A 1-year-old girl died in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, last week after being attacked by her family’s pet pit bull.
The little girl died after the dog attacked her in her home, WTRF reported. Tuscarawas County Sheriff Orvis Campbell described the girl’s death as “instantaneous” after the pit bull bit her right by the jaw and neck and immediately severed her carotid artery.
“It was about as terrible of [an] ordeal as we’ve come across in a long time,” Campbell told WOIO.
Law enforcement was called to the family’s Dover Township home at around 6:00 p.m. for a report of a dog attack. Campbell said 911 dispatchers did not hear anyone on the first call, but when they called back, the girl’s mother told them the dog had attacked and killed her child.
The child’s mother told police she and her little girl were walking around the house when the pit bull attacked, WTRF reported. The mother was also injured trying to protect her daughter from the dog, according to the report. Officials said the father was not home during the attack.
The family reported has three dogs, including the pit bull. The pit bull was euthanized the day of the attack.
Campbell said the incident is believed to be an accident and he does not expect charges to be filed, although the investigation is ongoing.
