A one-year-old boy has sadly died after a pit bull attack in which a 13-year-old girl fought for the toddler’s life.
Jiryiah Johnson was in a bedroom at a home in Converse, Texas, when his babysitter, 36-year-old Heather Rodriguez, allegedly left the home and left Jiryiah with her teenage daughter.
There were at least three dogs in the home at the time, and after Rodriguez left the room one pit bull forced its way into the bedroom by attacking the door, which had previously been damaged.
Images from the scene show a huge chunk of the door missing after being ravaged by at least one of the dogs.
The dog began to attack the baby, and before long the other dogs joined in the attack.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said the teenager was ‘able to maintain control of the baby’ for a few moments, but the situation turned into what was described to the sheriff as ‘almost a tug-of-war for the baby between at least one of the dogs and the little girl’.
Salazar said the baby was seriously mauled in the attack, and left with injuries in the head and face as well as the neck area.
The dogs broke through the bedroom door (Bexar County Sheriff’s Office)
One of the dogs also bit the teenager, at which point she escaped to call 911 before returning to try and protect the baby.
Per CBS Austin, Salazar said: “She made every effort possible, even lifting that baby up over her head, but my understanding is that the dog actually climbed up onto something and was able to get the baby out of her hand and tear the baby out of her hand.
“This little girl was put in a situation where she went from that bedroom to a bathroom to another bedroom and was chased every step of the way by these dogs who were continuing to bite her as well.”
Heather Rodriguez has been charged (Bexar County Jail)
Jiryiah was finally rushed to hospital and underwent numerous medical procedures, but he sadly died of his injuries on Monday (October 7).
In the wake of the attack, Rodriguez was arrested and charged with injury to a child with reckless bodily injury and endangering a child with imminent danger causing bodily injury.
She was taken into custody at the Bexar County Jail.
The attack came after Rodriguez was previously given a citation for having unleashed dogs, when an incident in April saw a man trapped in his car by the animals.
After the attack against Jiryiah, Animal Control Services removed three dogs from the property.
