A baby is dead after he was mauled by three dogs at the home of his babysitter in Duncanville on Monday morning, according to local police.
The 1-year-old child, identified by police as Shiraz Asirvadam, was inside the house in the 1500 block of Lime Leaf Lane with three other children when the homeowner’s three dogs entered the home and attacked the infant shortly after 10:30 a.m.
The child, who was unconscious when first responders found him at the scene, was taken to Children’s Medical Center Dallas, where he died shortly after arrival, The Dallas Morning News reported. The other children inside the home were not harmed.
The babysitter, who owned the home and the dogs, sustained injuries as she attempted to pull the dogs away from the infant. The dogs were identified as German Shepherd mixes, with one weighing about 100 pounds and the other two weighing about 80 pounds each, CBS News Texas reported.
Duncanville Animal Control responded to the incident and took possession of the dogs, which have been placed in quarantine. If the owner does not voluntarily surrender them, the Duncanville Police Department will petition the court to declare the dogs dangerous, per CBS News.
“Our hearts go out to the family. There’s no question this is a tragedy,” Duncanville Interim Police Chief Matthew Stogner said, per KTVT.
Police are currently investigating what may have provoked the dogs to attack the child.
“All animal owners need to ensure that their animals are confined and, if there’s kids around, to ensure that there’s some adult supervision around in case something like this were to happen,” Stogner said, according to KTVT.