Fla. Boy Riding His Bike Stopped to Pet 2 Dogs, Who Then 'Maliciously Mauled' Him to Death: Sheriff

A Florida 8-year-old was mauled to death by two dogs he tried to pet during a bike ride. 

Michael Millett was killed on Monday, Jan. 13, in an attack that took place north of DeLand, Fla., the Volusia Sheriff’s office said in a statement. 

Sheriff’s deputies and Volusia County Animal Services officers chased and captured the dogs, who were then confiscated and are being held in quarantine, the statement said. 

Michael was out on a bike ride with a friend on Monday afternoon when, at the entrance to their subdivision, they saw the two dogs and Michael went to pet them, Sheriff Mike Chitwood said at a press conference on Tuesday. 

“At that point, Michael is maliciously mauled, brutally mauled and killed at the scene,” he said. One of the dogs, a pit bull, is 70 lbs.

In a 911 call recording played at the press conference, a woman is heard frantically asking for help. 

“There’s a little boy being attacked by two dogs,” she says, her voice shaking.

“And they’re literally tugging on him,” she adds, breaking down. “Please hurry.” 

“He was screaming for help and now they’ve pinned him down to the ground and now they’re like, biting him but he’s not moving and he’s not responding,” she says. 

During the attack, Micahel’s mother “dove” in to help her child, pleading for help, Chitwood said. She was not attacked by the dogs, who stood by as she screamed for help.

During their investigation, authorities learned the dogs allegedly have a history of being a nuisance in the community, having killed chickens and often roaming large, Chitwood said. There is a possibility the dogs may be involved in “some other type of incident” in another county, he said. 

“Clearly this didn’t just happen in vacuum, these dogs have been terrorizing the neighborhood for a while,” he alleged.

It’s unclear if there will be charges brought against the dog’s owner.

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In a GoFundMe set up to assist his family with funeral, medical and additional expenses, Michael is being remembered for his “contagious: laugh and light.”

“He was incredibly smart, funny, caring, loving, and so adventurous,” read part of the fundraiser.

“My baby boy, my meatball, my meathead, my buddy,” Michael’s father Michael Millett Jr. wrote in a Facebook post alongside a photo of the child. “I can’t put the words together right now. I need my buddy back!!!!!”

Chitwood urged anyone with information on the animals or their owner to reach out to law enforcement, or at 386-943-7866.