Latest news with #KiyannaWinfield
The Independent
12 hours ago
- General
- The Independent
Baby's cause of death revealed as family say the puppy originally blamed for her killing has not been put down
The parents of the one-month-old baby who died in a New York apartment building on Tuesday have spoken out, saying that their child died as a result of SIDS. Initial reports said that Kiyanna Winfield was killed after being mauled by a six-week-old pit bull and German Shepherd mix. 'Our baby died of SIDS, from sudden infant death syndrome,' the baby's stepfather, who wanted to be identified as Christopher, told The New York Post. 'She also had medical issues. She had a heart murmur. The dog did eat the baby's face. It was put down,' he added. However, the Animal Care Centers of NYC confirmed to The Independent Friday that the pet dog was still alive, three days after the horror incident unfolded at the Queensbridge Houses complex in Long Island City. 'Sudden infant death syndrome' or SIDS is sometimes known more commonly as cot death. It is the sudden, unexpected, and unexplained death of an apparently healthy baby. When police arrived at the family's home on Tuesday morning, the girl's mother, Lillian Burton, reportedly told cops Kiyanna had been sleeping between her and her partner when they woke up to find the dog gnawing at her face. Police found Kiyanna unconscious with 'a substantial portion' of her face bitten off. In an interview Thursday with The Post, the baby's mother protested: 'I did not kill my child.' 'Our baby was alive when we all went to sleep. That is the last thing we know,' the stepfather said. The pair stated that they had only purchased Bella, the small pup, two weeks prior to the tragic incident. 'We think that the dog is so young that it didn't understand, but it was trying to help the baby because it only targeted the mouth and the nose,' Christopher said. 'We think maybe the baby was gasping for air and the puppy didn't realize it was a part of her, so the puppy was trying to clear whatever was on her face to breathe,' he said. 'We don't think the puppy was purposely hurting our child.' The child's cause of death is yet to be released by the medical examiner. No charges have been filed by the NYPD.
Miami Herald
a day ago
- Miami Herald
Puppy was blamed in baby's death, but that's not what happened, NY officials say
A 1-month-old baby found dead at a public housing complex in New York City wasn't killed by her family's 6-week-old puppy as initial reports had suggested, according to officials. 'This is not a fatal dog mauling,' New York City's Office of Chief Medical Examiner said in a statement to McClatchy News on May 29. The infant, Kiyanna Winfield, was unresponsive when officers found her while responding to a 911 call at the public housing complex in Long Island City, a neighborhood of Queens, the morning of May 27, a New York City Police Department spokesperson confirmed to McClatchy News. Her mother told police that her family's puppy, a German shepherd and pit bull mix, had bitten her daughter's face, according to officials, The Gothamist reported. The woman said she made the discovery when she woke up that morning, next to her baby, officials said, according to the news outlet. Early news reports, citing authorities, said the puppy had attacked and mauled the girl to death, including a May 27 report from WNBC. A few hours after police said baby Kiyanna was found dead, city council member Julie Won expressed condolences to the girl's family, writing in an X post that she 'tragically died after being bitten by her family's dog in the Queensbridge Houses.' Won represents the 26th Council district in Western Queens, where the Queensbridge Houses is located in Long Island City. An autopsy revealed the girl had been bitten by the dog but after she died, the medical examiner's office told the Gothamist. Her cause of death has not been determined as of the afternoon of May 29. 'The cause and manner of death are pending further study and will require additional testing,' the medical examiner's office told McClatchy News. The investigation continues, according to the NYPD. 'There are no arrests at this time,' the NYPD spokesperson said.
Fox News
a day ago
- General
- Fox News
Infant found dead with dog bites was not killed by puppy: officials
A 1-month-old girl found dead with dog bites on her face in New York City Tuesday did not die from those injuries, the city's chief medical officer said in a perplexing new development. Initial reports suggested the family's pit bull–German shepherd mix was responsible for the infant's death, but the city's chief medical officer has now ruled out that theory, and the true cause of death has yet to be determined. "The cause and manner of death are pending further study and will require additional testing, but the medical examiner has been able to determine this is not a fatal dog mauling," the city's medical examiner told Fox News Digital. The young victim, Kiyanna Winfield, was sleeping with her mother and stepfather inside an apartment at the Queensbridge Houses public housing complex in Queens, police said. When the pair woke up at around 6:40 a.m., they found the child unresponsive with bite marks on her face. Neighbors said screams from the mother rattled the building, according to reports. The dog bit off a "substantial portion" of the face of the baby, the New York Post reported, citing sources. The outlet reported that the infant was born April 13, and the dog was 6 weeks old. A friend of the mother said she had spoken to the distraught parent. "She told me she woke up, and the dog was eating the baby, chewing on the baby's face," the friend told the outlet. The child was pronounced dead by responding EMS workers. Police said the case is still under investigation, and no arrests have been made. Winfield's mother and stepfather were not identified by police. The city's Animal Care Centers of NYC was called to take the puppy and another dog out of the apartment. The organization provided photos of the puppy being handled by a worker and inside a cage. The infant's grandmother told the Daily News she had previously offered to take the newborn in while the mom, who was living in a shelter at the time, secured better housing. "I learned that she was pregnant maybe a couple days before she gave birth," the grandmother told the outlet. "After she gave birth, she loved the baby. I asked her if she had any problems and if she wanted to give me the baby. She said no, she'd take care of her. She would manage." The grandmother said she had not yet gotten to meet her new granddaughter when she learned of her death Tuesday. "How could they have a dog with a baby?" she asked. "The dog shouldn't be in the house."
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
N.Y.C. Mom Said She Found Baby Dead and Bloodied, and Blamed Dog — But Medical Examiner Reveals Shocking Truth
New York City's Office of the Medical Examiner tells PEOPLE that Kiyanna Winfield, a 1-month-old initially believed to have been killed by a dog mauling, was actually dead before the dog bit her The infant was asleep between her parents when her mother allegedly woke to see their 6-month-old pit bull mix gnawing on the child's face around 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday The dog was seized by Animal Control, according to the agency's press officeThe New York City medical examiner has determined that a deceased Queens newborn's injuries were inflicted by the family dog only after the infant had already died — contradicting initial police claims that the dog killed the child. Police initially believed that 1-month-old Kiyanna Winfield had been killed by her family's 6-month-old German Shepherd-pit bull mix while she and her parents slept on Tuesday morning in their apartment, PEOPLE previously reported. But although the animal did bite the child, it did so post-mortem, according to New York City's Office of the Medical Examiner. "The cause and manner of death are pending further study and will require additional testing, but the medical examiner has been able to determine this is not a fatal dog mauling," a spokesperson for the office tells PEOPLE. Police were called to the Long Island City home on 12th Street near 41st Avenue just after 6:30 a.m. yesterday, per the New York Police Department's press office. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. The child's mother told responding officers that she woke to find her dog gnawing her daughter's face as the baby laid between her and the child's stepfather. The baby, just born last month, was pronounced dead at the scene. Neighbors told CBS News New York that their building is full of friendly dogs and were shocked to hear the tragic news. "As a mom of three, I was sad. Because honestly, as a parent, you don't expect your pet to attack your child," neighbor Maria Gutierrez told the outlet. No arrests have been made, per the NYPD, which said the investigation is ongoing. The dog was seized by Animal Control, a DCPI officer tells PEOPLE. The NYPD's press office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Read the original article on People
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Horrifying twist in death of newborn girl who was 'mauled to death by puppy'
An infant that was believed to have been mauled to death by the family's pit bull puppy was already dead at the time she was bitten, authorities have revealed. The heartbreaking case took a grim turn after medical examiners announced the one-month-old infant named Kiyanna Winfield had died from unknown causes before the family's six-week-old pit bull-German Shepherd-mix puppy caused the shocking wounds that initially led investigators to believe she had been mauled to death. 'The cause and manner of death are pending further study following the examination today,' a spokesperson for the New York City Office of the Medical Examiner told The New York Post Wednesday. 'But we can confirm this is not a death from a dog mauling. The injuries inflicted by the dog were postmortem.' Baby Kiyanna - who was born April 13 - was tragically discovered in her family's Queensbridge public housing complex apartment on Tuesday morning after what appeared to be a horrific attack. The nightmare unfolded when the infant's mother frantically dialed 911 just after 6:30am Tuesday. She said that she had discovered her daughter being savagely attacked by the family pet. Neighbors later told reporters they heard screaming echoing through the sixth-floor corridors of the public housing complex before emergency responders raced to the scene. The medical examiner's office did admit the puppy had bitten off a 'substantial portion' of the baby's face - but only after death had already occurred. The actual cause and manner of death remain shrouded in mystery pending 'a full pediatric workup,' officials said. According to police reports, the mother told officers she and her partner had been sleeping peacefully with their newborn daughter between them when they awoke to the nightmare scene of their puppy gnawing on the baby's face. The fate of the puppy is still unknown. The investigation is ongoing. This comes just a month after a seven-month-old baby girl was mauled to death by a family dog at her home in Columbus, Ohio. Elizah Turner was fatally attacked by one of her family's three pit bulls in April. The injured infant was first taken to a nearby fire station before she was taken to Nationwide Children's Hospital where she was pronounced dead. There were multiple dogs inside the home at the time of the attack, but it is unclear exactly which one bit the baby, Columbus Police Sgt. James Fuqua told WBNS at the time. He called the incident a tragic accident and said no charges are expected to be filed. 'There is really not a lot of words I can say to convey how I feel and how the officers who arrived [feel]. Everyone in this process is literally grieving as if this child belonged to us because most of us are parents and can't imagine just how this scene is,' Fuqua added. After the tragedy, the pit bulls were seen being escorted out of the home by Franklin County Animal Control. The agency will determine what happens to the dogs.
