Louisiana girl Sadie Davila mauled to death by neighbor’s pitbull

A 7-year-old Louisiana girl was mauled to death by a neighbor’s pit bull that entered her family’s yard, authorities said.

Sadie Davila was playing outside her East Baton Rouge Parish home at 6:30 p.m. Friday when the dog barreled into the property and “viciously attacked her,” according to arrest documents obtained by The Advocate.

A family member tried to shoo the dog away by hitting it on the leg with a cane, but the animal could not be deterred.

The first grader was taken to the hospital with multiple dog bites on her face and severe skull damage. She later succumbed to her injuries, police said.

“My child. She is only 7 years old. My mini me. The light in my heart. Words do not exist for what this feeling is. My family is devastated. Please pray for us. Pray that they press charges against the dog’s owners and hold them accountable,” Sadie’s mother, Haley Anselmo, wrote on Facebook.

“HAPPY sweet Sadie Elizabeth, 7 years old and taken from us in the most violent way. The world is a cruel place. You were the light in my heart,” wrote her father, Mikey Davila in an Instagram story.

Sadie’s mother, Haley Anselmo, said her daughter’s death has left the family devastated. Facebook / Haley Anselmo

Sadie’s school, Woodlawn Elementary, remembered her as a young girl “blooming in
the dawn of her life.”

“Sadie was tough and shy, but she was also soft-hearted and kind,” her teacher, Grace Feucht, said in a statement. “She brought energy and joy to my classroom every time she walked in the door. She was fearless and would sing her heart out in front of her classmates.”

Investigators found the dog after the incident with blood around its face and mouth, the statement said. A “significant” amount of blood was found in Sadie’s yard.

Mikey Davila said his daughter was the light in his heart. Facebook / Mikey Davila

The dog was euthanized the night of the killing, the city’s animal control director told the Advocate.

The dog’s owner, Erick Lopez, told officers he was not home during the attack and regularly let the dog roam the neighborhood. The 20-year-old’s home, about 150 yards from where Sadie was killed, is not surrounded by gates or fences, the documents noted.

Lopez was charged Saturday with manslaughter for failing to restrain or restrain the animal.