someone who may have seen what happened and asking if the dogs had ever been seen running around.

“They didn’t act aggressive towards me,” said one man as Palmer interviewed him. The man did not want his name used. “It’s an awful thing for that kid to have to go through.”

No one answered a reporter’s knock at the home early Friday afternoon.

Visitation is scheduled for 6 to 7 p.m. Monday at Ritchie Funeral Home, 222 E. Washington, in Clarinda. The funeral service will be 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, also at the funeral home.

(Omaha Herald - Jan 23, 2015)

Earlier:

• Seven-year-old boy dies after attack by 2 family dogs