The child would have celebrated his first birthday later that day at Chuck E. Cheese
A 1-year-old child has died in a Connecticut home after being fatally attacked by a dog.
East Hartford police spokesperson officer Marc Caruso said in a news release that police responded to the incident shortly after 3 p.m. local time on Wednesday, per CBS News.
“Despite the valiant efforts of medical professionals, who arrived on the scene and provided immediate lifesaving measures before transporting the toddler to the hospital, the child succumbed to his injuries,” Caruso said.
A GoFundMe account created by the child’s aunt identified him as Lennox.
The woman, Crystal Rod, said the victim was her sister Keyshla’s “first and only son,” and he was her “first and only nephew.”
According to the GoFundMe, the boy was killed on his birthday.
“Today we would have been celebrating his first year of life at Chuck E. Cheese, however an unexpected tragedy occurred that claimed [Lennox’s] life,” Rod said.
In the post, the grieving aunt said she had been on the phone with her sister as Keyshla and Lennox played together on a trampoline at the home.
“The dog jumped in the trampoline and attacked both Lennox and his mother,” she said, adding that “Lennox was mauled to death.”
“Believe it or not it was the family dog and never in a million years would we have seen this coming,” Rod said of the Dalmatian — though some news sites have reported that the canine was mixed with a pit bull.
As of Thursday, the Gofundme account for Lennox had received over $11,000 in donations for Lennox’s funeral services.
“If this page reaches you I hope you find it in your heart to spare what ever you can during this tough time every cent counts and every dollar raised will be used to give Lennox a proper going away service,” the aunt wrote.
Caruso said two dogs were removed from the home, per CBS News. They are quarantined at an animal shelter in South Windsor.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and loved ones as they mourn their loss,” the East Hartford police spokesperson said. “May they find solace and strength during this challenging time.”
East Hartford’s WFSB spoke to a neighbor who left her home just moments before the incident occurred.
“I missed it. I could’ve been there [to] potentially save a life. It was just a few minutes if I had stayed a few more minutes I would’ve been able to help the mom,” Catiria Delgado told the news station.
