A 10-month-old baby girl passed away in Willow Spring, North Carolina after her family’s two Rottweilers attacked her.
ABC News reports that her father, Scott Winberry had left her in the house unattended for just a couple of minutes to fix a sprinkler in their lawn when the incident happened. “He just stepped outside to move a sprinkler and the neighbor pulled up talking to him, and not even a couple of minutes passed and he heard the commotion inside the house,” Johnston County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Capt. Danny Johnson said, adding that he “found the baby unresponsive” when he went back inside.
According to a neighbor, the dogs—one of which is male and the other female—are typically protective of the baby. “It’s a bad scene anytime that a young child like that passes,” Johnson said. “It’s very hard on us all.” First responders pronounced the baby, Malia Scott Winberry dead at the scene.
“The Sheriff’s Office and EMS responded but were unsuccessful on reviving the child,” Johnson told ABC 11. “It appears the family’s dogs attacked the child and that is the reason for its death.”
JCSO Criminal Investigations Capt. Jeff Caldwell said the incident was a “tragic accident.” The baby’s father is a law enforcement officer, though it’s unclear what agency he works for.
The two dogs were taken by animal control officials, with the county considering the animals dangerous. Now it’s up to the family to decide whether to take them home or have them euthanized. “It’s very solemn around here this morning,” Johnston County Animal Control director Chad Massengill said. “It’s very difficult to deal with.”
A memorial fund has been organized for the family to help with expenses, which has since raised over $12,000.
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