Pit Bulls Kill 5-Year-Old, Injure Grandmother In Union County

A pair of pit bulls killed a 5-year-old girl and caused her grandmother severe personal injuries in Union County on the morning of January 12, police said.

Shortly after 11 a.m., McKayla Woodard and 67-year-old Nancy Presson were attacked by the dogs on Rehobeth Road in Waxhaw.

Police said Presson’s injuries were suffered when she attempted to pull the dogs off of her granddaughter.

Both received transport to Carolinas Medical Center-Union in Monroe, where Woodard was pronounced dead a short time after arrival. Presson was listed in stable condition.

Amy Plyer, who lives across the street from the scene of the attack and is a cousin of the victim, said that Woodard was attacked while trying to get into a fenced yard next to her home.

Plyer said the dog that attacked Woodard was named Rebel and had a tendency to wander the area.

Investigators said authorities immediately put Rebel down. The other dog was on the loose for a brief period before also being put down by authorities.

A neighbor, Michael Gordon, owned both of the dogs.

In December, Waxhaw police went to Gordon’s house to issue a warning about restraining the dogs.

Neighbors said that at least one of the dogs often got loose.