While searching the property, deputies found the girl's body being guarded by a large, aggressive dog.
A 5-year-old girl is dead after what investigators believe may have been an animal attack at a home in Graham, according to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department.
Deputies were called to the home in the 30200 block of 92nd Avenue East Thursday night after a grandmother reported the girl missing while they were visiting a family friend's house, according to officials with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.
While searching the property, deputies found the girl's body being guarded by a large, aggressive dog. They fatally shot the animal in order to reach the child.
"The girl had injuries consistent with a large animal attack," said Det. Josh Mills with the Pierce County Sheriff's Office. "There was a large dog on scene, but it wasn't heard or witnessed. We're unsure of what did occur."
Investigators say they're awaiting confirmation from the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office to determine whether the dog was responsible for the girl's death, or whether another animal in the wooded, rural area may have been involved.
Neighbors say they'd never seen the dog before and had no prior issues with it. County officials confirmed there are no previous reports involving the animal.
"They'd interacted with the dog before. No indication of this before," Mills said. "We've checked. No documented aggressive history of this animal. No reports or anything like that."
Lee Martin, who lives down the street, was helping deputies search for the girl when the scene turned tragic.
"I heard a little kid say, 'Mommy,’ and thought she's got to be over here somewhere," Martin said. "I could hear the sheriff call out, 'Really? Oh my God, what happened.' And then it was pop, pop, pop," he added. "The family screaming and hollering, just hearing her go through the emotions of losing her daughter, I couldn't imagine it.
The child's cause of death remains under investigation. No criminal charges have been filed.
