A Martinez great-grandmother charged with second degree murder in the dog mauling death of an infant delayed seeking help for the baby for about 20 minutes, a prosecutor said Tuesday, May 3.
During a Columbia County Superior Court bond hearing for Migdelia Guadalupe, 56, Assistant District Attorney Natalie Paine told the judge that because 7-month-old Serenity Garnett’s cause of death was blood loss, seeking medical attention sooner could have saved the baby’s life.
Guadalupe and Serenity were both bitten by a dog March 22 at the Martinez home Guadalupe was renting. The dog belonged to the owner of the house who is in prison, Paine said. The circumstances of what happened that day are still being investigated, but either Guadalupe or a still unidentified male visitor at the house let the dog inside the house. Guadalupe admitted she was under the influence of illegal narcotics at the time, Paine said.
The baby was bitten on the arms, legs and face by the dog, an American bulldog/Pyrenees mix, according to earlier reports in The Augusta Press. Guadalupe took time to call her mother in Florida, so she had access to a phone to call 911 sooner, Paine said.
The prosecutor opposed bond for Guadalupe because her family here in Georgia won’t provide a home where she could live, and she has no other ties to the community. She moved from New York to Georgia last October, Paine said.
Defense attorney Tom McCants asked Judge Sheryl B. Jolly to consider a reasonable bond for Guadalupe whose criminal history is minor and over 15 years old. She also was attacked by the dog, and mobility difficulty could have caused the delay the day Serenity died, he said.
Jolly denied bond, finding Guadalupe might be a flight risk and danger of committing another offense.
Sandy Hodson is a staff reporter covering courts for The Augusta Press. Reach her at sandy@theaugustapress.com.
