Hollace and Lilly Bennard Tennessee infant siblings in Shelby County mauled to death by family pit bulls. Siblings’ mother critically injured.
A five month-old baby boy and his two year-old sister have died after being attacked by their family’s pet pit bulls at a Tennessee residence.
Hollace Dean Bennard, five months, and Lilly Jane Bennard, two, were mauled to death by the dogs at the family’s residence in Shelby County, Tn. on Wednesday.
The Shelby Sheriff’s Office in a release pronounced the children dead at the scene.
Their mom, Kirstie Jane Bennard, 30, of Millington, was critically injured in the attack while trying to save her children while ‘frantically’ wrestling with the animals for more than ten minutes in a desperate bid to pry them off her children. She was transported to Regional One Health where she was fighting for her life.
Bennard’s husband of five years, Colby, who manages a Harley-Davidson dealership in Memphis, was reportedly unharmed.
What led up to attacks?
Eight years ago, he shared a picture of two pit bulls on Facebook where he referred to the animals as ‘house lions’.
It is unclear if those are the same dogs behind Wednesday’s attack.
The attack happened around 3.30pm on Wednesday inside the family’s $360,000, five bedroom Sylvan Road home in Millington, Tennessee – near Memphis.
It remained unclear what caused the pit bulls to become aggressive.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office affirmed that the animals being in possession of Animal Control the dailymail reported.
Authorities said they were continuing to investigate while it remained unclear if any criminal charges would follow.
Bennard’s best friend, Kelsey Gallini, in a WREG Facebook post about the tragedy said that she was furious about the news coverage, questioning why ‘something so traumatic and unimaginable [had] to be so publicized.’
Pit bulls are known for having one of the strongest bites, alongside Mastiffs and Rottweilers, according to the Canine Journal.
The breed is also on the list of the dogs that bite the most, according to the Journal, alongside Chihuahuas, German Shepherds, and Cocker Spaniels.
