A four-month-old baby was snatched from his mother’s arms and killed by his aunt’s dog, an inquest has heard.
Archie Joe Darby died after he was bitten by the animal at a house in Colchester, Essex, on 13 October. A postmortem examination revealed he died of severe head injuries consistent with a dog attack, a hearing at Essex coroner’s court in Chelmsford heard on Friday.
Archie’s 22-month-old brother, Daniel-Jay, suffered life-changing injuries in the incident, and the boys’ mother sustained minor injuries.
Essex police said the dog, believed to be a Staffordshire bull terrier-type, was put down with the consent of its owner. Police are not treating the case as criminal.
The dog belonged to Archie’s aunt, who has been named in reports as Clare Ferdinand, 31, a serving Essex police officer.
Archie’s parents paid tribute to their “beautiful little angel” following the tragedy.
The senior Essex coroner, Caroline Beasley-Murray, said: “Please let condolences be expressed to Archie’s family at this very dreadful time for them.”
The inquest was opened and adjourned until a full hearing on 5 December.