KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A 6-week-old eastern Tennessee boy died a week after he was attacked in his crib by his family’s dog, his parents said.
Ezra Mansoor was pronounced dead at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital in Knoxville on May 30, WVLT-TV reported. The boy had been in critical condition since he was attacked on May 24 by a husky that Mark and Chloe Mansoor had owned for eight years, according to the television station.
The dog had never shown aggressive tendencies before the attack, the Mansoors said.
Chloe Mansoor said that other children at stayed at the home and there had never been any issues with the dog, WBIR-TV reported. The Mansoors own two dogs, but only one of them attacked their first child.
“You just think it would never happen to you. But it can happen to anyone, with any dog breed, no matter how long you’ve had the dog,” Chloe Mansoor told the television station. “Ezra meant everything. There’s really no words, other than just absolutely everything.”
It was unclear what provoked the alleged attack.
“I didn’t realize until this happened, just how supported we are and just how many people he had that loved him already,” Chloe Mansoor told WBIR. “Ezra was just asleep in his crib -- not crying or anything. And she just attacked out of nowhere.”
According to the Young-Williams Animal Center, the dog is currently being held by the facility under a mandatory 10-day bite quarantine, WBIR reported.
Ezra’s organs will be donated, according to WVLT.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the case, the television station said. The sheriff’s office said it could not provide further information because the investigation involved a minor, WBIR reported.
A GoFundMe page has been established for the Mansoor family. As of Saturday evening, more than $9.800 had been pledged.