Florida: Child in ICU after pit bull attack; owner pulled a "Pit And Run" and fled with dog

FLORIDA -- Three-year-old Payton Church is recovering at Tampa General Hospital after his mom says he was attacked by a pit bull in Clearwater last week.

Mersadis Tuttle, Payton's mother, tells News Channel 8 her son was with his grandmother last Wednesday when it happened. The two were sitting on a bench, eating lunch near the RCS Food Bank on South Myrtle Avenue and Druid Road.

The child went to throw away trash when the grandmother said a medium-sized pit bull came up to the child, licked his face and then attacked him.

The dog's owner did not have the dog on a leash.

The grandmother asked a witness to dial 911 while she rushed the child to the nearest hospital - Morton Plant ER. Payton received 11 stitches.

According to Tuttle, the witness never called police and the dog and owner disappeared. She filed a police report Saturday after leaving the hospital.

Unfortunately, Payton had to return to the emergency room after his wounds became infected. He is currently in the ICU at Tampa General Hospital.

Tuttle is asking anyone with any information on the dog and it's owner to contact authorities.

She has created a GoFundMe page to help with his care.

GOFUNDME: Paytons Dog Bite Recovery
Created April 28, 2018
Mersadis Tuttle
  Emergencies
  TAMPA, FL

Hello everyone. I have been very over whelmed as this is the most traumatizing thing as a parent I have ever dealt with. There are no words to describe truly the mental agony this has put on our family.

On April 25th, Payton was bitten by a Pit bull on his face. The Pit bull was on a leash, however the leash was not being held on to as it should. The Pit bull licked Payton and then snapped him in the face at the same instance.

"PIT AND RUN"
The owner and the dog left when Payton was taken to the hospital and have not been found. Clearwater Animal Control and Clearwater Police Department are doing what they can to locate them. Unfortunately the odds of finding them is extremely low.

Payton is expected to recover but has since been put back in the hospital due to an infection in the tissue around his eyelids and in one of the lacerations.

Unfortunately with dog bites, infection is very common. Hopefully we will have answers as soon as tomorrow rather plastic surgery is needed. We have quite a lot ahead of us in the coming weeks. This has put a huge unexpected financial strain on our family. I have had so many people reach out asking if there is anything they can do to help.

Previously I have declined any help however the circumstances have continually changed. All I ask of anyone and everyone is too please not harm your own family's financial well being to help mine. We appreciate anything. Pictures following the attack.    

Update 1
I want to say thank you to everyone. It is a blessing to have people we have never met, help us. It really means a lot to our family.

It has almost been a week since Payton was bit by a dog. Unfortunately we still have absolutely no idea who the owner is or where the dog may be.

A Clearwater Police Department Officer has said, "The chances of finding them are extremely low."

We really hope someone takes responsibility for what their pet has done to our son.

Payton has been such a brave and strong kiddo through all of this. It has taken a couple different antibiotics to get the infection under control. This has been our upmost concern. Infections from dog bites can potentially be fatal. There will also be no more procedures which is a huge relief!

The swelling in his face continues to go down along with the bruising. I am so thankful his grandmother was holding his hand when this happened and reacted in the manner she did as it could have been so much worse.

Payton is such a lucky kid to have only abstained the injuries he did. It is common for dog bites to take 6 months to 1 year to fully heal and we do still have a long road ahead of us to full recovery. We ask that everyone please continue to pray for our family and again, your help means so much to us.

(WKRG - April 30, 2018)

North Carolina: Four-year-old nearly loses eye after family's newly adopted Pit Bull attacks

LENOIR, NORTH CAROLINA -- A 4-year-old Caldwell County girl was attacked inside her home by the family pet Wednesday.

Family members said they had just recently adopted the Pit Bull from the Humane Society in Catawba County.

Justina Turner, the child's mother, said she and her daughter were in the living room of her home south of Lenoir when the three-year-old 60-pound Pit Bull suddenly attacked the child, biting her face.

She said the dog bit down so hard on her daughter that she wasn't sure at first how she was going to get the animal off her.

Turner said the dog nearly ripped her daughter's right eye out, and the girl had to get several stitches around her eye.

"I was in such shock,” Turner said. “I didn't know what was going on. Once I got the dog away from my daughter and saw the blood, it was the most terrifying thing I've ever seen in my life."

The dog is in quarantine for 10 days to be checked for rabies at the Caldwell County Animal Shelter.

Turner said she didn’t know the dog posed a threat because it seemed friendly when she adopted it.

"They really didn't tell us much about the dog,” Turner said. “They just told us to pick out a dog and to take it to the play yard to play with it. The dog seemed kid-friendly."

The humane society handles all adoptions in Catawba County from the intake to temperament screening prior to adoption.

SUPPOSED 'RANDOM VISITOR' WITH PIT BULL INTERVIEWED 

"They're around these animals every day,” said Paris Wright, a visitor at the Catawba County Humane Society (who just happened to be walking a Pit Bull). “They see their temperament. They see how they carry themselves. So, I figured that's what they would be able to give me insight and they did."

Humane society officials said an adopted dog can act differently once it's in a home and around children.

Turner said people need to be careful adopting older dogs.

"I just wanted him out of the house,” she said.

The Catawba County Humane Society adopts more than 1,000 dogs each year and has not had an issue like this.

The dog had been in the humane society for more than two months prior to being adopted.

Notice the Catawba County Humane Society didn't say they would euthanize the dog. That's because after its quarantine period, they'll send him home with some other unsuspecting family or put him into the "shelter shuffle" - where they ship vicious dogs to rescues or other shelters in other counties and states, hiding the dog's history so someone else can end up taking it home without knowing it likes to attack children.

(WSOC - May 4, 2018)

Georgia: Lawsuit filed against Rosa Garcia after her Pit Bulls nearly tore off this man's leg

GEORGIA -- The owner of a pair of pit bulls that attacked three people in the Five Forks Trickum Road area near Lawrenceville earlier this month is now facing a lawsuit from one of the victims.

Personal injury law firm Zagoria Law announced Thursday that it filed the lawsuit against Rosa Garcia on behalf of Zhongkai Mao, 77. The suit says Mao was attacked because Garcia did not keep the dogs restrained so they wouldn’t leave her property.

The attack left Mao with deep wounds on his leg and his family previously told the Daily Post that he, at one point, faced the possibility of having his leg amputated.

“Mr. Mao is suffering severely and, according to doctors, will possibly need years of rehabilitation,” attorney Brooks Neely said in a statement. “At Zagoria Law, our priority in every dog bite case is to ensure that dog owners are held responsible for the actions of their pets when those actions cause injury to others.”

The filing of the lawsuit came as Mao began vacuum therapy on his leg. His son-in-law, Robert Davis, posted an update on a GoFundMe page Tuesday, in which he said Mao began the therapy at the hospital this week.

“If successful, he will continue long term vacuum treatment at home, which according to the social worker he will be on his own to pay for,” Davis wrote in the update. “After several weeks of treatment, skin grafts may be necessary.”

Mao’s family has been raising funds for his recovery through their GoFundMe page. He immigrated to Georgia from China earlier this year, and did not have a job or insurance to help cover his medical costs. So far, $4,255 has been raised, with a goal to raise $300,000.

In his update, Davis said the family is limited to going after Garcia’s homeowners insurance liability coverage and they expect that will be split between Mao and the other two victims in the attack.

Zagoria officials said they were not aware of any lawsuits being filed yet by the other victims.

The dogs attacked a 16-year old girl near the intersection of Five Forks Trickum Road and Emerald Forest Court on April 2. After a passerby pulled her into their car to get her away from the pit bulls, the dogs attacked Mao.

His leg was bleeding uncontrollably afterward and a tourniquet had to be applied, according to a Gwinnett Animal Welfare and Enforcement report.

The dogs then wandered into a neighborhood and severely attacked another man in his backyard.

All three victims had to be taken to local hospitals. The Animal Welfare and Enforcement report also said a car crashed on Five Forks Trickum because of the attack on the first victim.

Garcia surrendered the dogs to Animal Welfare and Enforcement officers once they discovered who the pit bulls belonged to. County officials said the dogs were later euthanized and their bodies were sent off to a lab for rabies tests, which came back negative.

(Gwinnett Daily Post - Apr 12, 2018)

Earlier:

• Georgia: Pit Bulls maul 16 year-old girl, a man in his backyard and a 77-year-old man who may lose his leg

Arkansas: "I still have his cowboy boots that have pieces of my son's face on them that fell off when I picked him up" says father whose little boy, 4, was mauled by two Pit Bulls

ARKANSAS -- A toddler is in the hospital fighting to recover after a neighbor's two pit bulls mauled his face on Thursday morning.

Four-year-old Matthew Guess was outside his Arkansas home when the two adult dogs leapt on him and viciously started attacking him right in front of his father.

Now, Dustin Guess is sharing the horrific details of his son's dog attack in the hopes that this will never happen to any other parent or child again.

According to Dustin Guess, both dogs attacked the child simultaneously while he was walking between his house and the neighbor's home.

One dog started dragging Matthew away by his leg as the other attacked his face. Guess was also outside at the time and the horrified dad sprinted to the child's side as he tried to separate his boy from the brutal dogs.

"He said 'Daddy, they had my face,'" he recalled to NWA. "I couldn't win."

Matthew was rushed to Washington Regional Medical Center with severe injuries to his face and leg.

After having surgery, he was transferred to Children's Hospital for an additional operation before reconstruction can begin on his face, according to a Go Fund Me page that was set up to help with the child's medical expenses. "He is still fighting a fever and [in] a lot of pain," Elizabeth Champion, a family friend, wrote.

Matthew still needs multiple surgeries, and in the meantime, his dad is raising awareness.

"I still have his cowboy boots that have pieces of my son's face on them that fell off when I picked him up," Guess told NWA. " .... I don't know how to describe the darkness, the loneliness, the pair and the fear and the anger. I mean it's every emotion at the highest level."

However, he's finding strength from his child. "He still has that grin," Guess said. "It's not gone and it still works."

According to police, only one one of the pit bulls had the required rabies shot and both have been deemed "dangerous." The neighbor has received a citation for violating the state's Rabies Control Act and both dogs were quarantined until one was euthanized.

But that isn't enough for Guess.

"My reality and my understanding to this point now is that there has to be, there has to be, something put in place to protect our children when parents fail, because I was a failed parent myself," Guess said.

Currently in Arkansas, 40 cities have breed-specific legislation that prohibits pit bulls, only allowing them under strict and specific exceptions. However where Guess lives, there aren't any laws restricting ownership of the breed. Washington County Attorney Brian Lester told NWA that Matthew's situation could be what it takes to change that.

"I've already received talk from one of the Justices of the Peace, a member of the Quorum Court, here who questioned this specifically," Lester said. He added, "Any dog in any home, whether it's in a good home or abused could potentially attack somebody .... It's unfortunate because right now there is no fail-proof way to keep this from happening again."

Other parents are sharing similar experiences, and it's unsurprisingly sparking a heated online debate.

"My heart goes out to Matthew and his family. My son was also the victim of a dog attack," one mom wrote on GoFundMe. "It's the most helpless I've ever felt as I was not with him when it happened."

However, others on Facebook are blaming Matthew's parents. "Maybe if people actually did their jobs as parents and watch their kids these kind of things wouldn't happen," one user commented. "Or maybe if they didn't let their kids climb all over the dogs and terrorize them these kind of things wouldn't happen but people don't like taking care of their kids these days, they let video games or cell phones or anything else raise their kids except doing the job themselves."

But others agree with Guess and think action should be taken. "People are more important than pets -- PERIOD! Especially children!!!!! Makes me furious how people can feel no sympathy for a child's needs over an animals!" one person wrote. "We have several pets, and I promise if a child was harmed by one of ours, and I don't care what the situation is, that pet is GONE!!!"

It's safe to say that this issue isn't going to be settled anytime soon, but let's hope that everyone can agree on one thing: This child didn't deserve the violent attack, and nothing but compassion should be sent his way.

*   *   *   *   *   *

GOFUNDME: Fundraiser for Krista Guess
Created April 7, 2018
by Elizabeth Champion on behalf of Krista Guess
  Medical
  WEST FORK, AR

Matthew is a 4 year old boy from West Fork Ar. He was brutally attacked Thursday morning by their landlord's two pit bulls. He has already had one surgery at Washington Regional. Last night he was transferred to Children's Hospital in Little Rock Ar. He will be under going another surgery this morning and many more after that to reconstruct his face. He is still fighting a fever and a lot of pain. I am a close family friend of Krista and Dustin. Our boys are the same age and best friends. She is linked to this account and has full access to the funds and able to see and able to update.

UPDATE
A message from our little buddy's Dad Dustin Guess.
"Yall look out, there's a new deputy in town!!! Sworn in and official! Thank you to the Washington County sheriff's office for making the long trip here to see and check on our baby boy! He's a proud officer of the law and means business!!"

UPDATE
Matthew is doing very well! His spirits are so high and is one of the strongest little boys ever. He has surgery Friday morning on his face again. Prayers that everything goes smoothly! Thank yall so much for the donations. The family greatly appreciates it so very much and so does Matthew! #Matthewsfight

(Cafe Mom - April 11, 2018)

Texas: Four months later, San Angelo boy mauled by pit bull hasn't received money from GoFundMe

TEXAS -- Four months after donors raised over $1,600 in support of a San Angelo boy who was mauled by a pit bull, neither he nor the family have received the money.

Forty-one donors in January gave a total of $1,666 with a goal of reaching $10,000 to benefit a Israel Costilla, according to a screenshot taken of the page before the account was deactivated.

The GoFundMe campaign for Israel was created by Shannon Jolene Carpenter on Jan. 6.

Carpenter, who did not know the Costilla family personally, launched the campaign after seeing the extent of Israel's injuries in a photo provided by Rayetta Trigg, whose pit bull attacked Israel.

"When (Trigg) let me see the picture I literally almost fell off of my stool. I showed the picture to my husband and friend Adam and they were shocked as well," Carpenter said.

Israel needed more than 300 stitches, surgery and physical therapy.

In a statement on the GoFundMe page, Carpenter noted donations would go "directly to (Israel's) well being and help the parents with any extra costs they may have due to this tragic event."

On Jan. 13, Andreana Costilla — Israel's mother — contacted GoFundMe and requested the campaign be deactivated after reaching out to Carperter via text message. Costilla wanted the page deleted for personal reasons.

"I shut the page down immediately once I got that text," Carpenter said.

Four months later, the funds remain held by GoFundMe.

"A lot of the donors have reached out to us," said Ana Costilla — Israel's grandmother, "and I explained the situation to them, and they were very understanding — upset, but understanding."

GoFundMe said Tuesday a payment processor would "continue working with both (Carpenter) and the family to ensure a safe transfer of funds."

Emails between the Costilla family from GoFundMe, however, suggest the funds may never reach the family.

No one in the Costilla family was established as a beneficiary on the campaign, emails between the Costilla family and GoFundMe note. The company urged Costilla to reach out to Carpenter to privately settle the matter.

Multiple attempts of reaching out to Carpenter went unanswered, the family says.

Carpenter thought the issue was settled.

"I assume(d) (GoFundMe) gave the family the money," Carpenter said Tuesday.

Carpenter stated she would contact GoFundMe soon to get the issue worked out.

"I will give (GoFundMe) a call for sure because this situation needs to be resolved immediately," she said.

(San Angelo Standard Times - April 19, 2018)

Earlier:

• Texas: Little boy's face ripped open by Pit Bull that owner claims is a service dog
• Texas: Pit bull that owner claims is a "service dog" will be euthanized after gruesome attack of San Angelo boy
• Texas: Mother of little boy mauled by Pit Bull tells fundraiser to shut down donation page
  

New York: Girl, 7, mauled by Pit Bull that belongs to a "family member's friend"

NEW YORK -- The fate of a pit bull that attacked a 7-year-old girl in her Bellport home Wednesday will be decided after the Brookhaven Animal Shelter keeps it for 10 days, a town spokesman said.

According to Suffolk police the child was seriously injured after the dog attacked her shortly after 5 p.m. and had to be fended off with a shovel.

The girl’s mother and a man dog-sitting the male dog were also injured when they tried to stop the attack, police said.

Police said the victim was playing with the dog in her Bieselin Road home when she was bitten on her right arm, causing several lacerations.

When the mother tried to get the dog off her daughter, the dog bit the woman on her hand, police said.

Then the man hit the pit bull over the head with the shovel, police said, but he was bitten on the hand before the dog ran out to the yard.

The child, seriously wounded, and her mother, who had non-life-threatening injuries, were airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital, while the man was taken to a hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries to his hand, police said.

Police emergency service officers put the dog in a cage and the Brookhaven Town dog warden took it to the town animal shelter, police said.

No official information was available Thursday about the latest condition of the girl and the others injured.

Town spokesman Jack Krieger said the pit bull was being kept on a 10-day “bite hold” for safekeeping and that after that several options can be considered.

Krieger said that if the shelter decides the dog is “too violent” then it can decide to put the animal down or keep it.

If the dog is not determined to be a danger and the owner does not claim it, then the shelter has the same options of putting it down or keeping it, Krieger said.

Krieger said that if the owner wants the dog back after the 10 days but the shelter believes it’s still dangerous, then the town would have to make a court bid to put the animal down.

A person who answered the phone at the house Thursday identified himself as the owner’s son and would not give his name.

The dog belongs to “a family member’s friend,” he said. He would not reveal the names of the friend any of the injured.

When asked how the girl is doing, he said, “She’s projected to make a full recovery.”

(Newsday - April 12, 2018)

Missouri: Pit Bull kills 13-month-old Missouri girl. Her babysitter is charged with manslaughter

MISSOURI -- A southeast Missouri woman faces manslaughter charges after a dog she was keeping killed the 13-month-old girl she was baby-sitting.

The Cape Girardeau County, Mo., prosecutor filed a second-degree involuntary manslaughter charge against Erica N. Jordan “for acting with criminal negligence that resulted in the death" of the girl, Loxli Chavez, said a police department statement.

Jordan was arrested last week and posted bond, court records show. Loxli was attacked March 9 at Jordan’s home in Cape Girardeau and was pronounced dead at a hospital.

KFVS 12 reported that an autopsy showed she died from two puncture wounds to the skull.

The Southeast Missourian reported the dog, named Smokey, was part Pit Bull, Labrador and Malamute.

Jordan told police that she was keeping the dog at her home for her brother and that the dog was “not good with kids," the newspaper reported.

The woman said the dog had bitten her son "about a year ago", but claimed she thought the dog had calmed down after being neutered.

Loxli's mother, Tia Bailey, said she wasn't informed of the attack on Jordan’s son, or of the dog's behavior around children, the newspaper reported. Jordan had started baby-sitting the girl and her 5-year-old sister earlier in the week of the attack.

In court records, the babysitter described hearing “screaming and crying” and saw “blood everywhere” when the dog mauled the girl, the newspaper reported. She said she pulled the dog off the child and called 911.

The dog was taken to a shelter and is expected to be euthanized, per protocol, police said.

Following Loxli's death, the community raised more than $4,800 through GoFundMe to help the family.

"Loxli was full of life, she was happy, strong and was always full of joy," said a statement on the fundraising website. "She is also described as having a beautiful attitude. She would wrinkle up her nose and snort. Just a couple of weeks ago she started taking her first steps. Today, Loxli's life was cut too short by a tragic accident. ... It was all (too) unexpected."

Baby Loxli Willow Chavez Memorial
Created March 9, 2018
Jeremy Verhines
on behalf of Michelle Seabaugh
  Medical
  SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA

On March 9, 2018, Loxli Willow Chavez went to be with the Lord. Loxli was born on February 4, 2017. Loxli was born premature, weighed 3lbs, 3 oz. She was a warrior and made it out of the NICU and went home with her parents. Loxli was full of life, she was happy, strong and was always full of joy. She is also described as having a beautiful attitude. She would wrinkle up her nose and snort. Just a couple of weeks ago she started taking her first steps.

Today, Loxli's life was cut too short by a tragic accident. The family is devastated and in shock right now if you can imagine. It was all to unexpected.

The funds that are raised will help the family with support through this tragedy. As you can expect, returning back to normal life and routine is going to take some time. The family has limited income to live on and any support you offer will go farther than you can ever imagine.

I set the goal high because that just a fraction of the real picture of what they will need to be able to take care of the accommodations they are responsible for. In addition, they are going to need support in their healing, grieving the loss of their child, and being able to take the time they need to recover and start over.

The father and mother have been through many rough trials. Life has thrown them many curve balls and they continue to do their best to make ends meet. They are going to need our support through this time and financial gifts will ease the stress and concerns they already have.

(Ledger Enquirer - April 12, 2018)

Earlier:

• Missouri: Babysitter Erica Jordan, 33, knew dog in deadly mauling was aggressive with children, say court documents

Georgia: Pit Bulls maul 16 year-old girl, a man in his backyard and a 77-year-old man who may lose his leg

GEORGIA -- Xiaohong Davis was searching frantically for her father Monday when she got the call telling her that he was in the hospital and had been severely injured after he was attacked by a pair of pit bulls earlier in the day.

Zhong Kai Mao, 77, had been at Ronald Reagan Park and was walking home afterward. When he didn’t arrive home, his daughter went to the park but couldn’t find him. Mao immigrated to the U.S. from China two months ago and speaks little English.

Davis began to panic.

“I was waiting for him for dinner and I couldn’t find him,” Davis said. “So after I found out where he went, we looked all over, all over and then got the call from the emergency room so you can imagine what kind of a shock that is.”

Mao was one of three people attacked by pit bulls on or near Five Forks Trickum Road in unincorporated Lawrenceville on Monday. The dogs had escaped from the home of their owners and began roaming the area.

A Gwinnett County Animal Welfare and Enforcement officer wrote in a report that Mao’s left calf was bleeding uncontrollably after the attack. A police officer had to apply a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, the report said.

“When he was brought in (to Gwinnett Medical Center’s emergency room), he was in critical condition,” his daughter said. “He’s been in ICU for a few days.”

On Wednesday, Mao began having heart issues and doctors had to do a cardioversion on him to get his heartbeat back to a normal rhythm.

Now Mao faces an uncertain future. He has large gaping wounds on his leg with muscle and other internal tissue visible. The wounds are so large, in fact, that doctors told his family he will need skin grafts once it’s possible to safely do the procedure.

In the meantime, doctors and family members have to wait and see what will happen. His leg may still have to be amputated. Initially, doctors told the family that amputation would be needed, but they then began trying to see if that could be avoided.

“They’re still observing and trying to treat the wounds to make sure they’re not infected because if they get infected, then they’ll still have to cut that leg off,” Davis said.

One issue complicating matters is that because Mao only recently immigrated to the U.S., he doesn’t a job to provide income or insurance to cover medical costs. Family members have set up a GoFundMe account so they can raise $300,000 to help pay for his medical expenses.

The GoFundMe page is located at www.gofundme.com/elderly-man-critically-injured.

The severity of the attack has Mao’s family upset over the fact that the dogs were able to escape from their owners’ home and attack people.

In addition to Mao, the dogs also attacked a 16-year-old girl who was also walking along Five Forks Trickum Road. After they attacked Mao, they headed up Rosa Drive and attacked another man who was in his backyard.

The family that owned the dogs surrendered them to the county’s Animal Welfare and Enforcement Division, which had the dogs euthanized and sent to a state lab for rabies testing. The dogs tested negative for rabies.

“I feel that this should be equivalent to assault with a deadly weapon and they should be prosecuted as such,” said Robert Davis, who is Xiaohong’s husband and Mao’s son-in-law. “It’s just that bad. If you take one look at my father-in-law’s leg, he’ll be lucky if he can walk on that leg again, and if he does, it’s going to require a lot of treatment and a lot of expense.

“Think about what you’re doing to somebody else’s life when you let these dogs get loose.”

Meanwhile, Mao’s daughter said she doesn’t consider pit bulls to be safe enough to be owned as pets. She said Georgia should pass a law addressing pit bull ownership. Other states have similar breed-specific laws, she said.

“I want to really, really advocate that Georgia pass the same law, like those other states, so that people cannot own this type of dog,” she said.

(gwinnettdailypost - April 5, 2018)

Missouri: Babysitter Erica Jordan, 33, knew dog in deadly mauling was aggressive with children, say court documents

MISSOURI -- A 33-year-old Cape Girardeau woman has been charged with second-degree involuntary manslaughter after her brother’s Pit Bull / Labrador / Malamute mix fatally attacked a 13-month-old girl she was babysitting last month.

Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Chris Limbaugh announced the charge Friday against Erica N. Jordan of 46 N. Hanover St. The charge alleges “criminal negligence.”

Jordan was arrested and posted a $5,000 surety bond. As a condition of her release on bond, Judge Benjamin Lewis barred Jordan from caring for any children in her home other than her biological children, Limbaugh said in a news release.

“These charges come after a careful review of the evidence, an opportunity to speak with the victim’s family and follow-up investigations with witnesses,” the release stated.

The girl, Loxli Chavez, was taken to a hospital where she later died from “severe injuries,” according to a probable-cause statement.

The attack occurred March 9 at Jordan’s home.

In an interview with police, Jordan said the dog, named Smokey, weighed between 30 and 40 pounds. She said she was keeping the dog temporarily for her brother, according to the probable-cause statement from police Sgt. Darren Estes.

Jordan said she began babysitting Loxli and Loxli’s 5-year-old sister, Juniper, on March 5, Estes wrote. Jordan said Loxli’s parents knew about the dog, according to the statement.

Estes wrote “Jordan stated she frequently lets the dog loose, but sometimes placed the dog into her son’s room because the dog is ‘not good with kids.’”

She recalled the dog had “attacked” her son, biting him in the head about a year ago.

Jordan said the dog had since been neutered and “she thought the dog had ‘calmed down,’” Estes wrote.

Jordan said Smokey was drinking water from a dog bowl within a few feet of Loxli just before the attack. She said she suddenly “heard screaming and crying” and saw “blood everywhere, ”according to the probable-cause statement.

She said in the statement she tried to pull the dog away, but “he was so aggressive” and “just kept going for the baby.”

Jordan said she finally pulled Smokey off the girl and secured him in a closed bedroom. She then called 911.

Tia Bailey, the victim’s mother, told police it was never disclosed to her before the attack Smokey previously attacked Jordan’s child. Bailey said Jordan had reassured her the dog would not pose a risk to her children, according to the statement.

If convicted, Jordan faces a maximum sentence of four years in prison, the prosecutor said.

Police said after the attack the dog was impounded and would be euthanized.

(Southeast Missourian - April 7, 2018)