DELAND, Fla. – Two dogs that attacked and killed an 8-year-old boy near DeLand will be euthanized later this month, according to the Volusia County sheriff.
Michael Millett, 8, was attacked and killed on Jan. 13 when he was riding his bicycle around a subdivision with a friend and he stopped to pet one of the animals, according to Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood. The two dogs - described as a pit bull and a mixed breed - were then captured by Volusia County Animal Services officers.
Chitwood said on Friday that the dogs would be put down next Thursday, Jan. 30.
The sheriff said Millett was “maliciously mauled, brutally mauled and killed.” Chitwood said the owner of the dogs was not on the property at the time of the attack.
“As we went door-to-door last night, we heard horrific stories of how the dogs are always at large, how they destroyed chickens and we’ve gotten some information from another county that it’s possible they were involved in some other type of an incident,” Chitwood said. “... Clearly, this just didn’t happen in a vacuum. These dogs have been terrorizing the neighborhood for a while.”
Deputies reported that the dogs escaped from their owner’s property and went into Millett’s neighborhood.
The sheriff said his office plans to present a case to the state attorney’s office to charge the owner with manslaughter. Ultimately, it will be up to the state attorney if charges will be filed.
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