The family of a “much-loved” 17-month-old girl who died after being mauled by their new dog have paid tribute as she is pictured for the first time.
Bella-Rae Birch died in hospital from her injuries following the attack at her home in the Blackbrook area of St Helens, Merseyside, on Monday.
In a statement, her family said she would never be forgotten as they asked for the space to grieve.
They said: “As a family we would like to thank the community for their support.
“We would ask that we are now allowed some space and time to try and come to terms with the tragic loss of our much-loved Bella-Rae.
“She will be sadly missed but never forgotten.”
Neighbours described their attempts to save the toddler, who they said was a “beautiful little girl”.
One resident said: “We pulled up from school and heard screaming. I just ran over to try to help and started CPR until the paramedics took over.”
The neighbour, who is due to train as a paramedic at university, said the child’s parents were “hysterical”.
Another, who also helped give CPR, said: “The parents doted on the children. It’s too upsetting to say anything else.”
Speaking to reporters outside the house on Tuesday, Merseyside Police superintendent Steve Brizell said the child’s death had left her family and the wider community “grieving and in complete shock”.
He said: “Bella-Rae has lost her life in the most unimaginably terrible circumstances and our thoughts are first and foremost with the family and the wider community at this devastating time.
“At this stage, we understand the family dog they bought just a week earlier has attacked Bella-Rae inside the family home.
“It has left a family and a community grieving and in complete shock.”
Police said the dog was put down and is now being examined to determine whether it was banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act (1991).
Neighbour Joanne Matthews, 53, said Bella-Rae was “such a beautiful little girl, toddling about”.
She added: “I’d see the family in passing, just to say hello, and they were always very pleasant.”
Ms Matthews said she saw an ambulance outside the house in Bidston Avenue at about 3.50pm on Monday and then about 10 police vehicles arrive.
She said: “I saw them bring the dog out. I couldn’t tell what breed it was but from the back it looked like a Staffordshire bull terrier or pit bull.”
Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, said she got home from the shops at about 4.30pm to find the area busy with police.
She said: “My friend gave me a lift and I said to her, ‘There’s got to have been a murder.’
“The mum was on the field at the front of the house crying. She was hysterical.
“It is usually very quiet here and safe for children, but when you hear something like this has happened it is so distressing.”
Police are urging anyone who was in the Bidston Avenue area on Monday afternoon and may have witnessed something or who has information about the dog to come forward.
Anyone with information can contact Merseyside Police on Twitter MerPolCC, or via Merseyside Police Contact Centre on Facebook, using the reference number 22000196837.
Additional reporting by Press Association
