VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Eyewitness News is staying on top of every development in the tragic death of an 8-year-old boy who was mauled by two dogs.
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The family spoke only to WTFV’s Demie Johnson saying they want justice.
The attack happened Monday night in a neighborhood off County Road 15A just north of DeLand.
Read: ‘Heartbroken’: Family mourns the loss of 8-year-old boy killed in neighborhood dog attack
Michael’s sisters 17-year-old Skylar and 11-year-old Kynsleigh said their hearts are shattered. They want the dog’s owner to be held accountable.
“She should be kept in jail forever for what she let happen to my little brother,” said Kynsleigh.
“I want this lady to be put away for good. Honestly, I wish the worst on her and her dogs,” said Skylar.
Read: Volusia County Sheriff seeks evidence to pursue charges in dog attack that killed young boy
We asked attorney Aaron Delgado, who is not connected to this case in any way, about possible outcomes for the dogs’ owner.
He explained without proof of a pattern of negligence, it may be difficult to charge her with anything more than a 2nd-degree misdemeanor.
“Even then, they have to show that she knew the dogs were dangerous, they hadn’t declared it, but she was reckless about dealing with it,” said Delgado.
Delgado said because of how brutal this situation was… there is a chance the state attorney could be more aggressive to send a message and charge the owner with culpable negligence.
Read: ‘Tragedy beyond comprehension’: Boy, 8, dies after dog attack near DeLand, sheriff says
“Culpable negligence is when you’re ridiculously negligent like driving down the highway blindfolded at twice the speed or something like that,” said Delgado. “If someone is killed by your negligence then that’s a manslaughter and in fact if a child dies because of your negligence then that’s aggravated manslaughter.”
Something else that could be explored, Delgado said, is updating the law.
“This law was I think last checked in 2016, some of the statutes are from 1893. So, the legislature could revisit this. They could decide hey if this is something we don’t want to have happen again, we can bump the penalty, we can create a different standard,” said Delgado.
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office continues to ask anyone with information about the dogs to share it with them so they can continue building their case.
The dogs are being held at an unknown location by county animal services for ten days. State statute says the owner has that much time to relinquish her rights or appeal.
If she doesn’t, the dogs will be put down at the end of the ten days.
Only on 9: The sisters of a young boy killed by 2 dogs speak - See Video Below:
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