A 7-year-old girl in Louisiana was mauled to death by a pit bull while playing outside a relative's home, according to the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Sadie Davila suffered from "numerous dog bites to her face and substantial damage to her skull," according to a police affidavit obtained by The Advocate.
She was taken to a hospital in critical condition and died of her injuries hours later.
NBC affiliate WLBT reports the girl's relative tried to intervene, the but dog continued to attack.
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The dog's owner, 20-year-old Erick Lopez, was arrested on a charge of negligent homicide in Sadie's death. According to arrest records, Lopez did not have any fencing or other restraint to confine the dog to the property, "leaving it to roam the neighborhood."
It was unclear if Lopez retained an attorney to comment on his behalf.
Vanessa Bloss, principal of Woodlawn Elementary, remembered the first-grader as a bright soul with a big heart.
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"It’s just a heartbreak," Bloss told WLBT. "It’s the fact that it was so abrupt and so senseless that I think that we haven’t had… we still are processing it, and we’re still trying to figure out how to best move forward.".
East Baton Rouge Animal Control said the dog was taken into their custody.
