In tragic news, two dogs mauled a newborn baby to death. According to authorities, the baby's parents were downstairs getting high when the dog attack happened.
The incident happened in a Rochester attic. I really don't like writing stories like these. As a parent to a little one, these sort of topics are hard to stomach. I also have a dog — one that's a smaller breed. We've practiced proper caution and kept our child away from the dog, allowing them to interact in supervised ways. I want to be in the room in case something happens.
While dogs seem cute and friendly, much like bears, they are still dangerous animals. For their part, the parents are denying the events. Both Sulamain Hawkins and Anastasia Weave plead not guilty to manslaughter charges. Authorities are pursuing charges against the teen parents after they allegedly left their newborn unsupervised.
Dogs Attack Newborn
Instead, authorities said they went outside to smoke marijuana. The dog attack happened on August 3. According to authorities, the teen couple left their son Sulamain Hawkins Jr. sleeping on an attic floor. They then went outside to get high, allegedly. Police said the pair were gone for around an hour. The two had two pitbull-mix dogs in the house. Authorities say one or possibly both of the dogs attacked the newborn while they were outside and killed it.
"The allegations here, we feel, support the recklessness that a reasonable person in these defendants' situations would not have acted the way they did," Assistant DA Sara VanStrydonck said in court. "They knew a risk and they consciously disregarded that risk."
Authorities didn't arrest the couple until this week. According to prosecutors, the couple had been staying at a friend's house. The dogs appeared to have belonged to the friend. They kept them in the attic of the house. Whether this arrangement continued with the family there is unknown. However, the couple had been staying in the attic with their newborn.
Following the incident, the landlord evicted all of the tenants. Authorities also euthanized the animals. Meanwhile, both of the teens remain in jail on a $15,000 bail.
