5-month-old staying with relatives is killed by 130-pound dog, Florida cops say
An infant left in the care of two relatives was killed in their home by a 130-pound dog, according to investigators in Florida.
The discovery was made around 9:45 p.m. Wednesday, July 30, in the 1700 block of Carolina Avenue in Ormond Beach, the Volusia Sheriff’s Office said in a July 31 news release.
Details of how the dog killed the 5-month-old boy were not released.
“This is extremely, extremely heartbreaking of a story. We have a young couple that leaves their 5-month-old son, Carter, in the custody of their great grandmother and great aunt and they go out to dinner to celebrate mom’s birthday,” Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said at a July 31 news conference.
“Five-month-old is being a little fussy, they decide to put him into the bedroom ... they close the door and then the great aunt allows her three dogs out of the cage. They go in the kitchen to make tea and toast and when they return they notice that the bedroom door is open. And when the great grandmother walks in, she sees their biggest dog ... sitting next to Carter, the little boy, and he appears to be bleeding and he’s lifeless.”
The boy’s parents arrived at the home as the great grandmother was calling 911 call for help, Chitwood said.
“They see the little boy. They scoop him up and they rush to Advent Hospital in Daytona Beach, where he is pronounced dead,” Chitwood said.
Volusia County Animal Services was called and confiscated the 2-year-old dog, which is a “Great Dane and husky mix weighing 130 pounds.” It will be held for 10 days and could be euthanized unless the family files an appeal, officials said.
The incident remains under investigation, officials said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports an average of 370,000 people are treated annually at emergency rooms for dog bites and “an average of 16 fatalities occur.”
“Children are highly vulnerable to dog bites and make up a large percentage of dog bite victims,” the CDC reports.
Ormond Beach is about a 60-mile drive northeast from Orlando.
This story was originally published July 31, 2025 at 10:20 AM with the headline "5-month-old staying with relatives is killed by 130-pound dog, Florida cops say."