John Jefferson
Left inset: Heather Rodriguez (Bexar County Sheriff’s Office). Right inset: Jiryiah Johnson (GoFundMe). Background: Officials confiscate pit bulls who allegedly attacked and killed Jiryiah Johnson (KABB/YouTube).
A Texas woman is facing felony charges after she allegedly left her 13-year-old daughter alone with her vicious dogs who attacked and killed the 1-year-old boy she was babysitting.
It happened Monday in the San Antonio area. According to Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, 36-year-old Heather Rodriguez left her 13-year-old daughter and the boy she was caring for, Jiryiah Johnson, in a locked bedroom to keep the dogs away from them. However, the dogs broke their way through the door and started attacking Jiryiah.
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“The little girl, the 13-year-old, was able to maintain control of the baby but at this point in what’s being described to be as it was almost a tug-of-war for the baby between at least one of the dogs and the little girl,” Salazar said at a press conference.
According to Salazar, the girl was able to get the boy into a bathroom but the dogs broke through that door, too, and continued their attack. Finally the girl barricaded themselves into another bedroom where she was able to call for help. The boy suffered fatal injuries to his head and throat.
“It’s heartbreaking to see anybody in that condition, let alone a 1-year-old baby,” Salazar said.
Paramedics rushed the boy to the hospital where he died later on Monday. Salazar was incredulous as to why Rodriguez would leave her dogs alone with her young daughter and boy.
“In a house full of vicious dogs, what did this lady, this suspect, think was going to happen?” Salazar said.
Salazar also noted Rodriguez “seemed more concerned with what was going on with those dogs” than taking responsibility for her actions.
He called the 13-year-old girl who tried protecting the baby a hero for trying to fight the dogs off.
There had been previous complaints about the dogs. In April, a man called deputies fearing for his safety because a pack of loose dogs were outside of his car and he was unable to get out, per Salazar. Rodriguez was subsequently cited for having unleashed dogs.
After the brutal attack of Jiryiah, Salazar called for all the dogs involved in the attack to be euthanized. Animal control will ultimately make that call, he said.
Cops initially arrested Rodriguez on serious bodily injury of a child by omission. On Tuesday, they filed additional charges of endangering a child and reckless injury to a child. She remains in the Bexar County Jail.
Meanwhile, coworkers of Jiryiah’s mom started a GoFundMe to help pay for funeral expenses.
“He underwent numerous procedures to stabilize his condition after being mauled, but the injuries were too severe. He succumbed to his injuries that night and now the family needs our help in paying for funeral expenses as well as the medical bills,” the fundraiser said.
His mother Erika Castro described her devastation and confusion to local CBS affiliate KENS. She didn’t understand why Rodriguez left the house.
“I wish she’d had stayed like she said she would’ve, instead of going into work. She got called into work,” Castro said.
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