Father Charged In Fatal Dog Attack Of 19-Month-Old: Cops

BROOKLYN, NY — The father of a toddler who was fatally mauled by a family dog has been charged with criminally-negligent homicide, according to police.

Vernon Foster, 30, was arrested on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after police found the 19-month-old bleeding heavily from bite wounds to his neck and shoulder. He was also charged with manslaughter and acting in a manner injurious to a child, according to police.

Police said Foster had left the toddler home alone with his siblings, 9 and 11 years old, so that he could go to work, according to the New York Post.

The dog has been taken to Animal Care and Control, police said.

The dog, a Rottweiler, was a guard dog that had bitten one of the other children two years ago, family told the Post. The dog originally belonged to Foster's parents.