An 8-year-old boy was “brutally” mauled to death by two dogs after the child went to pet the “very vicious” animals, according to police in Florida. The sheriff has vowed “to do everything humanly possible” to hold the owner responsible for the violent animal attack and have the dogs “destroyed.”
Around 4:55 p.m. Monday, the boy — Michael Millett — was riding bikes with his friend in the Berry Ridge community in DeLand, which is about an hour northeast of Orlando.
‘This is a tragedy beyond comprehension.’
The boy reportedly went to pet the dogs — and then tragedy struck.
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said at a Tuesday press conference, “It goes from petting, and a very friendly encounter, to the dogs becoming very, very, very vicious and very violent.”
A caller allegedly told a 911 dispatcher, “There is a little boy being attacked by two dogs. Oh, my God, please hurry.”
According to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, the frantic caller told the dispatcher: “He is not moving, the boy that is being attacked. He was screaming for help and they pinned him down to the ground and they are like biting him and he is not moving, he is not responding.”
The caller said the boy’s mother jumped on top of her son to try to protect him from the dog attack.
CPR was performed on the boy, but it was unsuccessful, and Michael was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that one of the dogs is a pit bull and the other is a mixed breed.
The dogs escaped the property, and authorities chased the animals down the road. The dogs were chased back to the property and eventually captured. The dogs were being held in quarantine by Volusia County Animal Services.
Fox News reported that deputies and animal control officers noticed that the dog owner’s property was not fully fenced in and that the dogs had the ability to escape easily.
According to the News-Journal, police are investigating allegations that the same dogs were “running wild and killing chickens.”
Chitwood said, “These dogs have been terrorizing the neighborhood.”
An autopsy determined that the boy suffered 12 severe bites, including injuries to his foot and neck.
‘We are going to do everything humanly possible to hold the owner of these dogs responsible, and we are going to do everything possible to make sure that these dogs are destroyed.’
The sheriff said, “What a horrific, horrific incident this was. [The boy was] maliciously mauled, brutally mauled, and killed at the scene.”
Chitwood believes the victim didn’t suffer long because his wounds were “devastating” and “horrific.”
The sheriff added, “I don’t know what anyone can say to ease the immense pain this family is feeling tonight. This is a tragedy beyond comprehension, especially for those of us who are parents and grandparents. I can only ask our community to say a prayer of strength for this family and keep them in your hearts as they face their worst nightmare.”
The dog owner — identified as 31-year-old Amanda Franco by the News-Journal — reportedly wasn’t on the property at the time of the animal attack.
The paper said of Franco, “A quick search of the Volusia County Branch Jail arrest records showed Franco has been arrested 12 times since 2015 for drug offenses, aggravated battery, battery, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and a probation violation.”
Chitwood said Franco is subject to supervised weekly drug testing and has not been cooperative with authorities.
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, Volusia County Animal Control Services, and the State Attorney’s Office are working together to charge Franco.
“We are going to seek justice for Michael,” Chitwood declared, adding that “we are going to do everything humanly possible to hold the owner of these dogs responsible, and we are going to do everything possible to make sure that these dogs are destroyed.”
A GoFundMe campaign was launched to help support Michael’s family following the tragic loss. The campaign has raised nearly $60,000 at the time of publication.
Police are urging anyone with information on the dogs involved in the attack to contact the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office at 386-943-7866.
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Dog attack, Dog attacks, Dogs, When animals attack, Animals, Mauled to death, Mauling, Florida, Florida crime, Crime, Boy killed by dogs, 8-year-old boy, Deland
