A 6-month-old Alabama girl is dead after she was mauled by a relative’s dog during a visit last Friday, police said.
Ember Renee Southard was left with the family member who fell asleep with her in their lap, Shelby County Coroner Lina Evans said.
Little Ember fell and was mauled by the relative’s 11-year-old dog. When the relative woke up, the baby was unresponsive and covered with injuries consistent with a dog attack.
“It was an avoidable and tragic accident,” Ember’s grieving mother said. “My daughter is gone forever because of it.”
Evans said the involved dog had no prior history of violence.
“I feel sad whenever someone is doing what they normally do and they die as a result of something that is beyond their control or someone else,” she said.
“I know we’re around our animals and we trust our animals but we always have to keep in mind that animals are animals, and they’re unpredictable.”
