Pack of four dogs mauls young boy, killing him and injuring his mom, Idaho police say
When a mother went looking for her 7-year-old son outside of their RV in Idaho, she reportedly found a pack of dogs mauling him.
Officers got to the property around 5:50 p.m. on Jan. 21 in Fort Hall and found the boy unconscious and his mother injured, the Fort Hall Police Department said.
Both the mom and her son were taken to a hospital where the child was pronounced dead, police said.
Before the attack, the mom noticed her son had left the RV for a few minutes so she went to check on him, Sho-Ban News reported.
After discovering the boy face-down on a porch with dogs attacking him, the mother tried to fight off the animals, the news outlet reported. But when she couldn’t stop the mauling, she laid on top of her young son in an effort to shield him.
After the attack, the mother was taken to emergency surgery for injuries that included nerve damage, a ruptured artery in her right arm and injuries to her head, back and left arm, according to a GoFundMe created for the woman.
Police said four dogs had attacked the child and his mother, including two rottweilers and two mixed breeds. All four animals were put down, police said.
“No mother should ever have to go through this. And it absolutely breaks my heart that this tragedy has happened,” the fundraiser organizer wrote. “I know this won’t heal the hurt but at least it can help so she doesn’t have to worry about being able to provide for her daughter while she heals.”
The dog owners were given 15 citations that violated the Tribes’ Animal Ordinance, police said. Those violations included vicious animal attack, rabies vaccination and over the limit of canine or feline pets.
If an animal viciously attacks a person causing severe injury or death, the owner could be fined up to ”$5,000.00 for each violation, quarantine of offending animal at the owner’s expense, medical or veterinary costs of the victim and possible destruction of the animal” under tribal law.
The FBI is among the multiple agencies investigating this dog attack case, which will be submitted to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho for potential federal charges.
This story was originally published January 25, 2023 at 12:57 PM with the headline "Pack of four dogs mauls young boy, killing him and injuring his mom, Idaho police say."
