Dogs kill local toddler in attack

By Cindy Sheets
Contributing Writer

A nine-month-old child died Monday after he was attacked by dogs at a residence south of Perkins.

The incident was reported to Iowa Tribal Police at 11: 11 a.m. Monday, March 8. Officers were dispatched to a home at 750801 S. 3380 Road to find the baby boy had been mauled by two adult Rottweiler dogs.

A source close to the family said the dogs had been brought into the home Sunday night. The attack apparently occurred Monday morning in a hallway outside a bedroom where the baby and his twoyear- old brother had been sleeping with their father, Juan Lopez. It is not known how the nine-month-old got out of his crib.

The children’s grandfather came to visit the family Monday morning and discovered the baby shortly before 11 a.m. The baby’s father was still sleeping when the grandfather arrived, the source said.

Stillwater firefighters were called to the scene at approximately 11:20 a.m. The child died at the scene.

The children’s mother, Stephanie Easley, was at work at the time of the incident. The two-year-old was not hurt, but Easley was transported to Stillwater Medical Center to be treated for emotional distress and shock.

The medical examiner ordered the child’s body taken for autopsy to the State Medical Examiner’s office in Oklahoma City.

The incident was investigated by Iowa Tribe Police Chief Bobby Fields and Lieutenant Scott Stropes.

The incident occurred on land held in federal trust for the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma.

Police referred The Journal to the Iowa Tribe Business Committee for comment or information about the incident and investigation. A spokesperson for the tribe Tuesday said “there is no comment at this time.”

The source said the two dogs, a male and a female, were killed and taken to Oklahoma State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital for necropsy.

As of press time, no charges had been filed, but the incident is still under investigation.

This is part of the March 11, 2010 online edition of The Journal.

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