A three-month-old baby boy was mauled and killed by the family’s pit bull at their home in New Jersey.
At around 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 9, 2024, at a residence at 582 Mereline Avenue in the Avenel area of Woodbridge, Middlesex County, New Jersey, three-month-old Daymon Jair Balbuena was alone in his room when he began to cry out frantically.
Family friends recount that by the time his cries were heard, the family’s pit bull had already made its way into his room and was attacking him.
Upon hearing the distress, Sierra Kelley, 21, Daymon’s mother, attempted to intervene but was subsequently attacked by the dog. Henrylee Balbuena, Daymon’s 27-year-old father, also tried to come to the aid of his son and Sierra and sustained injuries as well.
Woodbridge Police received an emergency call at approximately 6:17 a.m. and, upon arriving at the scene, discovered Daymon Jair Balbuena had died from his injuries.
The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, which has taken over the investigation, said that the attack also left the child’s 21-year-old mother seriously injured, with cuts to her face, arms, and legs, while the father received treatment for unspecified injuries. Both parents were treated in the hospital and released.
A veterinarian later euthanized the pit bull involved in the attack.
In the wake of this incident, a GoFundMe campaign has been set up to support the Balbuena family, raising over $15,000 to aid them with the funeral expenses. “It’s hard to fathom the depth of sorrow that the Balbuena family, including parents Henry and Sierra, is navigating after the loss of their precious son, Daymon,” Kayla Gil, the campaign organizer, expressed.
“During this incredibly difficult period, we’re calling upon our community to unite and extend their support to them,” she added. “As they shoulder this heartbreaking tragedy, let’s come together to demonstrate our collective compassion and solidarity.”
The funeral service for Daymon was held on Friday, March 15. His obituary remembered the brief but impactful love he brought to his family. The statement encapsulates the profound sorrow surrounding his loss and the indelible mark he left during his short time with his loved ones.
In less than four weeks, Daymon Jair Balbuena became the fifth young child to lose his life in dog attack incidents.
Two-week-old Brayden Heery Burwell, the child of Joseph and Shelley Heery, was fatally attacked by the family’s husky in their Milford, Connecticut, residence on February 16, 2024.
Shortly after, on February 26, 2024, four-year-old Beau Clark fell victim to an Olde English Bulldogge pit bull mix belonging to a neighbor in Hartselle, Alabama.
Duke Miller Whittington, believed to have been attacked by a Great Dane, lost his life on February 29, 2024, at the home and former breeding kennel owned by his parents in Monroe Center, Illinois.
Also, two-year-old Mark Alan Partrain was killed by a neighbor’s husky along with a German shepherd/golden retriever mix in New Hope, Alabama.
