A three-day-old infant attacked by the family dog died from bite injuries to his head, according to an autopsy report by the San Diego County Medical Examiner's office.
The newborn, Sebastian Caban, was attacked by the dog while it was in bed with his parents who were watching television in bed on Thursday, police said. According to the report, the dog who was also in bed with the family and was startled when the mother coughed.
"The dog made contact with the baby leading to traumatic injuries," Sgt. Tuu Nguyen, of the Child Abuse Unit San Diego Police Department (SDPD), said.
The ME's office ruled the death an accident.
Shortly after the accident, the couple made two unsuccessful 911 calls, SDPD officials confirmed.
The family waited 28 seconds before hanging up during their first 911 call, then waited an additional 34 seconds on their second emergency call before finally hanging up and driving the baby to the hospital themselves.
Hospital staff tried to save the baby's life, but the attempts were unsuccessful.
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"Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family in this very tragic case. We know every second counts in an emergency,” Lt. Scott Wahl of SDPD said in a statement Saturday.
According to SDPD, between 7:15 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. when the family was calling for assistance, dispatch received 73 total 911 calls.
Dan DeSousa, of the San Diego County Department of Animal Services, said the family has not yet decided if they would like to keep the dog.
The dog, a 2-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier is in the custody of the Department of Animal Services and under quarantine.
Any decision on the fate of the dog will be made by the department after speaking with the family.
