Sadie Davila 7 year old Louisiana girl mauled to death by neighbor’s unrestrained pitbull dog after animal entered family’s yard.
And yet again. A 7 year old Louisiana girl was mauled to death after the neighbor’s pitbull dog ran into her family’s yard according to the child’s family.
Sadie Davila was playing outside the East Baton Rouge Parish home at 6:30 p.m. Friday when the dog ran onto the property and ‘viciously attacked her,’ according to arrest documents obtained by the Advocate.
A family member tried to ward off the dog by hitting it with a walking cane, but the animal couldn’t be deterred.
The first-grader was rushed to hospital with multiple dog bites to her face and severe skull damage. She later succumbed to her injuries, police said.
At the time of the dog attack, the pitbull was not restrained on a leash, breaking parish law, WBRZ reported.
A ‘substantial’ amount of blood was found in Sadie’s yard
‘This is an awful, heart-breaking tragedy,’ Sheriff Sid Gautreaux said. ‘My heart goes out to this family, and they will remain in my prayers.’
‘My baby. She is only 7 years old. My mini me. The light in my heart. Words don’t exist for what this feeling is. My family is shattered. Please pray for us. Pray they press charges on the dog’s owners & hold them responsible,’ Sadie’s mother, Haley Anselmo, wrote on Facebook.
‘RIP my sweet Sadie Elizabeth, 7-years-old & taken from us in the most violent way. The world is a cruel place. You were the light in my heart,’ her father, Mikey Davila, wrote in an Instagram story.
Sadie’s school, Woodlawn Elementary, remembered her as a young girl ‘blossoming in the dawn of her life.’
‘Sadie was fierce and spunky, but she was also tender hearted and kind,’ her teacher, Grace Feucht, said in a statement. ‘She brought energy and joy into my class every single time she stepped in the door. She was fearless and would sing her heart out in front of her classmates.’
Investigators found the dog after the incident with blood around its face and mouth, the affidavit states. A ‘substantial’ amount of blood was found in Sadie’s yard.
The dog was euthanized the night of the killing, the city’s animal control director told the Advocate.
Why did dog owner refuse to restrain animal?
The dog’s owner, Erick Lopez, told officers he wasn’t home during the attack and regularly let the dog roam the neighborhood unrestrained. The 20-year-old’s home, roughly 150 yards from where Sadie was killed, is not surrounded by gates or fences, the documents noted.
The dog owner admitted not having the dog restrained on a leash as per Parish law.
It was unclear if the animal had been involved in prior attacks or if previous warnings had been made to have the canine restrained.
Lopez was charged Saturday with negligent homicide for failing to confine or restrain the animal.
According to the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison, Lopez’s bond was set at $7,500.
