Mother, 21, Leaves Infant with Family for Birthday Dinner, Child Gets Mauled to Death by Dog By Angel Saunders

A Florida mother’s son has died after she left the infant in the care of relatives for her birthday, resulting in the baby being mauled to death by the family dog. 

During a press conference shared by Fox 35 Orlando on Thursday, July 31, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood, who appeared visibly distraught, called the situation “extremely, extremely heartbreaking.”

“We have a young couple that leaves their 5-month-old son, Carter, in the custody of their great-grandmother and great aunt, and they go out to dinner to celebrate mom’s birthday,” Chitwood said of the Wednesday, July 30, incident. 

Wednesday was the woman’s 21st birthday, reports the Orlando Sentinel.

Related Stories

Family Pit Bull Kills 1-Year-Old as Mom Desperately Tries to Save Her

9-Month-Old Baby Dead, Grandmother Injured Following Family Dog Attack

According to the sheriff, the baby began getting “fussy,” so the great-grandmother and great aunt put him in one of the bedrooms and closed the door behind them. They then let their three dogs out of a cage to roam freely throughout the home.

Both women went into their kitchen to make tea and toast, but soon realized the bedroom door, where the child was, was open.

Chitwood said the great-grandmother walked in to check, and saw “their biggest dog,” a 130-lb. Great Dane and husky mix, “sitting next to Carter,” who “appears to be bleeding and he’s lifeless.” 

He said a “horrific” 911 call followed.

Around this time, the baby’s parents returned home, saw their child and rushed him to Advent Hospital in Daytona Beach, where Carter was pronounced dead. 

The sheriff said animal control was called to collect the dog and that there is a 10-day hold where the family has a chance to appeal the canine being euthanized. Fox 35 Orlando reported that the Volusia County Animal Services (VCAS) was the specific agency. 

“This is tragic. Tragic all the way around. You have a young mother will remember on her birthday that her child is dead,” Chitwood said at the press conference, his voice cracking with emotion as he spoke. 

“And the grandparents, I mean, I just don’t know how anybody feels about this,” he continued. “It is so, so, so tragic on what started to be a great night, ends up when you return home, your child is dead.”

“I can’t imagine how anybody in this family feels.” 

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Chitwood asked for the “mean sons of bitches out there that get on social media, hiding behind the keyboard under the cloak of anonymity and publish some really hurtful, evil stuff,” to offer condolences to the family instead of “some of the stuff that I saw.”

When taking questions from reporters, the sheriff said he didn’t believe in his heart that the great aunt and the great-grandmother meant for the tragic outcome, but the case is under investigation to see if negligence was a factor. 

“You still owe Carter, the little guy, a full investigation to determine everything that occurred,” Chitwood said.