According to Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood, an eight-year-old child from Florida was “brutally mauled and killed” on Monday after he stopped riding his bike to pet two dogs at the entrance of a subdivision in Florida. Chitwood stated that the incident occurred after the youngster stopped riding his bike.
On Monday, at approximately 4:55 p.m., Michael Millett was riding bicycles with a friend in the Berry Ridge community of DeLand. At that time, he was “maliciously mauled” to death at the scene by two dogs that appeared to be friendly at first, according to Chitwood.
“It goes from petting, and a very friendly encounter, to the dogs becoming very, very, very vicious and very violent,” Chitwood stated in a news conference on Tuesday.
According to Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood, an eight-year-old child from Florida was “brutally mauled and killed” on Monday after he stopped riding his bike to pet two dogs at the entrance of a subdivision in Florida. Chitwood stated that the incident occurred after the youngster stopped riding his bike.
On Monday, at approximately 4:55 p.m., Michael Millett was riding bicycles with a friend in the Berry Ridge community of DeLand. At that time, he was “maliciously mauled” to death at the scene by two dogs that appeared to be friendly at first, according to Chitwood.
“We are going to do everything humanly possible to hold the owner of these dogs responsible, and we are going to do everything possible to make sure that these dogs are destroyed,” according to the sheriff.
After being pursued back to their property by deputies, the dogs were ultimately taken into custody by Volusia County Animal Services. According to Angela Miedema, the director of VCAS, the organization is currently waiting for the owner to sign the canines over for “humane euthanasia.”
“Every one of his 12 bite wounds have been swabbed for DNA so we can conclusively say that these two dogs that they have in custody are the dogs responsible for Michael’s death,” according to the sheriff.
Chitwood claims that the proprietor, who is known to law enforcement and has been arrested nine times in the past for various counts linked to drugs, domestic violence, and assault, is able to appeal with due process. Chitwood further claims that the proprietor has the ability to appeal.
She was not on her property at the time of the incident or when the dogs raced back to their home, which is approximately half a mile away from the location where Millett was slain.
The state attorneys are participating in the inquiry, and Chitwood has stated that his top priority are to ensure that the owner is charged with the crime and that the dogs are “destroyed.”
“She needs to be held accountable,” Chitwood stated. “We have to prove negligence as the bottom bar.”
The property was not completely walled off, and the dogs could readily escape, as deputies and animal control officers observed when they arrived to seize the canines. Neighbors also corroborated to police that the dogs frequently went away.
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Chitwood stated on Tuesday that the dogs may have been involved in another incident in a different county. “As we went door to door last night, we heard horrific stories of how the dogs are always at large, of how they destroyed chickens,” Chitwood said.
Chitwood was only aware of one 911 call involving the dogs, which was made on Monday after Millett was attacked. In the background, his mother can be heard yelling for assistance.
According to reports, she tried CPR on him after jumping on top of him to stop the onslaught, but it was futile, and he passed away right away. Chitwood said he doesn’t know why Millett was the only one bitten, and the dogs never attacked the mother or any of the other children around.
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The county medical examiner is collaborating with a dog bite fatality expert to gather additional information regarding the fatal event, such as which dog attacked first and which one resulted in the most bites.
“Pet ownership is an enormous responsibility,” Miedema stated. “You have a lot of responsibilities as a dog owner to keep your animal confined to your property and ensure the public’s safety, as well as ensure things like socialization and training to make sure that this animal is not a threat to anybody else.”
Other family members created a GoFundMe page for Millett’s parents, calling his passing a “tragic accident” and heartbreaking.
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