A baby boy, just 12 days old, died after a dog attacked him inside a family home in Ohio.
Police and paramedics responded shortly after 9 a.m. local time on Wednesday, Dec. 17, to a report of an unresponsive infant at a residence on Camden West Elkton Road in Preble County, according to Cleveland 19 News.
The following day, an autopsy conducted by the Montgomery County coroner’s office found that the infant was knocked out of a bassinet and then bitten by a dog “several times,” Dayton 247 Now reported.
In a 911 call obtained by the outlet, a family member told dispatchers the baby had fallen from the bassinet.
“My emergency is my baby tipped over and bashed his head in,” the caller said, before clarifying, “The bassinet.”
Dispatchers guided the caller through CPR until paramedics arrived, but the infant was pronounced dead at the scene, Cleveland 19 News reported.
Preble County Sheriff Mike Simpson described the incident as devastating for the family. “The child was bitten by a dog that was in the house. It’s a tragic, tragic event for this family,” Simpson said, according to WHIO. He added that investigators believe the dog may have tipped the bassinet over, giving it access to the baby.
Simpson did not disclose the dog’s breed, but said it was medium-to-large in size. The dog has been quarantined while the investigation continues.
The infant has not been publicly identified. Investigators currently believe the death was accidental, WHIO reported.
“It’s tragic, and our hearts go out the parents and the family involved in this,” Simpson said, according to Dayton 247 Now. “With any death is tough, but when it’s a child — especially when it’s a small child — that makes it tougher.”
The incident occurred just days before House Bill 247 passed, strengthening Ohio’s dog laws. The bill, also known as “Avery’s Law,” creates criminal penalties for negligent owners and allows for euthanasia of dogs that kill or seriously injure people after due process, Cleveland 19 News reported.
The law is named after 12-year-old Avery Russell, who was attacked by two pit bulls in 2024, and it is scheduled to take effect in 2026.
