A six-week-old baby boy died on Thursday in Tennessee after being mauled in his crib by the family’s pet husky.
Ezra Mansoor was taken to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital in Knoxville and remained in critical condition for six days, after the attack at the family home last Friday.
The child suffered several life-threatening injuries, including a brain bleed and brain swelling.
Ezra’s parents, Mark and Chloe Mansoor, said they were devastated by the news. The dog, which the family owned for eight years, had never shown aggression prior to the incident, they said.
“It could be any dog at any time, completely unprovoked, no matter what the history is,” Chloe Mansoor told TV station WVLT.
Despite the tragedy, she hoped that their ordeal would serve as a warning to others with small children and animals.
“Being his mom was the biggest honor and the best thing I’ve ever done,” Ms Mansoor said.
“Pray for all the family. Really, all of the family loved him so much. I know everyone’s grieving right now, we’re grieving right now and it’s going to be a lifelong process trying to work through this.”
The family decided to have Ezra become an organ donor in the hopes of saving the lives of other children, which gave the Mansoors “comfort” following the tragedy.
The dog responsible for the attack was taken to the Young Williams Animal Center, according to Ms Mansoor.
In a statement shared with The Independent, Janet Testerman, CEO of Young-Williams Animal Center, said: “Young-Williams Animal Center is holding an adult dog following an incident in which an infant was reported to have been injured in Knoxville on May 24, 2024.
“The dog is under a 10-day bite quarantine as required by state law.”
A GoFundMe page set up to help the family had reached over $7,500 on Friday.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the case. The Independent has contacted the sheriff’s office for further information regarding the investigation.
