4-Year-Old Boy Fatally Mauled By Family’s Pet Dog

Investigators say that a 4-year-old South Texas boy has died after he was mauled by the family’s mixed-breed dog in the backyard of the victim’s home.

Bexar (bayr) County Sheriff Javier Salazar says that the dog was tied up when the attack happened Sunday afternoon in Converse, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) northeast of San Antonio.

A medical examiner has identified the victim as Noah Trevino.

Salazar says it appears the boy may have gotten too close to the dog, which grabbed the child by the neck and shook the victim.

A relative saw the attack and freed the boy, who was declared dead at a hospital.

Animal control officials detained the dog for observation, with plans to euthanize the canine.