Child mauled to death by dog in caravan
A Nine-year-old boy was mauled to death after being left alone in a caravan with a family friend’s dog, police said.
Authorities are trying to find out if the animal, believed to be a bulldog type, is an illegal breed.
Frankie Macritchie, from Plymouth, was killed early on Saturday as Tawnee Willis, his mother, remained in the caravan next door with a group of adults well-known to the family.
He was on holiday with his mother, who posted a photograph of the two together on Facebook on Saturday. She wrote: “Caravan life with my babes.” Police were called to a caravan at Tencreek Holiday Park in Looe just before 5am on Saturday to find him in an unresponsive state.
Three hours after the attack, police arrested a 28-year-old woman in Plymouth on suspicion of having a dog dangerously out of control and manslaughter, and have since released her pending further inquiries.
The dog has been taken into kennels and specialists were now looking into its breed to determine whether it was legal or not.
Det Supt Mike West, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said: “We have got specialists looking at the breed of the dog and that’s part of our inquiries ... [to see] if it’s an illegal breed.
“Our understanding is that the dog owner was an associate of Frankie’s mother, who was also at the site during the relevant times – a family friend, not a family member.
“We believe that Frankie was alone in a caravan with the dog as he was attacked, while the adults that he was on holiday with were in an adjacent unit.
“There was sound of a disturbance and sounds of distress coming from the caravan. Immediately on hearing that, members of the public ran towards it and attempted to render first aid to Frankie.” Det Supt West confirmed the 28-year-old woman who was arrested nearly 20 miles away from the incident had been released under investigation.
When asked whether it is believed that the woman ran away from the scene, he added: “Those circumstances have yet to become clear, but that’s certainly a line of our ongoing inquiry.”
It is not yet known whether the dog will be put down following the attack.
“Whether or not the dog will be put down is not a decision for the police at this time,” said Det Supt West.
Family and friends paid tribute to the boy, with Danielle Macritchie, his aunt, saying: “Our lives are ruined forever. How do we ever stop this pain?”