A one-year-old boy was mauled to death by his babysitter’s pit bulls, who used the baby in a “tug of war” battle while a 13-year-old girl desperately tried to save him.
Jiryiah Johnson was in the care of Heather Rodriguez, 36, at her home in Converse, Texas, before leaving the baby alone with her teenage daughter.
After the vicious attack, which lasted several minutes in different rooms of the house, Johnson was hospitalized in critical condition with bites to his face, head and neck.
He suffered serious injuries to his throat and was unable to breathe on his own, before tragically passing away on Monday night.
Babysitter Rodriguez was arrested on a first-offense charge of injury to a child with serious bodily injury by omission, and may face more charges for the injuries to her daughter, police said.
One-year-old Jiryiah Johnson was mauled by his nanny’s dogs and used as a “tug rope” before dying in hospital from his serious injuries.
The dogs described as ‘XL pits’ were previously known as troublemakers, and the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office had responded to calls regarding their behavior before.
Heather Rodriguez, 36, was arrested for the first felony count of injury to a child with serious bodily injury by omission and may face more charges for the injuries to her daughter.
It is understood that Rodriguez went to work and put his daughter in charge of the baby in his absence.
Baby Jiryiah and the teenager were secured inside a bedroom with the doors closed, away from Rodriguez’s three pit bulls, Sheriff Javier Salazar of the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office said at a news conference.
The bedroom door had previously been damaged by the dogs and was broken down again before they began a gruesome attack on the baby.
According to Salazar, the teen attempted to maintain control of the baby, but described the fight over the child as a “tug of war” for several minutes.
She then locked herself and the baby in a bathroom, where the dogs forced their way in again, further attacking the baby and the 13-year-old boy.
The girl then left the baby with the dogs to grab her phone and call for help, before taking the child to another room and blocking the door with her body.
Johnson’s mother, Erika Castro, said she had not had time to process what had happened to her only son.
The 13-year-old girl and Johnson were secured inside a bedroom before the dogs forced their way in after the dogs had previously damaged the door.
Johnson suffered serious throat injuries that prevented him from breathing on his own before he died Monday night.
Rodriguez faces a felony charge of injury to a child with serious bodily injury by omission, and potentially faces charges due to his daughter’s injuries.
Johnson’s parents created a Cash App and wrote on Facebook: “I am no one to do this, but the circumstances of my son and I not being able to return to work until further notice… We need all the prayers and support in this moment”. moment.’
Erika Castro and Julian Johnson (pictured) said their one-year-old son was a “goofy, loving baby who was fascinated with dinosaurs and Bluey.”
she said Kens5: “I wish she had stayed like she said she would, instead of going to work like she was called.”
Sheriff Salazar described the baby’s condition as “heartbreaking” and said the teenager was a “hero” for her efforts against the dogs, which he described as “XL pits.”
He said the baby had been left in Rodriguez’s care at the house earlier and that the parents knew Rodriguez had dogs, but didn’t know they were troublemakers.
“In a house full of ferocious dogs, what did this lady, the suspect, think was going to happen?” he added.
Castro added: ‘I thank that girl because… she did the best she could.’
She said she was primarily focused on her son’s recovery before his death.
‘I’ve been shaking, I’ve had panic attacks… He’s fighting. He’s fighting, for sure,’ he said.
Castro and her partner Julian Johnson created a Cash App to help the family pay for the child’s medical expenses, she posted on Facebook and said: “I’m not one to do this, but the circumstances of my son and I not being able to return “. work until further notice… We need all the prayers and support right now.’
She added that her son was a “silly, loving baby who was fascinated with dinosaurs and Bluey,” Kens5 reported.
Rodríguez was arrested and was seen walking the criminal while authorities also took her dogs.
Salazar added that Rodriguez seemed more concerned about the dogs than the baby, so she declined to give a statement to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
Salazar said the baby had been left in Rodriguez’s care at the house before and that the parents knew Rodriguez had dogs but didn’t know they were troublemakers.
She had received a citation for releasing dogs earlier this year when they wouldn’t let a man out of his car, and Salazar said they had responded to calls about the dogs in the past.
Kalb reported that it was unknown where Rodriguez went or how long he was away from the home, adding that he was not cooperating with the investigation.
Salazar added that Rodriguez seemed more concerned about the dogs than the baby and declined to give a statement to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
The dogs were turned over to Animal Care Services and Child Protective Services is also investigating. Rodriguez is in the Bexar County Jail on bonds totaling $100,000.
