A tragic incident occurred where a one-year-old boy lost his life following a pit bull attack, during which a 13-year-old girl bravely attempted to protect him.
Jiryiah Johnson was inside a bedroom at a residence in Converse, Texas, under the care of his babysitter, 36-year-old Heather Rodriguez. She reportedly left the premises, leaving Jiryiah in the care of her teenage daughter.
There were at least three dogs present in the home at the time. After Rodriguez exited the room, one of the pit bulls broke into the bedroom by damaging the door, which was already compromised.
The damage to the door was severe, with images from the site depicting a large portion missing, destroyed by the dogs.
The pit bull commenced attacking the toddler, quickly followed by the other dogs joining in the assault.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar mentioned that the teenager temporarily managed to keep the baby in her grasp. However, the scenario quickly escalated into what witnesses described as “almost a tug-of-war for the baby between at least one of the dogs and the little girl”.
Salazar reported that the baby was gravely injured during the attack, sustaining wounds to the head, face, and neck areas.
The teenager also suffered a dog bite, after which she fled to call 911 before bravely returning to aid the baby.
According to CBS Austin, Salazar explained: “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.”
Jiryiah was eventually transported to a hospital and underwent several medical procedures, but tragically succumbed to his injuries on Monday (October 7).
Following the incident, Rodriguez faced arrest and was charged with injury to a child with reckless bodily injury and endangering a child with imminent danger causing bodily injury.
She was detained at the Bexar County Jail.
This attack occurred after Rodriguez had previously received a citation due to having unleashed dogs when an earlier incident in April led to a man being confined in his vehicle by the dogs.
In response to the attack on Jiryiah, Animal Control Services confiscated three dogs from the property.