Name: JMS
Victim: Child
Location: In a yard, California
Year of attack: 2007

Tell us about the attack

I’m a lawyer. My clients owned a 5-acre parcel in Riverside, California, and rented a portion to a family who did day care for two toddlers. One day my clients saw a pit bull in the yard of the rental and told the tenants they had to get rid of it. A week later the lady tenant had not gotten rid of the pit bull, and drove her daughter to school, leaving the two toddlers inside. The lady’s 10-year-old son woke up and went outside to see what the pit bull was playing with. He thought it was a doll. It was a two-year-old girl, and the pit bull had mauled the little girl to death.

How has your life changed as a result of the attack?
I am very vocal about the dangers of pit bulls around children and other animals. I don’t care if I offend a pit bull owner: they need to know the propensity of the breed to kill without warning.

Legal Consequences
My clients were sued by the estate of the deceased toddler, and their insurance paid the claim. The lady who lived there went to prison for leaving the toddlers without adult supervision. I sat through the deposition of the Riverside homicide detective, and despite having seen many gruesome images in my life, I could not even look at the autopsy photographs. It was bad enough when the homicide detective described the condition of the victim.

What would you like people to know as a result of your attack?
Do not trust pit bulls around children. Period. Do not trust pit bulls around other dogs.