By Bruce Smith, The Associated Press
SUMMERVILLE, S.C. -- A 2-month-old child was killed and dismembered by a dog in his family's South Carolina home as his father slept, authorities said Friday.
Aiden McGrew's mother called 911 when she got home around 11 a.m. and discovered the boy's leg was severed by a retriever-Labrador mix the family had taken into the home a few weeks earlier, Dorchester County deputies said.
The boy died at the hospital a short time later, Coroner Chris Nisbet said in a news release.
Nisbet said the boy was bitten and dismembered, but he refused to answer additional questions about the infant's injuries. An autopsy was scheduled for Saturday.
"Today is one of the saddest days in my 20+ years of being in the Dorchester County Coroner's Office as I report to all of you one of the worst deaths I have ever handled," Nisbet wrote in his email to the media, which had the subject line "Today's Nightmare."
McGrew's mother was taking the family's 7-year-old child to the doctor. The father was sleeping in a bedroom with a 3-year-old child, while the baby was in a swing outside that room, Dorchester County Sheriff L.C. Knight said.
Investigators are still trying to sort out how the attack unfolded. The father was being questioned by deputies Friday afternoon, Knight said.
"It's terrible. I don't want to go into details about exactly what happened because the investigation is still ongoing," Knight said. "It was a real bad scene."
The two other children in the home have been taken into protective custody, Knight said. Prosecutors are also following the case and the sheriff expects all the investigators will meet next week to discuss if any charges should be filed.
A woman answering a number listed for the home refused to talk about what happened and told a reporter to not call her back.
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