'Wonderful' girl, 10, mauled to death by pet XL Bully dog pictured as family issue heartbreaking tribute

A 'wonderful' schoolgirl mauled to death by her family’s pet dog has been pictured for the first time. North Yorkshire Police confirmed on Sunday a 10-year-old young girl died following a dog attack incident in Malton, Yorkshire.

The youngster was pronounced dead following the horror incident on Friday (November 1). On Monday, the youngster was identified as Savannah Bentham.

The dog involved in the attack, an American Bully XL, will be destroyed, the Mirror reports. Her family said in a statement: "We are utterly shocked and devastated by what happened to Savannah.

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"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.”

Officers were called to the incident by Yorkshire Ambulance Service at around 4.15pm on Friday. The force said her family are being supported by specially trained officers.

A spokesperson for the force 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 tragic scenes in the aftermath of the attack, as the alarm was first raised by onlookers who heard the mother screaming 'my baby is dead' as she ran outside the family's static caravan in East Heslerton, North Yorkshire.

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. She would come on 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, and it is understood they may be related to the land owners. They are said to have only recently got the new dog, which some residents on a neighbouring holiday caravan park had reportedly seen 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 onto the park and play with the other children. I have never seen or heard the 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.'"