In the 15-year period of 2005 through 2019, canines killed 523 Americans. Pit bulls contributed to 66% (346) of these deaths. Combined, pit bulls and rottweilers contributed to 76% of the total recorded deaths. | More »
Statistical information gathered by DogsBite.org is verifiable through news reports and other criteria.1 Our Fatality Citations section documents sources used in our dog bite fatality research.
| 2005 fatal dog attacks by breed |
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In 2005, 7 dog bite fatalities involved canines from 2 or more different breeds, thus producing a death count total of 37, rather than 29. Five dog breeds each contributed to 1 death: border collie, dachshund, Labrador retriever, mastiff, and schnauzer.
Tyler Babcock, 6-years old, was killed by two dogs belonging to a neighbor. He was last seen alive around 10:15 am playing outside of his grandfather's home in the 5100 block of North Leonard Avenue, east of Clovis. After a frantic search by his father, Matt Babcock, and neighbors, Tyler was found barely conscious at about 2:00 pm in a neighbor's pasture. He suffered severe wounds to his head and scalp. Tyler was airlifted to Children's Hospital Central California, where he died. Three dogs were taken into custody, Fresno County sheriff's Lieutenant Mark Padilla said. DNA tests linked two of them -- a male pit bull-mix, "Felony," and a female pit bull, "Blue" -- to the mauling. Neighbors noted the dogs often roamed free in the area. The Fresno County District Attorney's Office declined to file criminal charges, citing insufficient evidence to prove criminal conduct on the part of the owners. Following his death, the Babcock family successfully lobbied the county to pass "Tyler's Law," which expanded the dog leash law to unincorporated areas of Fresno County. [source citations]
| Date of death: | January 2, 2005 | Chained: | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breed of dog: | Pit bull and pit bull-mix | Relationship to dog: | Non-family |
| Sex of dog: | Both | Owner of dog: | Neighbor |
| Spay/Neuter: | No | Multiple dogs: | Yes |
| On/Off property: | On | Criminal charges: | No |
Lydia Chaplin, 14-years old, was found frozen in a ditch after being attacked by dogs. A Whiteside County sheriff's deputy discovered her body at 7:30 am in a ditch at the intersection of Stern and Elston Roads. She had massive wounds and her clothes had been ripped from her body. Shards of clothing were found at the intersection and in the driveway of dog-owner Arthur Dersham's home in the 8700 block of Elston Road. The same deputy had just taken a missing person's report at the child's home. Animal control seized four dogs from Dersham's home: three pit bulls and one mixed-breed. Investigators believe she left her home around midnight, but did not disclose why. "It is my assumption the attack occurred between midnight and 1:30-2:30 am," said Whiteside County Sheriff Roger "Skip" Schipper. An autopsy determined Lydia was attacked by dogs then froze to death. A Whiteside County grand jury did not find sufficient evidence that Dersham knew his dogs were vicious, but returned a nine count indictment for his illegal possession of firearms. [source citations]
| Date of death: | January 27, 2005 | Chained: | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breed of dog: | Pit bull (3) Mixed-breed (1) |
Relationship to dog: | Non-family |
| Sex of dog: | Unreleased | Owner of dog: | Neighbor |
| Spay/Neuter: | Unreleased | Multiple dogs: | Yes |
| On/Off property: | Off | Criminal charges: | No |
Barbara Pilkington, 70-years old, was killed by a pit bull while taking her daily walk. The attack occurred on South Eighth Street near 14th Avenue just before 5:00 pm, Lanett Chief of Police Ron Docimo said. She sustained severed face and neck injuries. She was pronounced dead at the scene, Chambers County Coroner Dave Collier Jr. said. The dog was located two blocks from the attack site by Lanett Fire Chief AJ Johnson, who is also a certified police officer. He shot and killed the dog due to its "aggressive behavior." Police arrested and charged Billy Earl Marbury, 54, with manslaughter in connection to her death. The charges stemmed from evidence that Marbury contributed to the dog's vicious behavior. After Pilkington's death, the city adopted an ordinance banning pit bulls and presa canarios. Existing owners could keep their dog, as long as the animals were securely confined indoors or in a securely enclosed and locked pen outdoors. In the summer of 2006, Marbury pleaded guilty before the trail. He was sentenced to 15 years in jail. He was denied probation. [source citations]
| Date of death: | February 4, 2005 | Chained: | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breed of dog: | Pit bull | Relationship to dog: | Non-family |
| Sex of dog: | Unreleased | Owner of dog: | Neighbor |
| Spay/Neuter: | Unreleased | Multiple dogs: | No |
| On/Off property: | Off | Criminal charges: | Yes |
Dorothy Sullivan, 82-years old, and her dog "Buttons" were killed by three pit bulls belonging to her neighbor. The attack occurred in Sullivan's front yard at 205 Oak Crest Drive at approximately 2:17 pm. Sullivan's daughter discovered her body with three aggressive dogs surrounding her. She died of her injuries en route to VCU Medical Center in Richmond. All three dogs were captured and destroyed. Deanna Large, 36, was identified as the dogs' owner, who had previously been warned by animal control officers to keep her dogs secure. A Spotsylvania County grand jury indicted Large for one count of felony involuntary manslaughter and several misdemeanors. A jury of her peers found her guilty and sentenced her to three years in prison. Large became the first person in Virginia convicted of manslaughter as a result of a fatal dog attack. Sullivan's family also successfully lobbied state legislators to enact the Dorothy Sullivan Memorial bill, (SB 200), which allows felony charges if a person sustains "serious bodily injury" by a dog that is recklessly allowed to run free. [source citations]
| Date of death: | March 8, 2005 | Chained: | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breed of dog: | Pit bull (3) | Relationship to dog: | Non-family |
| Sex of dog: | Male | Owner of dog: | Neighbor |
| Spay/Neuter: | No | Multiple dogs: | Yes |
| On/Off property: | Off | Criminal charges: | Yes |
Sandra Sanchez, 32-years old, was killed by her landlord's two rottweilers. Her body was discovered in the backyard of a residence in the 11400 block of Sagekaron with two rottweilers nearby. The Harris County Medical Examiner's Office said she bled to death from dog bites on her torso and head. Her death was ruled accidental. Her landlord, Kenneth Gamble, owned the dogs. Gamble had taken Sanchez into his four-bedroom home as a tenant a few months earlier. In exchange, she helped out around the house, assisted Gamble, who had Glaucoma, and fed his two dogs, "Rocky," a 99-pound male rottweiler and "Kayla" a 70-pound female rottweiler-mix, when he was out of town. When he returned to his southeast Houston home, he found the house empty and a TV blaring inside. He found her dead with bite marks in the backyard. "She was a real friend and a good person," Gamble said. "She helped me, and I helped her." Sanchez had fed and played with the dogs in the past without any problems, Gamble said. Both dogs were euthanized. [source citations]
| Date of death: | March 15, 2005 | Chained: | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breed of dog: | Rottweiler and rottweiler-mix | Relationship to dog: | Non-family |
| Sex of dog: | Both | Owner of dog: | Landlord |
| Spay/Neuter: | Unreleased | Multiple dogs: | Yes |
| On/Off property: | On | Criminal charges: | No |
Cassidy Jeter, 6-years old, was killed by two family pit bulls. The attack occurred in the 5100 block of Belmont Street around 9:06 am, Michigan State Police said. At the time, Cassidy and her 4-year old brother were crossing an alley to play on a backyard swing set. The girl's family was in the process of moving from the house where the dogs were still being kept to a new house about a block away. "It's still a mystery as to how the dogs were able to get out of the basement where they were kept and why the gate to the backyard was open," State Police Lieutenant Harold Love said. The dogs ran out of the gate and attacked Cassidy in the alley. The younger child climbed a fence to escape and was unharmed. "The mother tried to beat the dogs off the girl with a 2-by-4," Love said. "She was screaming for help from the neighbors." When Hamtramck police arrived, the dogs were still mauling the girl. Officers were forced to shoot both dogs, Love said. Cassidy was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy determined she died of trauma to her head, neck and face. [source citations]
| Date of death: | April 4, 2005 | Chained: | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breed of dog: | Pit bull (2) | Relationship to dog: | Family |
| Sex of dog: | Unreleased | Owner of dog: | Parents |
| Spay/Neuter: | Unreleased | Multiple dogs: | Yes |
| On/Off property: | Off | Criminal charges: | No |
Robert Schafer, 4-years old, was killed by his family's chained rottweiler-mix. The attack occurred around 5:00 pm at the Placid Pines Mobile Home Park in the 16000 block of Cox Mill Road. The boy had been playing in his fenced backyard, when his mother, Laura Schafer, stepped into the kitchen briefly. In less than a minute, the boy got into the dog's backyard pen, where the dog was chained, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said. After hearing screams, Schafer ran outside and saw Robbie in the dog's jaws. She pulled the dog off her son, but by then, he was badly damaged. The unresponsive boy was pronounced dead at the scene. A medical examiner determined the boy died as a result of a broken neck, and major blood vessels in his neck also were severed, Sheriff C.G. Feldman said. "The dog went straight for the boy's throat," he said. The family had owned the male dog, "Chance," a rottweiler-German shepherd-mix, since before Robbie was born. "They'd grown up together and played together," Feldman said. "It was a tragic accident," authorities said. [source citations]
| Date of death: | April 10, 2005 | Chained: | Yes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breed of dog: | Rottweiler-shepherd mix | Relationship to dog: | Family |
| Sex of dog: | Male | Owner of dog: | Parents |
| Spay/Neuter: | Unreleased | Multiple dogs: | No |
| On/Off property: | On | Criminal charges: | No |
Laverne Ford, 73-years old, was killed by her two dogs. After hearing a "commotion" just after midnight, a neighbor called Ford on the phone then contacted her landlord, Wheeler County Sheriff James Peacock said. Both beat on her door, but got no answer. A Glenwood police officer forced open the front door, where he found two mixed-breed dogs with blood on them. The officer used pepper spray to keep the dogs back, but was forced to shoot the larger aggressive dog. Ford was found on the floor near some frozen dinners with the refrigerator door open, Peacock said. "I've seen dog bites before, but I'd never seen anything like this," he said. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation also came to the scene. "We were called to assist after the violent death was discovered," said special agent K.A. Golden. The woman had not been dead long, he said. The cause of death was determined to be the mauling. Neighbors and her son said the dogs had grown mean. They had urged Ford to get rid of them, but she refused. Ford raised both dogs from puppies. [source citations]
| Date of death: | April 13, 2005 | Chained: | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breed of dog: | Mixed-breed (2) | Relationship to dog: | Family |
| Sex of dog: | Unreleased | Owner of dog: | Victim |
| Spay/Neuter: | Unreleased | Multiple dogs: | Yes |
| On/Off property: | On | Criminal charges: | No |
Ernie Assad, 82-years old, died after being mauled by two dogs. The attack occurred on April 13, 2005 in the 6000 block of Stanbury Road as Assad was watering plants in the backyard of his residence. Three large dogs rushed up his driveway and attacked him, Parma police said. "They just growled, charged and attacked," Assad's niece Gina Banyasz said. He underwent two brain surgeries and lost his ability to speak after the assault. He died 11 days later due to complications of head injuries from the attack. Two of the dogs, a pit bull and an American bulldog, belonged to Chicago Bears tight end Darnell Sanders. A third dog, a cane corso, belonged to Natalie and Dominick Gruttadauria. At the time, all three dogs were under the care of the Gruttadaurias, who live down the street from Assad. It was later determined the cane corso was not involved in the assault. The Gruttadaurias were initially charged with misdemeanor violations. A Cuyahoga County grand jury later indicted both Gruttadaurias on felony charges in connection with the attack. [source citations]
| Date of death: | April 24, 2005 | Chained: | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breed of dog: | Pit bull (1) American bulldog (1) |
Relationship to dog: | Non-family |
| Sex of dog: | Both | Owner of dog: | Property owner |
| Spay/Neuter: | Unreleased | Multiple dogs: | Yes |
| On/Off property: | Off | Criminal charges: | Yes |
Asia Turner, 4-years old, was killed by two family rottweilers. The attack occurred around 5:00 pm at 231 Stone Hill Drive, Spartanburg County sheriff's investigators said. There were no witnesses to the attack, but it is believed Asia wandered away from the house without her father's knowledge and got too close to one of the rottweilers that was tethered to a tree. Her father, Matt Turner, found her near the tethered dog. The other rottweiler broke out of a fenced enclosure and joined in the attack. The order of events are undetermined, but the results are. "There is a deceased victim. Both dogs participated," said Don Arnold, director of Spartanburg County’s Environmental Enforcement Department. Both male dogs, Luke and Duke, were euthanized shortly after the attack. According to Asia's grandmother, Lana Bogan, the rottweilers originally belonged to other family members. Asia’s father took over their care when the others were unable to. The two rottweilers joined the Turner family when they moved to the Stone Hill Drive home about a month earlier, Bogan said. [source citations]
| Date of death: | May 2, 2005 | Chained: | Yes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breed of dog: | Rottweiler (2) | Relationship to dog: | Family |
| Sex of dog: | Male | Owner of dog: | Parents |
| Spay/Neuter: | Unreleased | Multiple dogs: | Yes |
| On/Off property: | On | Criminal charges: | No |
Samantha Black, 2-years old, was killed by two family dogs. Her mother found her unresponsive in the backyard of their home in the 2000 block of Oakdale Drive just before 9:30 am. She was transported to North Oakland Medical Centers, where she was pronounced dead. "I can't begin to emphasize enough the horrific events that transpired this morning," said Waterford Township Police Chief John Dean during a press conference. The family's two female dogs, a 60-pound husky, "Nanook," and an 80-pound Alaskan malamute, "Angel," attacked and disemboweled the girl, officials said. Samantha was last seen alive asleep in her bedroom at 6:45 am by her 17-year old aunt before she left for high school. Her 24-year old mother woke up around 9:30 am and panicked after discovering her missing from her bedroom. She called 911 after finding Samantha in the backyard. It is unknown how the child got into the backyard, police said, but there was a dog door large enough for a child to fit through. Police interviewed family members and released them. [source citations]
| Date of death: | May 6, 2005 | Chained: | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breed of dog: | Husky (1) Alaskan malamute (1) |
Relationship to dog: | Family |
| Sex of dog: | Female | Owner of dog: | Parents |
| Spay/Neuter: | Unreleased | Multiple dogs: | Yes |
| On/Off property: | On | Criminal charges: | No |
Kate-Lynn Logel, 7-years old, was killed by an Alaskan malamute. The attack occurred on May 7, 2005 just before 8:00 pm, said Fruita police spokesman John Coughran. She was taken to St. Mary's Hospital, where she died the next day. The family's landlord, Donald Page, said he was inside when Kate-Lynn and her mother, Shellamina Logel, were in the backyard with the family's new dogs, a pair of Alaskan malamutes. The Logel family rents two rooms in Page's East Cleveland Avenue home. The mother stepped away to go to the bathroom. When she returned, "Ice," the male dog, had blood on his face. The two went outside and saw Kate-Lynn on the ground. "The dog had bit her on ... both sides of the neck," Page said. "She bled to death. ... There just was no blood left in her." The family had gotten the dogs three weeks earlier free of cost from Marla Arnold of De Beque, Page said. According to the male dog's AKC registration, "Wakon’s Arctic Iceman" was bred by Marlene Ross, owner of Wakon kennels in Washington. Ross said her name had been forged. [source citations]
| Date of death: | May 8, 2005 | Chained: | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breed of dog: | Alaskan malamute | Relationship to dog: | Family |
| Sex of dog: | Male | Owner of dog: | Parents |
| Spay/Neuter: | Unreleased | Multiple dogs: | No |
| On/Off property: | On | Criminal charges: | No |
Lorinze Reddings, 42-years old, was killed by his two pit bull-mixes. The attack occurred at his home in the 500 block of Chesapeake Court. A neighbor called police around 6:20 pm after seeing Reddings lying on the floor of his living room. St. Charles County sheriff's deputies and paramedics responded to the location. Reddings was declared dead at the scene. He had bite wounds on his feet, hands, neck and groin. Dr. Jane Turner, deputy medical examiner for St. Charles County, determined his cause of death was "sharp force and crushing injury to the neck" -- the dogs broke his neck. The last person to contact him was by phone around 7:30 pm the previous night. Investigators were unsure what prompted the attack. The two pit bulls, "Ginger," a female and "Joker," a male, were healthy and well-cared for. "This man treated these animals as pets and took good care of them," said Theresa Williams, director of St. Charles County Animal Control. Family members said that he took the dogs everywhere with him. Joker was not neutered. Both dogs were destroyed. [source citations]
| Date of death: | May 10, 2005 | Chained: | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breed of dog: | Pit bull-mix (2) | Relationship to dog: | Family |
| Sex of dog: | Both | Owner of dog: | Victim |
| Spay/Neuter: | No/Unknown | Multiple dogs: | Yes |
| On/Off property: | On | Criminal charges: | No |
Julia Beck, 87-years old, died after being mauled by two dogs. The attack occurred on May 1, 2005 around 6:40 pm at 832 East 28th Street, Marion police said. She was transported to Parkview Hospital in critical condition. The dogs attacked her while she sat in her living room attached to an oxygen machine, police said. Her daughter, Linda Kitchen, 57, and son-in-law, Michael Kitchen, 48, were home at the time and called police. The couple reported that two loose dogs had entered the home through a slightly ajar front door and attacked Beck. They described the dogs as a brown-and-black rottweiler and a white dog. Police quickly learned the couple's "loose dogs story" was fabricated. The dogs that attacked the Beck, a Labrador retriever and dachshund, belonged to the couple and had been living inside the home. The Kitchens were charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, obstruction of justice and more. On May 15, Beck died of her injuries. In 2006, both Kitchens pleaded guilty and were sentenced to four years in jail. [source citations]
| Date of death: | May 15, 2005 | Chained: | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breed of dog: | Labrador retriever (1) Dachshund (1) |
Relationship to dog: | Family |
| Sex of dog: | Unreleased | Owner of dog: | Daughter |
| Spay/Neuter: | Unreleased | Multiple dogs: | Yes |
| On/Off property: | On | Criminal charges: | Yes |
Arianna Fleeman, 2-years old, was killed by a pit bull while visiting the owner's home. The attack occurred around 9:00 pm at 210 Buffington Street, Huntington police said. When firefighters arrived, they found the mother screaming in the front yard covered in blood. The dog would not let anyone inside the home and was "ramming the door like a bull," firefighter Jason Price said. They used a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher to hold off the dog. When they reached the child, she was dead. The dog severed her spinal cord. The male pit bull, "Brutus," was owned by Donald Brewer and had a history of biting people. The dog was in home-quarantine for a bite that occurred eight days earlier. Brewer told the girl's family, who were hanging out on the porch, to stay out of the house where the dog was. Arriana was attacked by the dog after following her mother into the home, police said. Donald and Pamela Brewer were charged with misdemeanor involuntary manslaughter after her death. Donald pleaded no contest. In exchange, the charge against his wife was dismissed. [source citations]
| Date of death: | May 17, 2005 | Chained: | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breed of dog: | Pit bull | Relationship to dog: | Non-family |
| Sex of dog: | Male | Owner of dog: | Friend |
| Spay/Neuter: | No | Multiple dogs: | No |
| On/Off property: | On | Criminal charges: | Yes (MISD) |
Nicholas Faibish, 12-years old, was killed by his family's two pit bulls. The attack occurred between 12:30 pm and 3:00 pm at the boy's home at 711 Lincoln Way, police said. The boy had been left alone in a dank basement with a plugged up toilet, rotten food and bags of garbage, while his mother took his sister to a picnic. When his mother returned at 3:15 pm, she found her son bloody, bitten and lifeless. The two pit bulls, a male, "Rex," and a female, "Ella," were to blame. At the time of the attack, the dogs were upstairs and the female pit bull was reportedly "in heat." The mother told Nicholas to barricade the broken basement door with a shovel and not let the dogs inside because she was concerned about Rex's increasing agitation. Earlier that day, Rex had bitten the boy twice. But Nicholas went upstairs anyway. The boy's mother, Maureen Faibish, 39, was charged with felony child endangerment in connection to his death. During the trial, Faibish had fits of sobbing, which disrupted proceedings. The jury deadlocked during deliberations and a mistrial was declared. [source citations]
| Date of death: | June 3, 2005 | Chained: | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breed of dog: | Pit bull (2) | Relationship to dog: | Family |
| Sex of dog: | Both | Owner of dog: | Parents |
| Spay/Neuter: | No | Multiple dogs: | Yes |
| On/Off property: | On | Criminal charges: | Yes |
Boyd Fiscus, 83-years old, was killed by four dogs. His wife found his body about 8:00 pm by a pond in the backyard of his home in the 12600 block of North Mann Road, the Morgan County Sheriff's Office said. Deputies initially thought they were responding to a drowning. "Deputies quickly observed that the man appeared to be brutally attacked before his death," detective Dan Downing said. Police described the dogs as two American bulldogs, a Neapolitan mastiff and a border collie. Authorities said the attack started while Fiscus was on his back porch. He fled to the pond to escape the dogs, but they followed him into the water and continued to bite him. The dogs belonged to their neighbors and friends, Andy and Anita Warren. Fiscus' wife, Belva, called the Warrens for help when she could not find her husband. After investigators learned that one of the bulldogs had bitten a child in the face a year earlier, the Warrens were charged with one felony count of failure to restrain a dog resulting in death. Both pleaded guilty and were sentence to home-detention. [source citations]
| Date of death: | July 1, 2005 | Chained: | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breed of dog: | American bulldog (2) Neapolitan mastiff (1) Border collie (1) |
Relationship to dog: | Non-family |
| Sex of dog: | Male | Owner of dog: | Neighbor |
| Spay/Neuter: | No | Multiple dogs: | Yes |
| On/Off property: | Off | Criminal charges: | Yes |
Dazavious Williams, 5-weeks old, was killed by a loose pit bull. Griffin police were called to 131 West Tinsely Street at 7:55 pm to investigate an infant's death. Police were initially led to believe that an 8-year old child, who had become "friendly" with two chained pit bulls on the block, -- a black male and a white pit bull -- had released the dogs from their chains before the attack. Detectives said the black pit bull was already off the chain when the child approached it. The dog behaved aggressively and the boy ran off. The dog then approached 131 West Tinsley, where Charisma Johnson was sitting on the porch holding her 5-week old nephew. The black pit bull snatched the infant from her arms. Bystanders rushed to her aid and beat the dog with sticks. Another person shot the dog, killing it, and freed the baby from the dog's jaws. Paramedics rushed the infant to Spalding Regional Hospital, where the newborn was transferred to Eggleston's Children's Hospital in Atlanta in critical condition. The infant did not survive. No one claimed ownership of the pit bulls. [source citations]
| Date of death: | July 6, 2005 | Chained: | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breed of dog: | Pit bull | Relationship to dog: | Non-family |
| Sex of dog: | Male | Owner of dog: | Neighbor |
| Spay/Neuter: | Unreleased | Multiple dogs: | No |
| On/Off property: | Off | Criminal charges: | No |
Alexis McDermott, 7-days old, was killed by a family husky. The attack occurred around 8:00 am inside the newborn's home in the first block of Manning Court, Coventry police said. The baby's mother, Cindy McDermott, briefly left the infant in a portable crib to pour a glass of juice in the kitchen. Just after pouring the juice, she heard the baby crying. In those moments, the male Siberian husky, "Shadow," pulled the infant from the crib, biting her multiple times. She returned to find Alexis on the floor with the dog sitting nearby. She picked up her daughter and noticed a "small amount of blood" on her head. Initially, Cindy and her husband believed the injury was minor because the bleeding amount was small and had stopped. Then Cindy's mother, Gail Ciummo, arrived at the house and urged them take the baby to the hospital. Alexis died before reaching Kent County Hospital due to ''injuries to multiple internal organs and internal bleeding due to blunt force trauma [multiple dog bites]." The dog was taken to the Coventry Animal Shelter, where it was euthanized. [source citations]
| Date of death: | July 13, 2005 | Chained: | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breed of dog: | Husky | Relationship to dog: | Family |
| Sex of dog: | Male | Owner of dog: | Parents |
| Spay/Neuter: | Unreleased | Multiple dogs: | No |
| On/Off property: | On | Criminal charges: | No |
Cassandra Garcia, 16-months old, was killed by her grandparent's rottweiler. The attack occurred in the 2300 block of Via Saldivar around 7:30 pm, Glendale police said. The baby's mother, Blanca Garcia, was house-sitting for her parents when she walked outside with her daughter in one arm to fill the dog's water dish with a water hose. When she bent down to give the water bowl to "Enano," a male rottweiler, the dog snatched the baby from her arms and dragged her several feet down the driveway. Blanca wrestled the baby from the dog's jaws and sought refuge inside a vehicle, where she made a hysterical 911 call. "The child was mauled over her entire body. She suffered severe facial and head injuries," said Glendale Police Sergeant Tom Lorenz. "The mother suffered bites on the arm and upper body." The baby died after being transported to the hospital. The grandparents also owned a second rottweiler, Enano's mother. In April 2004, two rottweilers -- one being Enano -- attacked a maltese dog in the neighborhood. The maltese died of its injuries. [source citations]
| Date of death: | August 2, 2005 | Chained: | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breed of dog: | Rottweiler | Relationship to dog: | Family |
| Sex of dog: | Male | Owner of dog: | Grandparents |
| Spay/Neuter: | Yes | Multiple dogs: | No |
| On/Off property: | On | Criminal charges: | No |
Jonathan Martin, 2-years old, was killed by two pit bulls. The attack occurred around 8:45 am at 6026 Whaleyville Boulevard. The dogs attacked the child in a spare downstairs bedroom while his parents slept upstairs, Suffolk police said. The boy sustained more than 100 bites and died of deep puncture wounds and internal bleeding. Police said the child went downstairs alone on the morning of his death intending to get breakfast. But he encountered the family's two pit bulls, "Ox," a male, and the primary culprit, and "Little Girl," a female, who along with their four puppies had spent the night in the spare room downstairs. The dogs were typically kept chained outdoors. Police said a 5-foot area of wall in the spare room was covered in blood, and there was blood and cereal all over the floor. The city later condemned the house. James Martin, 29, and Heather Frango, 25, were charged with second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and felony child neglect and abuse. Both pleaded guilty to the latter two charges and were sentenced to three years in prison. [source citations]
| Date of death: | October 3, 2005 | Chained: | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breed of dog: | Pit bull-mix (2) | Relationship to dog: | Family |
| Sex of dog: | Both | Owner of dog: | Parents |
| Spay/Neuter: | No | Multiple dogs: | No |
| On/Off property: | On | Criminal charges: | Yes |
Sydney Akin, 6-years old, was attacked and killed by a rottweiler. Around 6:30 pm, the child and her mother went to visit friends who own a small horse farm in Wilcox County, Rochelle police said. Their friends were not home. When the two entered a fenced yard that contained the rottweiler, the dog attacked her. Eddie Greene, a friend and spokesman for Sydney's parents, said they had visited the horse farm before and thought their friends' rottweiler was accustomed to them. "The dog went to (Sydney) and smelled her," Greene said. "The next thing you know, the dog attacked her." Deborah Akin shielded her daughter with her own body causing the dog to retreat. She put her bleeding daughter into her car and drove to the Wilcox County EMS office. Sydney was transported to Crisp Regional Hospital then flown to the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon, where she was pronounced dead at 8:41 pm, Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones said. Sydney sustained bite wounds to the neck, side and back, Jones said. The 8-year old rottweiler was euthanized. [source citations]
| Date of death: | October 15, 2005 | Chained: | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breed of dog: | Rottweiler | Relationship to dog: | Non-family |
| Sex of dog: | Unreleased | Owner of dog: | Friend |
| Spay/Neuter: | Unreleased | Multiple dogs: | No |
| On/Off property: | On | Criminal charges: | No |
Mike Gomez, 86-years old, died after being bitten by two dogs. The attack occurred on October 14, 2005 in the 2300 block of East Cortez Street between 3:30 am and 5:00 am, when Gomez was taking his morning walk. He was attacked a mile-and-a-half from his home. His daughter, Linda Gomez, said he tried to fight off the dogs. "They pushed him down, ripped his shoes off and clothing," she said. "He was caught totally off guard." Gomez died on November 3. The Coroner's Office listed the cause of death as complications from dog bites. The manner of death was an accident. "Were it not for the dog bites, he would not have died," said coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey. The dogs involved, a pit bull and a schnauzer, were euthanized. Animal control officials said the dogs had no record of prior attacks. But a police report showed the dogs were suspected of killing a German shepherd-mix 11 days before attacking Gomez. His wife, Carmen Gomez, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the dogs' owners, Annette Gutierrez and Trinidad Campana. [source citations]
| Date of death: | November 3, 2005 | Chained: | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breed of dog: | Pit bull (1) Schnauzer (1) |
Relationship to dog: | Non-family |
| Sex of dog: | Unreleased | Owner of dog: | Neighbor |
| Spay/Neuter: | Unreleased | Multiple dogs: | Yes |
| On/Off property: | Off | Criminal charges: | No |
Kylee Johnson, 14-months old, was killed by her family's pit bull. The attack occurred around 1:00 pm in the 4100 block of Lake Dreamland Road, Louisville Metro Police said. She was transported to Kosair Children's Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 3:03 pm. She died of dog bites to the head, Jefferson County deputy coroner Walt Elder said. The dog, "Sig," suddenly bit the back of the child's head and wouldn't let go, states a WHAS news report. The girl's mother or grandmother was feeding the dog when it attacked the girl for "unknown reasons," mauling her head, said police spokesman Officer Dwight Mitchell. Metro Animal Services removed the dog and placed it into a 10 day quarantine. The agency's director, Dr. Giles Meloche, described the male dog as "distant, doesn't approach. Doesn't want to be bothered." The dog was licensed, he said. The child's father, Derrick Johnson, surrendered the dog to animal services, which plans to euthanize it after the quarantine period. Johnson said he never had any problems with the dog before. [source citations]
| Date of death: | November 6, 2005 | Chained: | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breed of dog: | Pit bull | Relationship to dog: | Family |
| Sex of dog: | Male | Owner of dog: | Parents |
| Spay/Neuter: | Unreleased | Multiple dogs: | No |
| On/Off property: | On | Criminal charges: | No |
Hulon Barbour, 60-years old, was killed by two pit bulls. Around 6:30 pm, Barbour left the American Legion post at 2719 Greenwood Avenue to walk home. The dogs attacked him a half block away on Divinity Lane, the alley between Greenwood Avenue and West Kentucky Street. Barbour sustained multiple dog bites and was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:52 pm, said Jo-Ann Farmer, Jefferson County senior deputy coroner. Members of Peter Salem Post 45 tried to help Barbour fight off the dogs. Metro Animal Services took a male and female pit bull into custody along with a puppy. The dogs' owner, Adrian Ferguson, was found guilty of two counts of harboring dangerous dogs and sentenced to 365 days in jail. Ferguson made repeated legal attempts to get out of jail. "It's been very troubling to come here week in and week out reliving this case; it's like we go to trial each week," said Curtis Phillips, Barbour's nephew. A judge initially denied Ferguson's home incarceration requests. But later revised his sentence to six months in jail and six months home incarceration. [source citations]
| Date of death: | November 18, 2005 | Chained: | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breed of dog: | Pit bull-mix (2) | Relationship to dog: | Non-family |
| Sex of dog: | Both | Owner of dog: | Homeowner |
| Spay/Neuter: | Unreleased | Multiple dogs: | Yes |
| On/Off property: | Off | Criminal charges: | Yes (MISD) |
Roberto Aguilera, 64-years old, was killed by a pit bull on Thanksgiving Day. He was found lying face down in the front yard of his former son-in-law's home in the 20700 block of Spanish Grant Drive. He sustained more than 20 bites. The Bexar County Medical Examiner determined he died from the dog attack. The manner of death was accidental. Investigators said Aguilera raised the 3-year old pit bull before giving it to his son-in-law, Robert Rodriguez, who threatened legal action if authorities did not return the dog to him after the attack. "I think the dog should be euthanized because it could happen again," Animal Cruelty Officer Eddie Wright said. Rodriguez told investigators that "wild animals" killed Aguilera. Bexar County animal control officers took the dog into custody. The Bexar County Sheriff's Office closed the investigation less than one month later. His daughter, Barbara Aguilera, was upset. "My dad's wallet is missing and his gun is missing," she said. "I want answers." Investigators never located either. There were no known witnesses to the attack. [source citations]
| Date of death: | November 24, 2005 | Chained: | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breed of dog: | Pit bull | Relationship to dog: | Family |
| Sex of dog: | Unreleased | Owner of dog: | Son-in-law |
| Spay/Neuter: | Unreleased | Multiple dogs: | No |
| On/Off property: | On | Criminal charges: | No |
Lillian Stiles, 76-years old, was killed by a pack of six loose dogs. She was found lying in her front yard in the 3000 block of North FM 486 covered in severe dog bites by two passer-byers around 4:15 pm, the Milam County Sheriff's Office said. One person intervened and was badly injured by the dogs. Investigators believe Stiles was attacked when she got off the lawn mower and headed into her house. The dogs, a pack of pit bulls and rottweiler-mixes, belonged to her neighbor, Jose Hernandez. Her husband, Jack Stiles, shot and killed one of the dogs at the scene. "When I went out there, I knew she was dead." Police seized the other five dogs. In 2007, a jury acquitted Hernandez of criminally negligent homicide in the death of Stiles. The prosecution could not prove that he "should have known" his dogs were dangerous, because the dogs had no history of attacks. From this discouraging verdict, a new state law was born, named Lillian's Law. Stiles' family members created an advocacy group, Texas Families Against Dangerous Dogs, to help get the law passed. [source citations]
| Date of death: | November 26, 2005 | Chained: | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breed of dog: | Rottweiler-mix (1) Rottweiler-pit bull mix (3) Pit bull (2) |
Relationship to dog: | Non-family |
| Sex of dog: | Both | Owner of dog: | Neighbor |
| Spay/Neuter: | No | Multiple dogs: | Yes |
| On/Off property: | Off | Criminal charges: | Yes |
Mary Stiles, 91-years old, was killed by her dog inside of her home. The attack occurred at 2703 Tyler Street around 3:30 pm, police said. Arriving officers saw the large white dog outside with blood on its face, said Detroit police spokesman James Tate. Prior to their arrival, neighbor Charles Wilson shot the dog to keep it from targeting some nearby children. Police fired one more time killing the dog. Neighbors told Tate the dog was very protective of the woman and that for some reason "it snapped." Mary was taken to Henry Ford Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The dog was described as a "pit bull," a "pit bull-American bulldog mix" and a "bullmastiff" in conflicting news reports. The dog, "Butch," had formerly belonged to her grandson who died about a year earlier. The death of Stiles is attributed to a pit bull-mix due to its inclusion in the case report, Pitbull Mauling Deaths in Detroit, by the Office of the Wayne County Medical Examiner. The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology published the case report in December 2007. [source citations]
| Date of death: | December 5, 2005 | Chained: | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breed of dog: | Pit bull-mix | Relationship to dog: | Family |
| Sex of dog: | Male | Owner of dog: | Victim |
| Spay/Neuter: | Unreleased | Multiple dogs: | No |
| On/Off property: | On | Criminal charges: | No |
Cody Adair, 4-years old, was killed by his uncle's pit bull. The attack occurred in the 200 block of South Seminole Avenue around 4:15 pm, Bartlesville police said. The boy's sister, his mother, aunt and uncle and a friend were inside the home. Cody was alone on the front porch. His uncle, Christopher Lewis, told police Cody was playing in the backyard with the dog, but he instructed him to go to the front yard. When Lewis went to check on him, he found him on the ground in front of the doghouse with the larger pit bull "chewing" on him. The Bartlesville Police Department report stated the boy had “extensive neck and throat injuries from the attack by the pit bull dog.” Police described the dog as a male tan and white pit bull with blood on its face and paws. It was on a 1-inch thick chain that was connected to a cable. The cable was connected to a pole staked in the ground. There were two large blood stains on the ground a few feet from the pole. Police also seized a younger pit bull that had blood on its forehead, nose, mouth and left front paw. The dogs were euthanized. [source citations]
| Date of death: | December 30, 2005 | Chained: | Yes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breed of dog: | Pit bull (2) | Relationship to dog: | Non-family |
| Sex of dog: | Male/Unreleased | Owner of dog: | Uncle |
| Spay/Neuter: | Unreleased | Multiple dogs: | Yes |
| On/Off property: | On | Criminal charges: | No |
Deaths involving minor dog bite injury, dog-related caused injury (killed by a car while fleeing a dog) and cases that lacked a "reasonably clear" determination of death after dog bite injury are not included in our fatality statistical data. Deaths involving fatal non-bite injury (struck by dog death) or deaths due to untreated severe dog bites (sepsis) may be added to our statistical data at a future time.
Fatal Pit Bull Attacks: An archive of U.S. fatal pit bull maulings from 1833 to December 2024, maintained by DogsBite.org.
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