ST. MARYS - The two dogs quarantined after the mauling death of a 2-year-old boy earlier this month were euthanized during the weekend.
"The dogs were put down after the 10-day quarantine period," said a spokesperson with the Pleasants County Sheriff's Office. "It was done over the weekend."
The dogs were quarantined following the June 13 mauling death of Jack Redin, 2, of St. Marys. The son of William "Lonnie" Redin and April Redin died of injuries sustained by the two mixed-breed dogs after he allegedly wandered into a neighbor's yard.
While the dogs were large and weighed roughly 70 pounds each, it is unknown what breeds they were made up of, the spokesperson said.
"One appeared to be possibly a lab mix and the other could possibly have been a boxer mix, but we cannot confirm if there was any pit bull as part of them," the person said. "We just cannot exactly say what the mix was because we do not know."
The investigation remains ongoing, but officials said the child wandered into the yard of neighbor David Sweeney, the brother of the dogs' owner Daniel Sweeney, where the dogs were confined by an underground electronic fence - commonly known as an invisible fence, which was marked on the property by flags. The property and dog owners are sons of Third Judicial Circuit Court Judge Timothy Sweeney.
"They are the sons of Judge Sweeney, but that has absolutely no bearing on what has gone on in this investigation and case," the spokesperson said.
No charges have been filed in the investigation into the attack, which was not witnessed by anyone. The victim was found injured by a family member following the incident, the spokesperson said.
An autopsy report in the child's death has not been released. Jack Redin's funeral was held June 16 in Parkersburg.
The Pleasants County Sheriff's Office is awaiting a report from the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) into the attack before charges are considered.
"This was just a horrible, horrible, unfortunate accident," the spokesperson said. "Unfortunately, anything that happens now will not make up for or make the child's death better."
