Dog that killed 7-year-old boy in Maine was recently returned to homeowner

The adult male pit bull that attacked and killed a 7-year-old in Corinna, Maine earlier this week had been recently returned to its homeowner after living somewhere else, The Bangor Daily News reports.

Penobscot County Sheriff Troy Morton told the Daily News Wednesday that the dog’s history, and why it was returned to owner Gary Merchant Jr., 45, are still being investigated.

“That is a major part of the investigation — who returned [the dog], when was it returned, where had it been and was there any issues while it was gone,” Morton told the paper.

Hunter Bragg, 7, of Bangor, Maine, was killed by the dog while visiting Merchant’s home with his father on June 5, according to the Daily News. He was attacked by the pit bull while playing outside with two other children while his father and Merchant were inside. The dog has since been euthanized.

Read the full Daily News report here.