Murray County authorities are investigating whether two dogs killed an 11-year-old girl over the weekend.
About 1:45 a.m. Sunday, deputies went to the 500 block of Dunn Road in Crandall, where they met the girl’s grieving family, according to a Murray County Sheriff’s Office incident report obtained by AJC.com. The girl was identified as Skylar Grace Headrick.
The child’s father, Tony Headrick, told deputies that one of his other daughters discovered the girl’s body downstairs in the house’s basement after returning home from work, the report said.
The man told deputies that two Neopolitan mastiffs, which had never been aggressive in the past, had blood on them, the report said. He believed the dogs attacked and killed his daughter.
He added that he last saw the girl about 11 p.m. when she went upstairs to get a bandage for her right heel due to a dog scratching her, according to the report. She then went back downstairs.
The only other people in the house were the father and two of Skylar Headrick’s sisters, the report said. None of them heard any screaming or barking, they told deputies.
Chief Deputy Jimmy Davenport told the Dalton Daily Citizen-News that the child "had injuries consistent with being attacked by a dog," adding that it is an "unfortunate incident." The GBI will perform her autopsy.
The girl attended Northwest Elementary School, which posted its condolences on Facebook. The post said, “She was a precious young lady. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her and her family during this time.”
A GoFundMe page was created to help with the family's medical expenses. As of Tuesday night, it had raised more than $16,000.
“Skylar Grace was a beautiful, smart, fully loving and Tik Tok making 11-year-old lady, who was tragically taken too soon from her loving family on May 31, 2020,” the page said.
According to the Daily Citizen, the two dogs, which weighed between 100 and 150 pounds, were euthanized Monday at the Murray County Animal Shelter.
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