Police Investigate 14-year-old Massachusetts Death by Dogs He Occupied

May 11, 2019, 16:12 UTC

By Nicole Acevedo

Police are investigating the death of a 14-year-old Massachusetts boy, caused by dogs he was caring for.

Ryan Hazel died after the attack by a group of dogs in Dighton, about an hour south of Boston, reported Boston NBC.

The incident occurred Thursday evening after the boy's grandmother drove Ryan to the property to help the owner take care of several dogs he kept there, which the boy had been doing for about a year. When the grandmother noticed that it was taking longer than usual, she asked for help from a neighbor.

The neighbor found Ryan on the floor with traumatic injuries and called 911 after unsuccessfully performing CPR on the boy, said Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn III. The owner, who would have been a dog trainer, was in Boston at the time of the incident, reported the television channel.

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"It's clearly a tragedy for the victim, his family, his friends, and the city – my heart is dear to them," Quinn said.

The police found four dogs in the yard and seven others in cages, mostly Dutch shepherds. Dogs were to be quarantined by animal control for up to 10 days.

An autopsy is scheduled on Ryan's body as part of the investigation.

The owner of the dogs, 49-year-old Scott Dunmore, is collaborating in the investigation. No criminal charges had been filed Friday night, according to Quinn, reported Boston NBC.

Ryan, who lived near Rehoboth, was a freshman at the Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School in East Taunton, where he was part of the football team.

"Everyone loved him. He had a lot of friends. He would do a lot of sport. Connor Thibert, a friend of Ryan, told NBC Boston that he was athletic. "I just can not believe he's gone."

"It's so sad to hear that it's gone … it's so heartbreaking," said another friend, Aaron Avila.