8-month-old girl killed in dog attack at grandmother's home in Miramar

Police say pit bull was family pet

MIRAMAR, Fla. ā€“ An 8-month-old girl was killed in a dog attack Wednesday in Miramar, police said.

The attack was reported at a home in the 2400 block of Kingston Drive.

"She was the best thing to ever happen to me," the baby's mother, Brenda Villasin, said.Ā "We smiled every morning. She was my world."

VillasinĀ identified her daughter as Liana Valino.Ā 

Miramar police confirmed that the infant was killed by herĀ family's pit bullĀ while she was in the care of her grandmother. The baby was sitting on a bouncyĀ chair in a bedroom when she was killed, police said.Ā 

Sky 10 was above the scene at 12:30 p.m. as authorities had the home blocked off with crime scene tape. Animal control vans were parked outside the home.

A woman was seen speaking with detectives.

Police said the pit bull that attacked LianaĀ is between 3 to 4 years old. The dogĀ was removed from the home by Broward County Animal Care and Adoption Division, as well as two other dogs at the home, police said.

"Children play and sometimes dogs don't understand that," one neighbor, Jackie Knapp, said.Ā 

Villasin said she drops her daughter off at the grandmother's home every day so she can go to work, but she never thought something like thisĀ would happen.

Neighbors stopped by the home Wednesday afternoon to drop offĀ a teddy bear and candle in honor of Liana, which Villasin took with her.Ā 

It's unclear whether the dog that killed Liana will be euthanized.Ā 

A GoFundMe page has been created to help pay for Liana's funeral expenses.Ā 


About the Authors:

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.

Roy Ramos joined the Local 10 News team in 2018. Roy is a South Florida native who grew up in Florida City. He attended Christopher Columbus High School,Ā Homestead Senior HighĀ School and graduated from St. Thomas University.