The Joliet Police Department report a toddler has died after being mauled by a pit bull early Sunday morning during a Fourth of July party.
Officers responded to a call Sunday to find a “unresponsive 17-month-old female with bite marks throughout her body,” Police reported. It happened on the city’s far west side around 1:30 a.m.
The girl was pronounced dead in the emergency room at AMITA Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet around 3:30 a.m. Sunday morning, according to the Coroner’s office. The Will County Coroner’s Office identified the child as Marley Wilander of Aurora.
Marley’s autopsy showed “multiple injuries due to being wounded by a dog,” the Coroner’s office said.
According to reports, the girl was at her parent’s friend’s house for a Fourth of July party in a playpen in an upstairs bedroom while two pit bull mixed bull dogs were locked up in the basement during the party.
At some point in the night, a homeowner heard a noise and went to investigate to soon find a dog biting the toddler. After removing the dog, they called 911.
The mauling death is now under investigation and the dog has been turned over to Animal Control.
