An infant girl who was found dead in her family's Queens apartment, believed to have been mauled by the family dog, was already dead before being bitten by the pet, officials said on Wednesday, May 28.
As previously reported, Kiyanna Winfield, a month-old infant was in bed between her 26-year-old mother and her stepfather in their apartment in NYCHA's Queensbridge North Houses in Long Island City when the couple said they woke up at about 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday to find their dog biting the infant's face.
The baby was pronounced dead at the scene and investigators initially believed the canine was responsible for the baby's death. An initial autopsy performed by was inconclusive with further testing needed to determine how the baby died, a city Medical Examiner spokeswoman said Wednesday.
However, the autopsy did reveal the dog bites were inflicted after the girl was already dead, as reported by New York Daily News. The dog, a six-week-old pitbull mix puppy, was taken into custody by the NYPD and transported to an Animal Care Centers of NYC shelter Tuesday evening. The dog was put on a 10-day rabies observation hold.
No arrests have been made as cops continue to probe the incident. The adoptive mother of the child's mom told The News on Tuesday she had offered to take the newborn in while the mom, who was living in a shelter at the time, worked to secure better housing.
