Honk News (Wichita Falls, TX) – A man and woman from Texas are charged with crimes after their pit dog allegedly mauled and killed the 2-year-old girl they were meant to be babysitting but instead abandoned and left an 11-year-old in charge.
Deidre Wheeler and her husband, Lacharles Ramsey, are both charged with multiple counts of child endangerment and child injury. Police in Wichita Falls, North Texas, responded to a 911 call about 5 p.m. on Dec. 29 reporting a pit bull attacking a youngster.
The girl was “bleeding badly and was non-responsive,” according to a probable cause arrest affidavit. Paramedics took the girl to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
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Investigators spent approximately a month unraveling the terrible version of events. According to the affidavit, Wheeler has six children of her own and, with Ramsey, agreed to monitor two other infants, ages 2 and 8 months. She dropped off the two children she was watching at her house, where her oldest daughters, ages 19 and 16, took over babysitting duties from around midday to 4 p.m. When Wheeler returned, she picked up the 16 and 19-year-olds and drove them to an event, leaving the 11-year-old in charge, according to the affidavit.
During the 45 minutes she and her husband were out, the pit bull escaped from the kennel and pursued the 8-month-old. The other children successfully rescued the 8-month-old from the dog. But the pit bull then attacked the two-year-old.
Wheeler and Ramsey returned home during the attack, but the infant had already sustained critical injuries. They got in their car and drove the girl to the hospital, where they were met by emergency responders.
The 11-year-old later told cops that she was preparing dinner for the other children when she contacted her mother and urged her to come home because the kids were “out of control.” According to the affidavit, that is when the dog went away.
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Investigators discovered the dog had previously escaped and bit one of the other youngsters around a year ago. Ramsey and Wheeler “abandoned” the children and “failed to provide appropriate supervision” despite the presence of a “known aggressive pit bull” in the home, according to police. Wheeler is in the Wichita County Jail on a $450,000 bond, while Ramsey is on a $300,000 bond.
The Wichita Falls Times Record News says that the dog was euthanized. Authorities have not revealed the victim’s name.