- December 4, 2025
A 5-month-old boy died after succumbing to injuries received by a family dog in a heartbreaking tragedy on Wednesday night, July 30.
The Volusia County Sheriff's Department responded to a 911 call just before 10 p.m. at a home on Carolina Avenue. During the call, the infant's parents returned home and rushed him to Advent Hospital in Daytona Beach, where he was pronounced dead.
The child had been left in the custody of his great-grandmother and great-aunt while his parents were out celebrating his mother's birthday.
Sheriff Michael Chitwood responded to the incident in a press briefing.
"This is extremely, extremely heartbreaking... I can't imagine how anybody in this family is feeling," Chitwood said.
Caregivers had placed the child in a bedroom and closed the door before releasing three dogs that had been kept in cages. The largest, a 130-pound Great Dane and Husky mix, was later found sitting beside the child's lifeless body.
Volusia County Animal Services took custody of the dog, which has since been euthanized in accordance with state law.
Sheriff Chitwood urged the public's response to this incident to be compassionate, calling out harsh and insensitive comments on social media.
"I hope if you have a heart, you'll find in your heart to offer condolences, not some of the stuff that I saw and has been pointed out to me," Chitwood said.
The investigation is ongoing.
