Father of baby killed in dog attack still sought by police

Any connection between a dog attack that killed a 1-month-old boy in Norwich and a fire intentionally set hours later in New London remains unclear.

New London police said Wednesday they are still searching for the boy’s father, who they said is a person of interest in the arson.

New London police said Tuesday that 32-year-old Timothy Settles was a person of interest in the fire set about seven hours after his son, Carter Settles, was killed by the family dog in a Norwich home.

New London police Capt. Matthew Galante said Wednesday that there were no new details on the search for Settles, but said the investigation is ongoing.

Settles remains a person of interest, not a suspect and they had not obtained a warrant for his arrest, according to police.

Police officials did not speculate Tuesday whether the boy’s death may have spurred the fire about 15 miles away from the scene of the attack. They also could not say what connection Settles had to the home.

Norwich police were called to a home on McKinley Avenue about 8:40 p.m. Monday night after receiving a report that an infant had been attacked by a dog.

When they arrived, they found Carter with “numerous traumatic injuries,” police officials said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officers learned that a family member was holding Carter when the family dog, described as a male pit bull mix, jumped up and started biting the child, police said.

The dog was taken by animal control to the city’s pound, where he will undergo a mandated 14-day quarantine, according to Norwich police. City police said they are following the state Department of Agriculture guidelines for dogs involved in attacks.

The future for the dog also appears unclear as of Wednesday. Norwich police Lt. John Perry said.

“As of this point, we are still working with the family and following the CT Agriculture quarantine guidelines,” Perry said.