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Babysitter arrested after baby boy mauled by her pit bulls after leaving child alone

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Heather Rodriguez Texas babysitter charged in pit bull mauling of one year old boy, Jiryiah Johnson.
Heather Rodriguez, Converse, Texas babysitter charged in pit bull mauling death of 1 year old San Antonio boy, Jiryiah Johnson.
Heather Rodriguez Texas babysitter charged in pit bull mauling of one year old boy, Jiryiah Johnson.
Heather Rodriguez, Converse, Texas babysitter charged in pit bull mauling death of 1 year old San Antonio boy, Jiryiah Johnson.

Heather Rodriguez, Converse, Texas babysitter charged in pit bull mauling death of 1 year old boy, Jiryiah Johnson, after leaving boy alone and in the care of her 13 year old daughter as she left premises. 

A Texas babysitter has been accused of letting her pit bull dogs maul a one year old San Antonio boy in her care to death. The toddler’s death comes hours after the attack after suffering egregious injuries and ‘fighting for his life.’ 

Jiryiah Johnson was in the care of Heather Rodriguez, 36, at her home in ConverseTexas, Monday, before leaving the baby alone with her teenage daughter.

No sooner after leaving the boy with her daughter, the woman’s dogs set upon the boy in a ‘vicious attack,’ which lasted several minutes across different rooms in the home.

At one point during the mauling the toddler became an object of a ‘tug of war’ battle between Rodriguez’s dogs while her 13-year-old daughter desperately tried to save the boy.

Johnson was hospitalized in critical condition with bite wounds to his face, head and neck. The boy suffered severe throat injuries and he was unable to breathe on his own. Come Monday night, the 1 year old fatally succumbed to his injuries.

Babysitter Rodriguez was arrested on a first-felony charge of injury to a child with serious bodily injury by omission – and she may face further charges for the injuries to her daughter, police said. 

It emerged that Rodriguez, who had been supposed to be watching over the one year old, instead had left the premises to go to work, leaving her teen daughter in charge.

Commenting on the scene, Sheriff Javier Salazar of Bexar County Sheriff’s Office said the door to the bedroom had previously been damaged by Rodriguez’s 3 dogs and had been broken down again during Monday’s attack.

The tragedy has led to Johnson’s mother, Erika Castro, being dumbstruck and yet to process what had happened to her only child. 

Heather Rodriguez Texas babysitter charged in pit bull mauling of one year old boy, Jiryiah Johnson.
Heather Rodriguez Texas babysitter charged in pit bull mauling of one year old boy, Jiryiah Johnson.

‘In a house full of vicious dogs, what did the suspect think would happen?’ 

She told Kens5: ‘I wish she’d had stayed like she said she would’ve, instead of going into work like she got called into work.’ 

Adding, ‘I’ve been shaking, I’ve been having panic attacks.’ 

Sheriff Salazar described the baby’s condition as ‘heartbreaking’ and said the teen was a ‘hero’ for her efforts against the dogs, which he described as ‘XL pits’. 

He said that the baby had been left in Rodriguez’s care in the home before and the parents knew that Rodriguez had dogs but didn’t know they were problematic, with the mom saying Rodriguez promised her that she ‘would secure the animals.’ 

‘In a house full of vicious dogs, what did this lady, the suspect, think was going to happen,’ the official added. 

Prior to the boy passing, Castro and her partner Julian Johnson had set up a Cash App to help the family pay for the child’s medical expenses, posting on Facebook: ‘I’m not one to do this but the circumstances of my son and me not able to return to work until further notice… We need all the prayers and support at this moment.’ 

She added that her son was a ‘goofy, loving baby who was fascinated with dinosaurs and Bluey’, reported Kens5.  

Heather Rodriguez Texas babysitter charged in pit bull mauling of one year old boy
Heather Rodriguez Texas babysitter charged in pit bull mauling of one year old boy

Babysitter refuses to cooperate with investigators

Salazar said they had responded to calls about the dogs in the past. 

Of note, Rodriguez had received a citation for having unleashed dogs earlier this year when they wouldn’t let a man out of his car.

FOX SanAntonio reported that it was unknown where Rodriguez went or how long she was away from the home, and added she was not being cooperative with investigators.  

Salazar added that Rodriguez seemed more concerned about the dogs than the baby, with the woman refusing to give a statement to Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.  

The dogs were turned over to Animal Care Services and Child Protective Services is also investigating. Rodriguez remains held at Bexar County Jail with bonds totaling $100,000.

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