Toddler Dies After Eating Poison-Laced Cookie Allegedly Meant For Her Family Dog

KEY POINTS

Her dog reportedly died around the same time in a similar way
Local people fear Heidy Valeria was inadvertently poisoned
Authorities said they could not confirm the allegation

A 2-year-old child in Mexico died after she allegedly ate a poison-laced cookie, which many believe was meant for her family dog.

Though the girl was rushed to a local hospital, she died after suffering two respiratory attacks. Heidy Valeria, hailing from the Mexican city of Guadalajara, died on Feb. 1 after a two-day battle for her life, New York Post reported.

Reports added their dog similarly died around the same time. Though the police haven't arrested anyone in connection with the incident, local people fear Valeria was inadvertently poisoned. Many in their town expressed their shock and claimed the girl had been poisoned by someone targeting the family dog.

“The truth is, the news has shocked the whole town. In fact, social media erupted when it became known what had happened," a resident of Valeria's town was quoted by reports.

Arturo Islas Allende, a Mexican activist and influencer, also spoke about the incident.

"We lost Valeria, we lost a 2-year-old girl, because of some unscrupulous characters who threw poisoned cookies in Tototlan, Jalisco. Those guys should be in jail," Allende wrote on Twitter.

Valeria, una niña de dos años perdió la vida con una galleta envenenada, no sé qué más tenemos que hacer @EnriqueAlfaroR se debe hacer justicia y encontrar a esos cobardes, deje el video completo en todas mis redes, no es mi voz es la de una familia que vive una tragedia. pic.twitter.com/MlfnnNRijI
— Arturo Islas Allende (@arturooislas) February 5, 2022

However, Council General Secretary Epigmenio Carrillo said the cause of the suspected poisoning was yet to be confirmed. Carrillo maintained he could not confirm the allegation, adding the authorities would announce the facts related to the case after investigation.

Carrillo said another local child, reportedly six years old, had also been hospitalized due to intoxication from an unidentified substance around the same time. He, however, said it was unclear if the child's case was in any way connected to Valeria's death.

A few years back, reports said as many as 18 dogs were poisoned to death in an upper class Mexican town. The incident was reported in the Mexico City park, a comfortable area where dogs are adored, cared for, sometimes even groomed. Local people had then called the rash of deaths a deliberate attack with poison.

A similar incident was reported in Las Vegas last month, with detectives launching an investigation into multiple dog poisonings in western parts of the city. The police say several dogs have been poisoned — at least one fatally. In one incident, dried meat mixed with seeds was thrown into the backyards of two homes and was ingested by the owners' dogs.