Tragedy in Alabama: Infant Killed in Dog Attack
A heartbreaking tragedy has left a community grieving after 6-month-old Ember Renee Southard from Bibb County, Alabama, was fatally attacked by a dog on March 14. The incident occurred at a family member’s home in Shelby County while Ember’s mother, Anna, briefly left her in their care to take her grandmother to a doctor’s appointment.
The attack happened within 20 minutes, during which Ember reportedly slipped off a relative’s chest and was mauled by an 11-year-old American Bully, a family pet with no prior history of aggression. Anna returned home to find her daughter unresponsive. Despite efforts by medical teams, Ember was pronounced dead at 1:10 p.m.
Anna, devastated, said the incident was preventable and blames unsafe sleep practices and lack of supervision. She will not press charges but says she will never forgive the relative responsible. A GoFundMe has been set up for funeral costs.
Anna urges others to follow safe sleep guidelines and never leave infants unsupervised around any dog: “Any dog can kill an infant. It’s never worth the risk.”