A 17-month-old British girl has died after being attacked by a dog at home. Bella-Rae Birch’s parents had brought the four-legged friend into their home barely a week earlier.
The girl died Monday afternoon as a result of the attack at the hospital in St Helens, a town near Liverpool, local police confirm. Her family says she will be “greatly missed, but never forgotten”. “We ask for some time and space to accommodate the tragic loss of our beloved Bella-Rae,” the family, who is “completely in shock”, said via police.
“Bella-Rae lost her life in the most unimaginable, horrific circumstances,” Police Commissioner Steve Brizell explained to the police. BBC† “What we now know is that the family had only bought the dog a week earlier, and that it attacked the girl in their home. Bella-Rae is seriously injured and taken to hospital by ambulance. Despite the best care from the police officers who arrived first, the paramedics and the doctors at the hospital, Bella-Rae died from her injuries.”
Hysterical
One of the neighbors told the BBC that the girl’s parents were hysterical. “We heard screams. I ran there and tried to perform CPR until rescuers arrived,” said neighbor Jordan. “I didn’t see the dog, I was completely focused on the baby.”
The dog has been put to sleep and the police are still investigating what breed it was. There is a suspicion that it is an illegally bred breed. Police are also looking for the dog’s previous owners. Neighbors say the dog resembles a Staffordshire Bull Terrier or a Pit Bull.
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and never miss a thing from the stars.