Florida boy, 8, 'maliciously mauled' to death by dogs he stopped to pet while out riding his bike: sheriff

An 8-year-old Fboy was "brutally mauled and killed" after he stopped riding his bike to pet two dogs at the entrance of a Florida neighborhood on Monday, according to Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood.

Michael Millett was riding bikes with a friend in the Berry Ridge neighborhood in DeLand on Monday at around 4:55 p.m. when he was "maliciously mauled" to death at the scene by two dogs who appeared to be friendly at first, Chitwood said.

"It goes from petting, and a very friendly encounter, to the dogs becoming very, very, very vicious and very violent," Chitwood said in a news conference on Tuesday.

Millett was bitten 12 times by the two dogs, which have been identified as a Pit Bull Terrier and possibly a Catahoula, or some other herding breed.

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Chitwood said he wasn't sure how long the attack lasted, but that he does not think the little boy suffered for a long time as his injuries were "just horrific."

"We are going to do everything humanly possible to hold the owner of these dogs responsible, and we are going to do everything possible to make sure that these dogs are destroyed," the sheriff said.

The dogs were ultimately taken into custody by Volusia County Animal Services after being chased back to their property by deputies, and VCAS Director Angela Miedema said the agency is waiting on the owner to sign the dogs over for "humane euthanasia."

"Every one of his 12 bite wounds have been swabbed for DNA so we can conclusively say that these two dogs that they have in custody are the dogs responsible for Michael’s death," the sheriff said.

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The owner, who has the ability to appeal with due process, is known to law enforcement and has been arrested nine times in the past for various charges related to drugs, domestic violence and assault, according to Chitwood.

She was not on her property at the time of the attack or when the dogs ran back to their home, which is approximately half a mile from where Millett was killed.

State attorneys are involved in the investigation and Chitwood said his priorities are to make sure the owner is charged and the dogs are "destroyed."

"She needs to be held accountable," Chitwood said. "We have to prove negligence as the bottom bar."

When deputies and animal control officers arrived at the property to confiscate the dogs, they noted that the property was not fully fenced in, and the dogs had the ability to get out easily, which was confirmed by neighbors who told authorities that the dogs regularly ran astray.

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"As we went door to door last night, we heard horrific stories of how the dogs are always at large, of how they destroyed chickens," Chitwood said on Tuesday, adding that the dogs were possibly involved in another incident in another county.

Despite reports that the dogs were often out roaming, Chitwood said there were not any 911 calls to the sheriff's office or animal services about the animals or the address they live at.

"Clearly, this just didn't happen in a vacuum," Chitwood said. "These dogs have been terrorizing the neighborhood for a while and nobody decided to call us."

The only 911 call related to the dogs that Chitwood was aware of is the one made on Monday reporting the attack on Millett, in which his mother can be heard screaming for help in the background.

She reportedly jumped on top of him to stop the attack and attempted CPR, which was unsuccessful as he died at the scene. The dogs never attacked the mother or the other kids in the area, and Chitwood said he isn't sure why Millett was the only one bitten.

A dog bite fatality expert is working with the county medical examiner to determine more details about the deadly incident, including which dog attacked first and which one caused the most bites.

"Pet ownership is an enormous responsibility," Miedema said. "You have a lot of responsibilities as a dog owner to keep your animal confined to your property and ensure the public's safety, as well as ensure things like socialization and training to make sure that this animal is not a threat to anybody else."

A GoFundMe set up for Millett's parents by other family members described his death as a "tragic accident" and devastating.

"Our family is devastated with the loss of Michael," read the fundraiser, which has amassed more than $40,000. "He was incredibly smart, funny, caring, loving, and so adventurous. Michael’s contagious laugh and light will be missed tremendously."