Baby Fatally Mauled by Dogs While Parents Smoked Marijuana: Police

A 3-month old baby was fatally mauled by two dogs while the child's parents were smoking marijuana, police in New York said this week.

On Thursday, the Associated Press (AP) reported that officials with the Rochester Police Department in upstate New York announced charges against two parents, identified as Sulamain Hawkins and Anastasia Weaver, in the death of their 3-month-old child.

The two parents were charged with manslaughter after their child died after being mauled by the family's two dogs.

The incident occurred on August 3 when Hawkins and Weaver left their 3-month-old baby, identified as Sulamain Hawkins Jr., in the attic of their residence while they went downstairs to smoke marijuana. The parents left their child in the attic with two dogs, the Rochester Police Department said.

After smoking marijuana, the two parents traveled back up to the attack, where they discovered that their child had been mauled by either one or both of the dogs that were in the room. The parents then quickly transported their 3-month-old to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

Following the incident, an investigation was launched by the Rochester Police Department, the Monroe County district attorney's office and local child protective services. The two parents were arrested on Wednesday and were arranged on Thursday morning for manslaughter charges.

Hawkins and Weaver are expected to appear back in court on August 27 for another hearing. During their hearing on Thursday, Hawkins and Weaver pleaded not guilty to the charges, News10NBC in Rochester reported.

The local news station also reported that after the incident, the two dogs were described as pit bull-type dogs. The canines were removed from the home immediately after the baby was attacked and placed in a local animal shelter.

However, a court order was approved this week to euthanize both the dogs, the local news outlet reported.

Newsweek reached out to the Monroe County District Attorney's Office via email on Thursday for comment.

In June, a family in Tennessee issued a warning to pet owners after their family dog fatally attacked their newborn son. Mark Mansoor, 28, and Chloe Mansoor, 23, of Knoxville, Tennessee, lost their six-week-old son, Ezra, after their pet husky attacked the baby as he napped in his crib on May 24. The newborn succumbed to his injuries in the hospital on May 30, according to local station WBIR.

"Ezra was just asleep in his crib, not crying or anything, and she just attacked out of nowhere," Chloe Mansoor said during the news conference shared online by WBIR on May 30.

"I think you can never be too careful, no matter how big or small the dog or how long you've had them, or how good they've previously been with kids, you can never be too careful," she said.