Neighbor arrested months after dog killed 2-year-old Alabama boy

Mark Alan Partain was killed by the dog in March. The dog had attacked someone else a few months earlier

Jessica Pugh/GoFundMe

Mark Alan Partain

Months after a 2-year-old Alabama boy was mauled to death by a dog, a woman has been arrested and charged in connection with the incident.

The boy had previously been identified as Mark Alan Partain by his mother in a Facebook post in March.

The Madison County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene of the attack on March 1. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene.

In a June 20 Facebook post, the sheriff’s office said: The dog responsible for the boy’s death had previously been involved in an attack that was reported to police in January. The dog was euthanized, the sheriff’s office said.

Related: 2-Year-Old Alabama Boy Mauled to Death by Neighbor’s Dogs: ‘Tragic Accident’

A woman, Melissa Phillips, was charged with violating Emily’s Law, an Alabama law that makes it a crime for an owner to know that their dog has violent tendencies and the dog then attacks and seriously injures or kills a person.

Deputies said Melissa Phillips voluntarily surrendered to authorities.

It is unclear whether she has pleaded guilty or hired a lawyer.

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In the March Facebook post, Mark Alan’s mother thanked first responders while expressing her grief.

“I have lost my youngest child, my mini-me, my Mark Alan,” she wrote. “The pain is unreal. I don’t even feel like I’m living in reality. My children’s hearts are so broken. I want to thank everyone who has messaged me, prayed for me, or sent me kind words.”

A GoFundMe campaign raised more than $22,000.

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