A six-year-old boy was mauled to death by multiple dogs Sunday evening in front of his family’s home in Lexington, according to the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office.
“I’ve been doing this for approximately 30 years, and this was one of the worst scenes I’ve ever seen,” said John Szymanski, Chief Deputy of Operations with the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office.
Boy Found Unresponsive Minutes After Leaving Home
According to investigators, the child had gone outside to get a phone charger from the car but never returned. Within minutes, his father found him on the grass and called 911. When deputies arrived, they started life-saving measures.
“They started CPR, and they did get a pulse, and he did start breathing, and he grabbed the deputy’s hand pretty tight,” Szymanski said.
Despite being rushed to the hospital, the boy did not survive.
Evidence Points to Multiple Dogs in Attack
“It was obvious that he had been attacked by multiple dogs,” said Szymanski, noting the child suffered “an ungodly amount of bite wounds” covering his face, neck, chest, back, and legs. “It appears at least one of the animals attacked him as soon as he exited the residence.”
Photographs released by the sheriff’s office show the child’s shoes were located just five feet from the front door, and deputies reported numerous blood stains suggesting the boy had attempted to escape.
The family owned five large dogs that were kept outside with a wireless fence. Two of the dogs had visible blood on their fur.
“We’re not even sure which dogs did it,” Szymanski said. “Some of the dogs may have been trying to protect the child.”
The child’s father told investigators that stray dogs are a common problem in the area. However, with five other children in the home, the father voluntarily surrendered the family’s dogs to animal welfare.
“He said even if there’s a 5 percent chance that those dogs were involved, he couldn’t have it,” Szymanski said.
The dogs have since been euthanized.
“The dogs were all well taken care of, it didn’t appear like there was any negligence at this point,” Szymanski said.
The sheriff’s office is continuing to investigate whether any stray dogs may have been involved in the attack.
“It’s just a terrible incident,” said Szymanski. “A six-year-old child lost his life just going out to the car to get a charger.”
The investigation remains ongoing. If you would like to help the family, click here: Fundraiser by Danny Medlin : Help Our Family Through This Heartbreak
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