6-Year-Old Mauled To Death By Dogs At Grandparent's House

KEY POINTS

Police believe the incident was an accident
The boy had somehow made into the dogs enclosure kept in the backyard
Animal control euthanized six dogs taken from the property

A 6-year-old boy in New Mexico was mauled to death by at least one dog near his family’s residence.

Deputies were called to a house in a Mesilla Park neighborhood Monday on reports of a small child being mauled by a dog. Officers found the 6-year-old boy with several injuries to his upper body on arrival at 9:45 a.m.

Officers administered CPR and had the child airlifted to a Children’s hospital in El Paso. He succumbed to his injuries shortly after arriving at the hospital, according to Las Cruces Sun-News.

According to Doña Ana County Sheriff Kim Stewart, the child somehow got into the dogs’ enclosure that was kept in his grandparent's backyard. She called the child’s death "tragic all the way around."

"The word accident comes to mind. There isn’t necessarily a person or persons to blame over this," Stewart said, KVIA reported.

Six dogs from the property were euthanized, the Doña Ana County Animal Control said on Tuesday morning. It is unclear if all the six dogs had attacked the child.

The child’s body was sent for an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Cops are investigating the incident for more information.

Frank Bryce, president of the Humane Society of Southern New Mexico, has years of experience fostering dogs at his home. He added that pack dogs are "more dangerous than a loaded gun."

Bryce cautioned people to be careful with how they keep their dogs to avoid packs. He keeps his dogs in separate cages and places lock on the doors to ensure they don't wander or form packs. "Pack dogs are just like pack people, like a mob, and they are really very dangerous in my opinion," Bryce explained to the outlet.

Dogs that show signs of aggression can snap at any moment and especially when children are around. "Little kids got no sense of danger in some issues. They’ll put their hand out to touch the dog… they can snap at them," Bryce added.

In a similar incident last week, a Texas woman was found dead in the backyard of her property. Authorities suspect her pet dogs mauled her to death.