Police Considering Charges After Fatal Dog Attack
www.wftv.com
December 9, 2004 ORLANDO, FL. -- After a four-year-old boy was mauled to death by at least one dog, questions remain as investigators try to figure out what sparked the gruesome attack.
The dogs are still in quarantine. Finding out which of the three dogs were involved could decide whether those dogs live or die.
Four-year-old Myles Leakes was the center of his entire family, a family that is now in shock over how his young life ended. "He was outside and it was a freak accident. No one can put a finger on exactly what happened," says Warren Rainge, the victim's cousin.
But animal control investigators will try to determine what happened.
The brown and white pit bull mix was the most aggressive, according to investigators. They know he attacked since his jaw was still covered in blood. But they'll recreate the scene in the backyard from pictures and the length of the dogs' chains.
"Dogs are like people. They have individual personalities. You don't necessarily know what sets them off," explains dangerous dog investigator Peggy Meeks.
Police now say Myless was playing with his cousins in front of the house when he wandered to the backyard looking for a ball. They believe he got too close to the dogs that were chained there.
"Whenever you chain dogs, what you're faced with are dogs that are unsocialized and dogs that are very protective of their perimeter," says Meeks.
Investigators also say the dogs were in poor condition, possibly neglected, which can lead to aggression. Police and animal services are looking at whether the owner, the little boy's uncle, should face charges.
"It ain't about how he died, just that he's not here no longer. So, we're not really making focus or issue on dogs. It's about Myles right now," says Rainge. "He was a character, man. If you knew him, you would fall in love with him instantly."
Family members have not said what they think should happen to the dogs. Channel 9 did, however, find out that at least three other times in the last four years neighbors called animal services about dogs from that home.
