An infant who was originally thought to have been mauled to death by a pit bull puppy instead died of unknown causes not related to the attack, according to a medical examiner in Queens, New York.
The parents of the 1-month-old girl awoke Tuesday morning to find their dog mauling the girl, who was between them in bed, the New York Post reported.
Neighbors reported screams before the arrival of medical responders, who pronounced baby Kiyanna Winfield dead at the scene.
Police initially suspected the 6-month-old puppy had killed the girl, as it had chewed off a “substantial portion” of her face.
But the New York City Office of the Medical Examiner gave a different explanation Wednesday.
“The cause and manner of death are pending further study following the examination today,” a spokesman told the Post via email. “But we can confirm this is not a death from a dog mauling. The injuries inflicted by the dog were postmortem.”
⚠️ WARNING: This post contains graphic descriptions of violence.
A 1-month-old baby girl died after being mauled by the family dog inside a Queens housing project in New York City early Tuesday morning, May 27. The baby’s mother called 911 shortly after 6:30 a.m., finding the… pic.twitter.com/7VjVZioYBc
— True Crime Updates (@TrueCrimeUpdat) May 29, 2025
Animal Control later removed the puppy, a German shepherd and pit bull mix, from the apartment.
Puppy did not kill 1-month-old girl found dead in Queens, medical examiner reveals https://t.co/9o0PI1U728 pic.twitter.com/fQlVJYbdR0
— 1010 WINS on 92.3 FM (@1010WINS) May 28, 2025
Neighbors were in disbelief about the attack.
“To be honest, as a mom of three, I was sad, you know? ‘Cause honestly, as a parent, you don’t expect your pet to attack your child or anything,” neighbor Maria Gutierrez said, according to CBS News.
Another neighbor said she spoke with the baby’s mother about the dog two days before the incident.
“I told her, ‘That dog needs to be on a leash,’” Shanel Nroville said.
“She said, ‘No, this dog don’t bite.’ I said, ‘All dogs bite,’” Nroville told The Post.
Police are still investigating the incident, but no charges have been filed.
As for the baby, the cause of her death is “pending further study to include a full pediatric workup.”
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