A six-month-old baby girl was killed in an attack by a dog last night.
The baby, who was being cared for at the home of a relative in Daventry, Northamptonshire, was taken to Northampton General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The relative tried to intervene to save the baby and sustained bite wounds in the attack. The breed of the dog is not yet known, according to BBC News.
Reports say the dog was destroyed at the scene and vets are currently carrying out DNA tests on the animal to find out if it was a banned breed.
Detective Sergeant Gary Baker, who is leading the investigation, said: “This was a deeply distressing and tragic incident and our thoughts are with the family who have been left devastated by the events of last night.
“Incidents such as these are extremely rare in this country, but that will be of little comfort to the relatives of this tragically young victim.
“The family have requested that they be left to grieve at this difficult time.”
