A woman died from a medical emergency inside her Indiana home before the four-year-old girl she was babysitting was mauled and ultimately killed by six pit bulls.
When Gina Flores asked her aunt to watch her young daughter, she never would have thought it would be the last time she saw either of them alive.
On Monday, Oliva Mora Regalado, 53, reportedly died from a medical emergency stemming from a pre-existing condition, leaving Flores’ daughter Evelynn Lopez alone with seven dogs – six pit bulls and one poodle mix.
Evelynn was then viciously attacked by the animals, according to a statement from the Huntingburg Police Department.
It is unclear what caused the animals to turn violent on the small girl.
Flores was returning to pick up her child when she made the heartbreaking discovery, police told the DailyMail.com.
She frantically called 911 and emergency services arrived around 3:40 pm, according to police.
First responders immediately performed life-saving measures, but Regalado was pronounced dead at the scene.
Evelyn was rushed to Deaconess Memorial in Jasper in critical condition. She later succumbed to her severe injuries.
All seven dogs were put down at the home where the gut-wrenching incident occurred in order to ensure ‘the safety of everyone involved and the preservation of evidence,’ the police department said.
The animals’ bodies were taken to an agricultural center for lab testing. No criminal charges related to the incident have been filed.
Relatives have not spoken out about the double-tragedy, but community members and friends of the heartbroken family have shared their condolences online, especially for Evelynn’s parents, Flores and Alberto Lopez.
‘Sending love and prayers to Gina and Alberto’s family during this heartbreaking time,’ Brisa Villalobos, who knows the family, wrote on Facebook underneath the police department’s statement about the two deaths.
‘Anyone who truly knows Gina knows how amazing of a mother she was to Evelynn she was her whole world, her little blessing from God.
‘Gina and Alberto were both loving, dedicated parents, and it’s really upsetting to see people making assumptions and leaving cruel comments without even knowing the full story.
‘Please remember this family is grieving not just the loss of their daughter, but also Gina’s aunt. They deserve compassion, not judgment.’
These horrifying deaths come about a week after an Ohio seven-month-old was mauled to death by her family’s dog.
Elizah Turner, of Columbus, was fatally attacked by one of her family’s three pit bulls on Wednesday.
The injured infant was first taken to a nearby fire station before she was taken to Nationwide Children’s Hospital around 11:43 am, where she was pronounced dead.
There were multiple dogs inside the home at the time of the attack, but it is unclear exactly which one bit the baby, Columbus Police Sgt. James Fuqua told WBNS.
He called the incident a tragic accident and said no charges are expected to be filed.
‘There is really not a lot of words I can say to convey how I feel and how the officers who arrived [feel]. Everyone in this process is literally grieving as if this child belonged to us because most of us are parents and can’t imagine just how this scene is,’ Fuqua added.
After the tragedy, the pit bulls were seen being escorted out of the home by Franklin County Animal Control.