Pit bulls that killed 2-year-old boy in Colton are euthanized

Five pit bull mixes that mauled a 2-year-old boy to death in Colton have been euthanized, police said Wednesday.

The five dogs were taken by authorities after the mangled body of toddler Samuel Zamudio was discovered in the backyard of a home on Citrus Avenue on Monday afternoon. A friend of the family said that the boy had climbed out of a rear window into the backyard when no one was looking, and by the time he was found 30 minutes later, it was too late.

A necropsy on the dogs will be performed Wednesday for evidence, said Colton police Det. Ray Mendez. The San Bernardino County coroner was performing an autopsy on Samuel on Wednesday morning, officials said.

PHOTOS: Toddler mauled to death by pit bulls

Colton police said Samuel was “suffering from extensive wounds to the upper body” when he was rushed to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead about 6 p.m. Monday.

Witnesses said Samuel’s uncle, 23-year-old Marco Zamudio, tried to resuscitate him until paramedics arrived. Eustulia Zamudio alerted the family.

The two were arrested on suspicion of child endangerment resulting in death. Police said that Marco Zamudio was responsible for the toddler, and that Eustulia Zamudio owned the dogs and the property where the attack occurred. They are scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday.

According to relatives, five adults and three children lived in the home. In addition to the five pit bull mixes in the back, two other dogs were in the house and fenced in the front yard. The dogs not involved in the attack were put on a 14-day hold at a local animal shelter where their owners can petition for their release, Mendez said.

Monday’s dog attack was at least the second in Colton this year. In April, officers shot a pit bull after it attacked its owner and killed another dog.

In May, a fatal attack in the Antelope Valley increased pressure on lawmakers to hold dog owners accountable for such incidents. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed this month to strengthen county regulations against vicious dogs.

In Riverside County, supervisors are proposing an ordinance that would require all pit bulls and pit bull mixes in unincorporated cities to be sterilized.

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