Police say that a 4-year-old girl from California died after being bitten by her family’s dog.
Visalia, California, police said in a statement posted to the department’s Facebook page that officers went to the home on September 4 around 8 p.m. Police said the 4-year-old girl had just come home from swimming when the family’s pit bull struck her.
“Even though she got medical help right away and was taken to the hospital, she sadly died from her injuries,” police said in the statement.
Family members told Fox 28 and ABC 30 that the 4-year-old girl was Zoey Hawkins. She was attacked in the backyard after getting out of the baby pool, her family told Fox 28. The girl’s father went inside to get a towel.
Pearl Vargas, Zoey’s cousin, told Fox 28 that she had known this dog for more than two years. “She and the dog played together all the time.” They would be with each other all the time. We don’t know what the reason was or why the dog did it in the first place.
Zoey was called a “vibrant and loving” girl on a GoFundMe page set up to help pay for her funeral.
It asks people to “please consider contributing to this fund if you can to help ease the hardship for Zoey’s family and honor the memory of our precious little girl who touched so many lives.”
The investigation found “no signs of neglect or criminal wrongdoing,” according to the cops.
Police said, “This heartbreaking event is a tragedy, and our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this very hard time.”
Police did not say what was happening with the dog right now, but the dog’s family told Fox 28 that the animal had been put down.