Detectives in Brooklyn are trying to figure out what caused a family dog to fatally maul a toddler on Tuesday night.
The boy’s father — who apparently left the toddler alone with his two older siblings — is expected to face charges later on Wednesday, according to Assistant Chief Mike Kemper, commander of NYPD Patrol Borough Brooklyn South.
Police said the deadly attack happened at about 10:43 pm on Aug. 10 inside an apartment at 358 East 17th St. in Flatbush.
According to published reports, the 19-month-old boy was at home alone with two older siblings, ages 9 and 11, while their father went to work.
At some point, cops said, the family dog, a Rottweiler, went on the attack and began biting the toddler. The toddler’s siblings then ran for help, and officers from the 70th Precinct responded to the location a short time later.
Upon arriving at the scene, authorities said, the officers found the mauled toddler bleeding heavily from severe bite wounds to his neck and shoulder. They also located the Rottweiler, which was contained in a nearby room.
EMS units rushed the toddler to Maimonides Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police have withheld the youngster’s identity, pending family notification.
The NYPD Emergency Services Unit took the Rottweiler into custody, and transferred to Animal Care and Control, the nonprofit overseeing the city’s pet rescue and shelter system.
Kemper indicated that the NYPD previously had a report of the dog biting a kid in the same apartment a year ago.
A Health Department spokesperson said that the dog remains in Animal Care and Control’s custody and is undergoing further examination.
Charges against the boy’s father are pending the results of the ongoing investigation, police said.
This story first appeared on amNewYork.
