CYPRESS, Texas – Investigators revealed new information Monday about the death of a 13-day-old baby who was mauled by his family's dog.
According to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, the newborn was Braydon McCollen.
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Harris County sheriff's deputies said Braydon was at his grandparents' home Cypress Bridge near Cypress Timbers when the dog attacked him.
A neighbor said a hysterical young woman ran outside crying for help, saying her baby had been killed by a dog.
Investigators said the 13-day-old baby was asleep in a cradle in the office of his grandparents' Cypress home when the dog entered. They said the baby's mom was outside on the phone, watching her child through the window when the dog came in, began to sniff the infant and attacked.
A neighbor, who requested not to be identified, said when he ran inside to help, the baby was still alive and crying. He said he called 911 and while the grandfather applied pressure to the wounds, but he could tell the bite had gone too deep. He said the major bites were to the stomach and the infant had some cuts on his head. He said the baby boy was very fragile and badly hurt.
Neighbors said an ambulance arrived quickly and the child was taken by helicopter to the Memorial Hermann Hospital, where he died a few hours later.
Neighbors said the family has several dogs. Investigators said the dog that attacked was a 100-pound pit bull.
Dr. Cindy McCauley said dog owners need to be aware of their dog's behavior and talk to a vet about discipline if an animal displays aggression. She said pit bulls are sensitive to certain noises.
"Very loud, high pitched noises tend to bother them, so a child that's crying, or any kind of sound, can set them off into kind of an attack mode at times," said McCauley.
McCauley said it's a good idea to keep dogs on a leash when small children are in the home so owners are able to grab and pull the dog away if necessary.
According to investigators, the dog is under a 10-day quarantined and in the custody of animal control. After that, detectives will determine whether it's a threat and may need to be euthanized.
It is up to the district attorney to determine whether the investigation shows negligence on the part of the dog owners, or if was just an unfortunate accident. It is unclear whether charges will be filed.