The family of a “beloved” 17-month-old girl, who died after being cried by her new dog, paid tribute when she was pictured for the first time.
Bella-Rae Birch died at the hospital from her injuries after the attack at her home in the Blackbrook area of St Helens, Merseyside, on Monday.
In a statement, her family said she will never forget how she was asked to trust the room.
They said: “As a family, we want to thank the community for their support.
“We are now asking ourselves to be given some space and time to try to come to terms with the tragic loss of our beloved Bella-Rae.
“She will be sadly missed but never forgotten.”
Neighbors described their attempt to rescue the baby, which they said was a “beautiful little girl”.
The family of 17-month-old Bella-Rae Birch said she would be “sadly missed but never forgotten”
(Family Handout / Merseyside Police)
One resident said: “We pulled out of school and heard screams. I just went over to help and started CPR until paramedics took over.
The neighbor, who is to train as a paramedic at the university, said the child’s parents were “hysterical”.
Another, who also helped with CPR, said: “Parents love children. It’s too disturbing to say otherwise.”
Speaking to reporters outside the home on Tuesday, Merseyside Police Superintendent Steve Brizell said the death of the child left her family and the wider community “sad and completely shocked”.
He said: “Bella-Rae lost her life in the most unimaginably horrific circumstances and our thoughts are mainly with the family and the large community at this devastating time.
“At this stage, we understand that the family dog, which they had just bought a week earlier, had attacked Bella-Rae in the family home.
A woman lays flowers outside a house in St Helens as neighbors pay homage to the ‘beautiful’ Bella-Rae Birch, who was killed in a dog attack on the property.
(Peter Byrne / PA)
“It left a family and a community sad and in complete shock.”
Police said the dog had fallen off and are now being examined to determine if it was banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act (1991).
Neighbor Joanne Matthews, 53, said Bella-Rae “was such a beautiful little girl who turns around”.
She added: “I have seen the family in the past, just to say good morning, and they have always been very pleasant.”
Ms Matthews said she saw an ambulance outside the house on Bidston Avenue on Monday at 3.50pm and then about 10 police cars arrived.
Merseyside Police Superintendent Steve Brizell speaks to media outside the home where 17-month-old Bella-Rae Birch was killed by a dog her family bought just a week earlier
(Peter Byrne / PA)
She said: “I saw them take out the dog. I could not tell what breed it was, but from the back it looked like a Staffordshire Bull Terrier or Pitbull.
Another neighbor, who did not want to be named, said she had returned home from the shops around 4.30pm to find the area busy with police.
She said, “My friend gave me a lift and I said to her, ‘It must have been a murder.’
“The mother was in the field in front of the house crying. She was hysterical.
“It’s usually very quiet here and safe for children, but when you hear that something like this has happened, it’s so disturbing.”
Police are appealing for anyone who has been in the Bidston Avenue area on Monday afternoon who has witnesses or information about the dog.
Anyone with information can contact the Merseyside Police on Twitter MerPolCC, or via Merseyside Police Contact Center on Facebook, using the reference number 22000196837.
Additional reporting by the Press Association
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