A friend said the family canines who killed two Tennessee kids to death and left their mom with serious injuries had never been violent.
Kirstie Jane Bennard, 30, was gravely injured as she attempted to remove the family’s two pit dogs away from 5-month-old Hollace Dean and 2-year-old Lilly Jane at their house in Shelby County, outside Memphis.
She can assure one that those kids were her life, and if there was any indication of threat, she would never have let those dogs around her kids, the distraught mother’s best friend, Kelsey Canfield, Those kids were all to them, and they have a long road ahead of them.
Canfield claimed the family owned the pets, Cheech and Mia, for more than eight years without a violent incident.
That onslaught went on for far longer than anyone could have expected, she continued.
Canfield was with Kirstie Jane Bennard’s sister on Friday, and they were on their way to visit her at Regional One Health in Memphis. Her status was changed from critical to stable.
She was first puzzled. She is now awake and conscious of what has occurred, Canfield explained.
Colby Bennard, the children’s father, who works as a parts manager at Bumpus Harley-Davidson, was not at home at the time of the incident.
The father had posted images of Cheech and Mia on Facebook, dubbing them “house lions.”
Jeff Gibson, Colby Bennard’s uncle, stated on Facebook that Kirstie Jane Bennard had an infinite amount of stitches and bite scars over her entire body, even her face.
Her legs and limbs are totally bandaged, but she is unlikely to sustain permanent injury other than a heart that will never mend, according to the article.
Kirstie is a true hero! This onslaught lasted more than ten minutes, and she never gave up hope of saving these kids, Gibson penned.
Authorities did not explain why the household pets attacked the couple’s only kids.
The pit bulls were killed on Thursday, according to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating the terrible deaths.
Police and the fire department arrived at the two-story residence in Shelby Forrest State Park around 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, and the youngsters were declared dead at the scene.
Canfield described the infant and toddler as “wonderful, lovely,” noting that they “idolized one other.”
Kirstie Jane Bennard’s sister, who would not give her name, requested privacy as the family mourns. It was a loss not only for her sister, but for her as well, she sobbed. Those were her nieces and nephews.
The neighborhood is still grieving after the heinous crime.
To say she is speechless and her heart is and has been hurting since she heard out is an understatement, said friend Stephanie Chipman on Facebook, over a sequence of images of Kirstie Jane Bennard and her family.
She was completely taken aback. She is praying that the Lord would hold her and the family close and help her get through this. She is always there for her and adores her, the post went on.
The autopsies for the youngsters are still pending.
According to the non-profit dogsbite.org, pit bulls killed at least 33 humans in the United States in 2020, more than any other dog breed.
