Dogs maul baby to death when babysitter leaves him with teen daughter, Texas cops say

A babysitter’s “inaction” led to her dogs mauling a 1-year-old boy she was tasked with caring for, Texas authorities say.

But the babysitter, 36-year-old Heather Rodriguez, was not in the San Antonio home during the Monday, Oct. 7, attack, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said in a news briefing. She left the home and put the baby in the care of her 13-year-old daughter, the sheriff said.

After a minutes-long attack in the home, the baby died from his injuries, WOAI and MySanAntonio.com reported. The infant was identified as Jiryiah Johnson.

The teen and baby were in a bedroom in an attempt to keep Rodriguez’s four dogs away from the infant, the sheriff said. But the dogs forced their way into the room and began mauling the baby.

The 13-year-old tried to fight off the dogs, with Salazar describing it as a game of “tug of war” over control of the baby. Eventually, the teen got herself and the baby into a bathroom, but the dogs broke in and continued their attack, the sheriff said.

Salazar said the girl had to leave the baby alone with the dogs in order to retrieve her phone and call for help. She went back and fought off the dogs before taking the child to another room and barricading the door with her body.

First responders found the baby with “substantial” injuries, the sheriff said. The infant had “pretty severe head injuries,” with damage to his throat impacting his breathing.

“It’s heartbreaking to see anybody in that condition, even more so a 1-year-old baby,” the sheriff said.

Erika Castro, the mother of the 1-year-old victim, said she had “been shaking” and “having panic attacks” since the incident, KENS reported. She gave birth to Jiryiah on June 4, 2023.

The baby was pronounced dead hours after the attack, MySanAntonio.com reported.

The 13-year-old was “covered in blood,” but Salazar said most of the blood was the baby’s. The sheriff called the girl a “hero,” as her actions prevented a more-serious attack.

It’s unclear how long Rodriguez was out of the house or where she went. She was arrested and charged with injury to a child with serious bodily injuring by omission, the sheriff said.

Salazar said Rodriguez’s “inaction” and “omissions” caused the fatal injuries to the baby.

Castro told KENS that Rodriguez left the home because she got called into work.

“I wish she’d had stayed like she said she would’ve,” the mother told the station.

Rodriguez was previously cited for having unleashed dogs that tried attacking a man in his car, according to Salazar. The sheriff said the child’s parents were unaware the dogs were “problematic.”

At least two of the “XL” dogs were involved in the attack, but it’s unclear if all four were, Salazar said, adding that any dogs found responsible for the mauling will be put down.