5-year-old girl found dead at Graham, WA home prompts investigation
5-year-old girl found dead at Graham, WA home prompts investigation
A 5-year-old girl from Spanaway was found dead in the yard of a Pierce County home Thursday evening shortly after being reported missing by her grandmother. Authorities are investigating whether the fatal injuries were caused by the dog, a wild animal, or a prior medical event, as there were no witnesses.
GRAHAM, Wash. - Investigators in Pierce County are working to piece together the circumstances surrounding the death of a 5-year-old Spanaway girl who was found dead Thursday evening outside a home in Graham.
"It’s a very traumatic incident," said Detective Josh Mills with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.
Emergency call and immediate discovery
What we know:
Mills said deputies responded around 6:11 PM to a home in the 30200 block of 92nd Avenue East in Graham after a grandmother reported her granddaughter missing. The neighborhood is located in a rural area surrounded by trees.
The detective said the child had been missing for a few minutes when the woman contacted authorities.
"One of the concerns the grandmother had when deputies arrived was that she worried the girl had been wandering into the woods and gotten lost," said Mills.
It only took deputies a few minutes to search the property when they found the little girl in the yard of the property.
"She was obviously injured," said Mills.
Deputies take action
As deputies rushed toward the child to render life-saving aid, they were suddenly blocked.
"There was a large dog between them and the girl that was aggressive, wouldn’t let them near. They had to shoot the dog to try to render aid to the girl," said Mills. "They discovered it was too late. She was deceased at the time."
The detective further explained that there was no time or available resources to handle the dog differently given the critical urgency of reaching the injured child, whom they discovered was dead after shooting the dog.
Investigators said the dog belonged to the homeowner, who is a family friend. Mills said the little girl and her grandmother were visiting the property in Graham.
Investigators confirmed the girl was familiar with the pet and had interacted with it in the past without incident, making the dog's aggression "out of character."
Mills added that there were no prior reports of issues with the pet.
Unwitnessed attack leaves cause pending
While the girl sustained injuries consistent with a large animal attack, the detective emphasized that no one heard or witnessed the incident in the rural neighborhood.
"We can’t say for certain if it was a dog, or a cougar, or bear. The property is quite far south. There’s wildlife out there. We’re unsure," said Mills. "From a police standpoint, we don’t know if something happened to the girl beforehand and then some animal got her. We don’t know. It was unwitnessed."
If forensic evidence eventually points to a wild animal, the detective said wildlife officials will track down the predator.
Emotional toll on first responders
The nature of the call made for an exceptionally challenging scene for responding deputies and forensic investigators.
Mills said the sheriff’s office confirmed that responding personnel will be provided with mental health resources and time away to recover from the trauma of the call.
"It leaves a mark. You don’t go to something like this and not be affected," said Mills. "Obviously, the focus is the family. It’s horrible. I think it’s appropriate for all of us to take a moment to send a thought, send a pray to the family. I couldn’t imagine."
What happens next?
What's next:
The child's body is now with the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office to determine her official cause of death, while animal control examines the deceased dog. The sheriff's office has also launched an investigation, working with forensic experts to analyze blood and tissue samples collected from the scene.
"It’s important that we know what injuries she has, what caused her likely to be deceased," said Mills. "And even after the medical examiner, there will be some further scientific processing that helps determine what was at play and what happened."
Authorities stressed that the full investigation will take time as scientific findings develop.
The Source: Information for this story came from the Pierce County Sheriff's Office and original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle.
MORE NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE
Seattle traffic chaos: Closures to snarl I-5, I-405, SR 99
WA dog attack leaves corgis seriously injured, family 'devastated'
Dog food sold in 11 states recalled over salmonella contamination
Seattle airport gets $1.1 billion to begin major construction project
This WA beach named top spot in US for theft
To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.