POLICE have spoken of the "superhuman efforts" by medical staff and police to save the life of a two-year-old NSW Central West toddler, who subsequently died following a dog attack in the town on Tuesday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Police have not released the identity of the child, which the ACM is not naming in respect of the family.
The city's highest ranking police officer, Superintendent Bob Noble, on Tuesday commended the efforts of both medical staff and police at Cowra Hospital, where the young boy was taken following the dog attack.
Superintendent Noble said police responded to a call for assistance to a motel on Grenfell Road, on the outskirts of Cowra, late Tuesday morning.
"At the scene police greeted a number of witnesses and observed various things which caused them to establish a crime scene," he said.
"While some police remained there to manage the scene and the witnesses at the scene, other police attended Cowra Hospital."
He said at the hospital, there was a two-year-old child who had been "seriously injured, apparently as a result of an attack by a dog or dogs."
Here he said the police with the medical staff at the hospital made "what I would describe as a superhuman effort to sustain the life of that young child and the police and medical staff should be commended."
"The child was subsequently airlifted to Sydney where sadly he died in surgery later that afternoon," he said.
Supt Noble said detectives from both Cowra and Bathurst were leading the investigation into the child's death.
"This is obviously subject to an investigation, however the information I have is that there are no direct witnesses," he said.
"Obviously investigators have a difficult job piecing together forensic evidence, the evidence of people who were at and around the scene prior to and at the time and also after.
"So it's a matter of piecing together all that information to come up with a cogent version of events to present to the coroner ... there were no direct witnesses to the actual attack on the child, so it's a matter of putting together what happened."
Supt Noble was able to confirm the child, who was staying at the motel with his Mum and sibling, was at the rear of the premises when he was found by the owner of the motel.
He said the owner rendered first aid and took the child and his mother immediately to the hospital.
Supt Noble wouldn't comment on the breeds of the dogs, but said they weren't roaming free.
"The dogs were secured in a yard," he said.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Asked if the child had gotten into the yard he said that was part of an ongoing investigation.
"Again there are no direct witnesses, we are trying to piece that together and that's the subject of an investigation," he said.
"Police are canvassing various number of witnesses and looking at forensic evidence as well, obviously it's a point of significant interest to investigators and shall be for the coroner, but at this stage we do not know the answer to that."
He said at this point it is not known if charges will be laid.
"Charges are a matter for investigators in consultation with the coroner's office. A lot of information and evidence has to be gathered analysed and put together in a brief," he said.
"It's a very detailed investigation."
