Pit Bull Kills 7-Year-Old On Local Farm
Posted: Wed Sep 01, 2010 3:31 amThis just took place near my home today:
VARNA -- A 7-year-old boy was attacked and killed by dogs on a Central Illinois farm that he was visiting Wednesday with his mother, authorities said.
Jason Walter of LaSalle was alone when he was attacked and died in the driveway of a farm outside Varna, about 30 miles northeast of Peoria, Marshall County Sheriff Rob Russell said.
The dogs, three pit bulls and a mixed breed owned by people who lived on the property, were captured and euthanized, Russell said. No charges have been filed, and there is no legal requirement to keep dogs on leashes, he said. The dogs' bodies will undergo testing for rabies.
"It was an emotional scene," Russell said. "Obviously, it's a tragedy."
The boy's mother was dating a man who lived on the farm and the boy was heading to the car to leave when the dogs attacked, the sheriff said.
An emergency helicopter was called to transport the boy to the hospital. Coroner David Lenz Jr. said a doctor aboard the helicopter pronounced the child dead
An autopsy is planned, and the death remains under investigation.
The boy was a second-grader at Northwest School in LaSalle, said Superintendent Dan Marenda. Social workers and counselors will be available Thursday at the school to help students and teachers deal with the tragedy, Marenda said.
