The British "Mirror" reported on the 22nd that on the evening of the 21st, Bella Ray was attacked by a pet dog at home in Merseyside, St. Helens, England, and later died in the hospital.
The child had just celebrated his first birthday in October last year and was only 17 months old when he was bitten to death.
Her last heartbreaking message on a social networking site was her father Ryan wishing her a happy birthday. At the time, he didn’t know that it would be her last birthday.
"Happy birthday to my little princess, today is her first birthday ever!!" he wrote. "My Bella, have the best day, we love you so much."
Police said the dog that attacked Bella Ray had only joined the family a week ago. The dog is believed to be a Staffordshire bull terrier or pit bull terrier. In the tragic incident, a local man performed CPR on Bella Ray before emergency services arrived and neighbors rushed to help.
On the 21st, emergency services rushed to the scene in Blackbrook, St Helens, and found Bella Ray seriously injured after being attacked by a dog. She was rushed to hospital but later died from her injuries.
Bella Ray's family have now paid tribute: "As a family, we would like to thank the community for the support we have received. We hope that now we can be given some space and time to try to come to terms with the tragedy of losing our beloved Bella Ray. She will be greatly missed, but she will never be forgotten."
Police said the dog was seized by police immediately after the attack and shot. An investigation has also been launched to find the dog's previous owner. Police are investigating whether the dog is an illegal breed under the UK's Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.
Neighbor Jordan hopes to go to college in September to receive training as a paramedic. When she heard the screams, she ran to help.
She said: "I gave CPR to the baby. My mind was a mess. I heard them screaming for help and I ran over and her parents were hysterical."
"I've lived here for eight years and I've never spoken to them before." Jordan lives on a nearby road that connects to the family. She thought the scene was so horrific that she even had to provide surveillance footage of the horrific incident. "It's terrible! I can't even say it." Neighbors said the family of four had lived here for about three years but had only recently bought the dog. One woman described the dog as "strong", adding that she thought it was a pit bull or Staffie.
Neighbor David said: "After the incident, there were definitely a lot of police there, about 20 police cars and ambulances. The square was packed with police. I have never seen so many police in my life. I was shocked when I heard that a baby was attacked by a dog."
Other neighbors said they saw the police take the dog out with a metal collar and a stick.
Another neighbor, who did not want to be named, witnessed the "horrendous" attack. He said: "They absolutely doted on their children. They did everything with their children and they were always together." Conor McGinn, the town's Labor councilor, said: "The united community across Blackbrook and St Helens is deeply shocked by the tragedy that day. "We send our prayers to the family of this little girl, who have been devastated. "I know everyone locally will respect their request for privacy as they grieve."
22 Superintendent Steve Brizzell said: "We have been called by the family of Bella Rae Birch, a 17-month-old girl who lost her life in the most unimaginably horrific circumstances. "Our first thoughts at this time are with the family and the wider community. Our specialist family liaison officers are providing support to Bella Rae's family and will remain in the area over the coming days to provide further support and reassurance to the wider community." Detective Inspector Lisa Milligan said yesterday: "This is "This is a tragic incident and our thoughts are with the child's family at this devastating time. The little girl's parents and the wider family are completely devastated and are being supported by our specialist family liaison officers at this horrific time."
"While our investigation into this extremely tragic incident is still at an early stage, we can confirm that the dog was purchased by the family just a week ago and police are working to identify the dog's previous owner and identify the dog." "Our officers will be on Beeston Avenue tonight and over the coming days to provide reassurance to the local community that we will work tirelessly to establish the full extent of the situation. If you were in the Beeston Avenue area this afternoon and have any information about this dog then please contact one of our officers. Over the past few years we have actively worked with five local authorities across Merseyside to ensure dogs are kept off the streets."