09-07-2025
Sweet little girl, 5, left seriously injured after two pit bulls attack her in friend's backyard
A five-year-old girl from Indiana is recovering from devastating injuries after two pit bulls mauled her in a friend's backyard.
The attack in South Bend left her bloodied and permanently scarred in the brutal attack the occurred last month.
Little Nylah Jones had only just stepped into her friend's backyard on S. Albert Avenue with her six-year-old brother when the two dogs lunged at her without warning sinking their teeth into her face and dragging her down as she cried for help.
'I just heard my son yelling "Mom! Mom!" said Jillquisha Jones, Nylah's mother to WNDU. 'I was like, "What's going on?" and he said, "The dog is on Nylah!"'
The horrifying incident unfolded at around 7pm as neighbors ran outside to the sound of the youngster screaming.
One neighbor, Angela, saw the child being carried in blood-soaked arms toward the street and said the scene was nothing short of horrific.
'She was bloody. She was carrying her,' Angela recalled. 'She met her mom and was like, "We've got to go to the hospital." It was just a really crazy scene.'
Nylah's injuries were severe. She was rushed to the emergency room and is now left with dozens of deep cuts across her face - injuries that doctors say could leave her permanently disfigured.
'She has scars all over her face,' her mother said. 'They told me some of them might never go away.'
The attack has left a lasting emotional imprint on Nylah's brother, who witnessed everything and now struggles to speak about it.
'Every time I look at her face, it just makes me really sad and cry,' he said told 21Alive.
Nylah's family says the little girl is now afraid of going outside.
'My daughter almost died,' Jillquisha said. 'We could've lost her.'
Her mother says she has since been stonewalled by local authorities and animal control, despite repeated attempts to get answers or action.
'At first, I just felt like they didn't care,' Jillquisha said. 'I'm calling them, I'm reaching out to animal control. Everybody from my friend's list on my social media tried to reach out, and they're not talking to me. They didn't say nothing.
'I don't care what kind of dog it is,' Jillquisha added. 'If it can do that to a child, something has to be done.
'There has to be more urgency. It shouldn't take a little girl being torn up for someone to care.'
The two pit bulls were later voluntarily surrendered by their owners to the South Bend Animal Resource Center (SBARC), but no charges have been filed, and the city has yet to confirm what consequences the owners will face or whether the dogs will be euthanized.
The City of South Bend said in a statement that all bite reports are reviewed 'on a case-by-case basis,' taking into account the source of the report, the severity of the bite, and the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Officials from SBARC have confirmed they are aware of the incident but declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.
This attack has reignited longstanding fears about safety around pit bulls, particularly when it comes to children.
Animal rights groups and breed-specific advocates have long debated the temperament and risk posed by the breed, with critics pointing to fatal maulings and defenders blaming poor training or negligent owners.
