2 toddlers mauled to death by pet pit bulls, mom severely injured while trying to stop attack
SHELBY COUNTY, TENNESSEE: A gruesome incident is being reported from Tennessee where two pet pit bulls have mauled a five-month-old baby and his two-year-old sister to death. Hollace Dean Bennard, five months, and two-year old Lilly Jane Bennard, were attacked by their parents’ dogs in Shelby County, on Wednesday, October 5, and were pronounced dead at the scene.
Their mother, Kirstie Jane Bennard, 30, tried everything in her power to stop the attack and save her son and daughter, but she too had to suffer serious injuries from the ferocious dogs. She was then rushed to Regional One Health in "critical condition," the police confirmed. An individual close to the Bennard family told Daily Mail, she is "hanging in there," and refused to further speak on the incident.
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Bennard's best friend, Kelsey Gallini, posted on their Facebook page, asking for "prayers," and said, "everyone in her circle could really use that." In another post, she wrote, “I love you, I love you, I love you." Gallini was also furious and commented on a WREG Facebook post about the tragic news coverage, where she questioned why "something so traumatic and unimaginable [had] to be so publicized." “I feel like the phone call I had with Caitlin [Killebrew] wasn't real,” another friend Lacie Snider replied to the social media post.
Killebrew wrote while sharing the pictures of the two at her wedding: "My sweet friend - I love you." Another grieving friend wrote, “Praying so hard! Shock is an understatement!” Several others said they all were "heartbroken," "dumbfounded," and sending "big prayers."
According to the Canine Journal, Pit bulls are known for having one of the strongest bites, alongside Mastiffs and Rottweilers. Not surprisingly, the breed is unpopular on the list of the dogs that bite the most, alongside Chihuahuas, German Shepherds, and Cocker Spaniels.
Bennard's husband Colby Bennard was unharmed in the incident, and declined to comment on the tragic incident. The authorities revealed that the attack took place at around 3.30 pm on Wednesday, October 5, inside the family’s $360,000, five-bedroom Sylvan Road home in Millington, Tennessee, near Memphis. The officials are yet to establish what triggered the pit bulls. Currently, the pair is in possession of Animal Control, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.
SCSO detectives are on scene at the 700 block of Sylvan Road near Shelby Forest State Park, where at about 3:30 pm two family dogs attacked a 2-year-old girl, a 5-month-old boy, and their mother in the home. The children were pronounced deceased on the scene. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/2IzlBedyjs
— ShelbyTNSheriff (@ShelbyTNSheriff) October 6, 2022
Colby Bennard had shared a photo of two pit bulls on Facebook and addressed them as "house lions." It is still uncertain whether they are the same dogs that attacked the toddlers and their mother.