1-Month-Old Girl Was On Couch When Dog Laid On Her

 

May 16, 2005

 

LOCKLAND, Ohio -- A family's pit bull is being blamed for smothering a 1-month-old baby girl, News 5's Ken Stinson reported.

 

Lockland police are still investigating. They're not sure why or how long the pit bull laid on the baby, named Maria, in the house in the 300 block of Williams Street.

 

The baby was on the couch and the mother, Sarah Statzer, was in the kitchen when it happened just before 5 a.m. Sunday.

 

When rescuers arrived, the baby was bleeding from the nose, Stinson reported. She was transported to Children's Hospital. Police are awaiting autopsy results. A neighbor, Sally Clark, cried as she spoke about the child's death. "She was born a month early, a little premature. I can't imagine what they're going through," Clark said.