First picture of girl, 10, mauled to death by family's XL Bully dog

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The first picture has emerged of a 10-year-old girl who was mauled to death by her family pet.

The child died after the XL Bully dog launched a fatal attack at a home in Malton, Yorkshire, on Friday.

She was named as Savannah Bentham and she has now been pictured for the first time.

Her devastated family said: "We are utterly shocked and devastated by what happened to Savannah.

"We can’t believe we have lost our wonderful girl who we love so much. We thank everyone for their support and kindness as we struggle to come to terms with our loss. We ask that our family’s privacy is respected while we grieve for Savannah.”

The dog involved in the attack will be destroyed.

Police were called to the property by Yorkshire Ambulance Service at around 4.15pm on Friday, the Mirror reports.

An ambulance spokesman said: "Despite the efforts of medical professionals and a member of the public who came to the family’s aid, the girl sadly died at the scene. Officers are conducting detailed enquiries covering all aspects of the incident.

"One of the lines of enquiry relates to the behaviour of the dog to help explain, as far as possible, why it attacked the girl. All indications so far suggest it was out-of-character, with Savannah and the dog having a close, loving relationship. Due to the circumstances of the incident, the dog will be destroyed."

Eyewitnesses described the tragic scene in the aftermath of the attack as the alarm was first raised when the mum was heard screaming "my baby is dead" as she ran outside the family's static caravan.

A neighbour said on Sunday: “It is just a horrible tragedy. She was such a sweet thing.

"Everybody is totally shocked and upset about it. The family have not lived here long. I have only met her. I have never met her mum and dad. She would come to the park and play on the swings and I would pass the time of day with her. She was a lovely little girl - really chatty. It is just so sad.”

The family had recently moved into the static caravan in a private yard behind a shop. It is understood they had recently gotten the dog, and some residents claimed to have seen it walking around without a muzzle.

A caravan site official said: “We knew they had an XL Bully dog. We only knew [the girl] because her mum had asked if she could play in the park and we said ‘Of course she can’. [The girl] told us she had a new dog. It was not that long ago.

“We used to come into the park and play with the other children. I have never seen or heard of a dog and I am here every day. There have been a couple of incidents when people had seen the dog come as far as the yard gate without any muzzle or lead on and that was a bit scary. [The girl] had said herself ‘We have got a new pet.'"

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