A 2-year-old boy was killed at his South Fulton home Wednesday by the family dog, which had been a pet for eight years.
The child, identified by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s office as Beau Rutledge, was in his Sierra Trail townhome with his mother when the sudden tragedy occurred.
“She advised it happened fast,” shortly after 1 p.m. when she went to the restroom, Detective Melissa Parker with Fulton County police said, and, “It was an obvious death once the mother came out of the restroom.”
It was not immediately known if anyone else was in the home at the time.
“We don’t know what made it attack the child as it did,” said Oliver Delk, administrator for Fulton County animal services.
“The breed, we believe, is a pit bull,” Delk told reporters at the scene.
The dog remained in the home in a contained area, possibly a bathroom, for more than an hour after the attack.
“Once we handle the crime scene, then they will deal with the dog,” Parker said.
A neighbor, Joseph Messam, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he heard the child’s mother, who had run outside of the home and was on the ground, screaming.
“ ‘The dog killed the baby! The dog killed the baby.’ That’s what I heard her say,” Messam said.
Around 3 p.m., animal control employees took the dog away, to a shelter for evaluation, Delk said. He said. investigators will evaluate the dog’s overall health and temperament.
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