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Who is Vernon Foster? Brooklyn dad to be charged after son, 1, fatally mauled by fierce pet dog

Brooklyn man Vernon Foster faces homicide charges after the family dog with a 'history of aggression' killed son Ryan Francis Foster

FLATBUSH, NEW YORK: Brooklyn man Vernon Foster was arrested on Wednesday, August 11, and charged with criminally negligent murder after his 19-month-old son was mauled to death by the family's Rottweiler, news outlets reported.

In an earlier incident in June this year, a three-year-old toddler from New Jersey fell out of a window at his home, after which he was mauled to death by the family's pet dogs. In another similar incident in March, a 1-year-old died after the family dog bit her on the head for getting too close to its food bowl. Last year, an Illinois toddler was mauled to death by a pit bull after her parents left her in a playpen.

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In the recent case, Foster allegedly left his 19-month-old child with his other two children, both minors and the Rottweiler, who has a history of violence, according to police.

Watch the surveillance video here

Who is Vernon Foster?

Foster is a 30-year-old father from Flatbush, Brooklyn. He and his wife Susan Hyre are divorced and the duo shared three children. The victim in this incident was his 19-month-old son named Ryan Francis Foster, while his two other sons Tale' and Jayden aged 9 and 11 are expected to be safe.

Foster was detained at the 70th Precinct stationhouse on August 11 afternoon, when he was expected to be charged, according to sources. Foster was accused in February of slamming Hyre so forcefully into the wall that a hole appeared, the New York Daily News reported.

The Foster family dog, a Rottweiler named Buster, has a history of aggression, ABC New York reported. Ryan, was bitten by the dog around 10:45 pm, August 10 inside an apartment on East 17th Street in Flatbush, according to authorities, the New York Post reported. Investigators think Foster left the child alone with his two older brothers as he went to work.

According to authorities, the Rottweiler bit Ryan in the neck and shoulder, causing him to bleed profusely. At Maimonides Hospital, the boy was pronounced dead. The two elder siblings can be seen sprinting from the apartment complex and desperately seeking bystanders for assistance in a video obtained by The Post. Hyre said the boys had been traumatized by the death of their younger sibling.

“They basically cried themselves to sleep,” Hyre said. “Tale’ shares a room with Ryan and Jayden has his own room. Tale’ doesn’t want to sleep in the room where Ryan slept. He is literally asleep in the same bed with his brother. They don’t want to leave each other.”

"It's a terrible situation," NYPD Assistant Chief Michael Kemper said to ABC. "Terrible situation for them and certainly for the family that is affected by this tragedy."

“I’m just puzzled as to how he can let this happen,” Hyre said of the boys’ father. “He could’ve said anything, but he went to work like it was nothing. I don’t understand why he didn’t call anybody or go late to work. This would have never happened on my watch. This is crazy, this is really crazy.” Buster, according to Hyre, was a "guard dog" who used to belong to Foster's parents and had bitten Jayden two years before. Animal Care and Control came to take the dog away. The investigation is still underway.