A devastating and completely awful event has left a town in grief following the death of young Ember Renee Southard, who was just 6 months old.
Reporting the loss of a young child is always heartbreaking, but Ember Southard’s memory deserves to go on. Unfortunately, this precious newborn girl never got the opportunity to learn to walk, talk, or enjoy the pleasures of life.
Her little time on Earth came to an end on March 14, under the most tragic circumstances. According to WFLA, Ember of Bibb County, Alabama, died as a result of a dog attack.
Anna, Ember’s mother, claims that everything occurred when she was heading to a doctor’s visit with her grandmother. The mother’s family convinced her that 20 minutes would be sufficient, even though she had intended to bring her daughter along.
After more than twenty minutes of absence and without even checking in at the doctor’s office, they got a call from the family member monitoring Ember. Southard came home in a hurry, trailing the ambulance.
When she saw her daughter, Ember looked to be dead. She collapsed on her knees in the driveway, bleeding from the hit. She heard the words “dog attack” and realised Ember had been attacked by an American Bully, an 11-year-old dog that had been around numerous children and had never injured one.
A family pet.
Ember was hurried to the ambulance, and Southard rode in the front.She begged Ember to be okay, but she knew deep inside that her daughter would not live. She knew as soon as she saw Ember’s bluish, motionless corpse.
The trauma team at Children’s did everything they could, but before Ember was transferred to the operating room, they informed Southard that her daughter’s survival was highly questionable and doubtful. Despite the gloomy diagnosis, Southard pleaded for Ember’s life. Ember died at 1:10 p.m., despite the efforts of more than a dozen medics.
According to police, the dog that carried out the assault was a family pet. At the time, there were two dogs in the house, and animal control quickly placed them under a 10-day quarantine.
The Alabaster, Alabama Police Department is now investigating the unfortunate occurrence. There have been no arrests as officials await conclusions from the Shelby County District Attorney and Grand Jury.
In an email conversation with WLFA, Ember’s mother, Anna, said that a family member fell asleep with Ember on their breast.
“She had the sweetest smile”
When Ember slipped, the dog mauled her. The family member, who has epilepsy, had a seizure after Ember had already boarded the ambulance.
“My daughter was very sweet,” Southard recalled. “She had the sweetest smile and the cutest squeal.” Ember was such a delight. Such a good baby. She always had a little grin and large, gorgeous eyes. She despised being chilly or wet. I can’t even express how it felt to clean my daughter’s blood and wrap her body in warm blankets so she wouldn’t be chilly. Only myself and my grandparents saw her after she died. I wouldn’t let anyone see her until she was as clean and warm as she could be.”
“Ember’s nickname was Noodle.” Because as a baby, she had small noodly toes, and the moniker stuck. A little noodle. A beautiful noodle. She was beloved by many people. Ember was a master at smiling at you before spitting on you. Her voice was the finest. She had recently learnt how to roll over. Nobody who met her didn’t fall in love with her. She had wild blonde/red hair and wide, sparkling eyes. “There was never a more perfect baby than my noodle.”
Anna has declared that she would not be filing charges, despite her original instinct to do so when distraught and enraged. However, she refuses to forgive this family member for falling asleep with her daughter on their chest. Never.
Could have been prevented
Anna feels the sad occurrence might have been prevented.
“My daughter is no more because they couldn’t follow a basic [expletive] rule. I strictly adhere to safe sleep regulations, and I never let my children be around dogs like that. Always monitored, with me holding them. I do not feel charges should be sustained, and I will not actively pursue them.
Knowing what they did to my daughter via negligence will, I believe, be their punishment for the rest of their lives, as it should. An accident occurred. Even if it was preventable, an accident nonetheless happens.
The family has established a GoFundMe page to assist with funeral costs, and many people have contributed. However, Anna is pleading for anyone who want to assist right now:
“The main thing the community can do for me is keep their babies near. Sleep safely. Keep any dogs away from your infant. A dog can kill a newborn. There’s no reason to take the risk. It is never worth it. Please keep your children away from dogs and ensure they sleep safely. This dog was 11 years old and had never hurt a person, let alone a child.”
My heart hurts for you and your family, Anna. There’re no words. Rest in peace, little Ember!