3-year-old girl mauled to death by 3 dogs while visiting father for Christmas
A three-year-old girl was mauled to death by her father’s three dogs on 27 Dec while she was visiting him for Christmas in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Source: Daily Mail
Her father – whose name was not revealed in reports – called the police upon waking up at around 7.50am after he discovered blood all over his living room and his daughter, Kingsley Smith, dead on the ground.
He said there did not seem to be a break-in through the night as the front door remained locked. There was also another person in the apartment but they woke up at the same time, The Enquirer reported.
Dispatchers told the father to put away any pets in the home before authorities arrived, to which he said all three dogs – whom he said were terriers – were already in their cages.
“That’s why I’m like, did any of my pets attack her or something? I would have heard this,” he then said on the call. “My baby is dead. This has got to be a f***ing nightmare.”
3-year-old was staying at father’s house for the first time
On 23 Dec, the girl, Kingsley, left her mother’s home in Wilmington, Ohio to celebrate Christmas at her father’s apartment in Cincinnati.
Ms Smith told WLWT that she had no idea that the dogs in the home were dangerous, adding that Kingsley was staying at her father’s house “for the first time ever”.
On 27 Dec, Kingsley’s older sister messaged her asking her to call as it was about her daughter.
It was then that Ms Smith discovered that Kingsley had died and that her father had been taken by the police for questioning.
“For that poor baby to be attacked by dogs like that and him not hear it, you know, that’s what I’m questioning,” Ms Smith told The Enquirer.
Ms Smith has also not been allowed to see her daughter’s body due to her severe injuries, but she hopes that the police will be able to find the answer to her questions regarding her child’s death.
However, a detective reportedly told Ms Smith that a security camera in the home showed her daughter sleeping on the living room couch and being attacked by the dogs, Local12 reported.
Father ‘very sorry’ about being unable to protect daughter
Later, the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office revealed that Kingsley was mauled to death by the family’s three dogs.
Source: GoFundMe
The dogs were subsequently removed and taken to the Cincinnati Animal CARE shelter for a state-mandated 10-day quarantine period.
Lisa Colina, a spokesperson for the shelter, said the dogs will be kept in the shelter until police provide further direction.
Meanwhile, a friend of Kingsley’s father came to his defence online, according to Daily Mail.
“He is devastated and understands all of her mom and mom’s family’s feelings and is very sorry,” one Calissa H said, adding the father had only recently learned that Kingsley was his daughter.
The friend said that Kingsley’s father was “excited for her to spend time with him and meet her sister and family”.
“He feels that it is his fault for not being able to protect her,” they added.
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Featured image adapted from Daily Mail, GoFundMe
