Adorable five-month-old baby boy is killed by dog that then fled his family's home

By LAUREN ACTON-TAYLOR, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 20:15, 18 May 2026 | Updated: 20:15, 18 May 2026 A family is facing tragedy after a five-month-old baby boy was horrifically killed by a dog in South Carolina.  Dean Everett Gross was described as a 'bright spirit' before he was mauled by a dog on Thursday and left in intensive care for 24 hours before succumbing to his injuries.  The baby boy's parents, Thomas and Natalie Gross, described him as a 'treasure of their lives,' according to a GoFundMe.  'Dearly loved, wonderful in so many way, [Dean] brought endless joy to everyone who knew him,' the page said.  'Dean's bright spirit and sweet presence touched the hearts of his family and friends every single day.' The Anderson County Sheriff's Office responded to reports of a dog attack at around 1pm on May 14, as Dean and another adult were left injured before the dog fled the home.  It is unclear what breed the dog was and who owned it.   Five-month-old Dean Everett Gross was described as a 'bright spirit' before he was mauled by a dog on Thursday and left in intensive care for 24 hours before succumbing to his injuries Officials confirmed to the outlet that Dean sustained critical and life-threatening injuries and was flown by light flight to Greenville The baby boy's parents, Thomas and Natalie Gross, described him as a 'treasure of their lives' According to the Fox Carolina, police said the dog was eventually found and captured near Cater's Lake and was handed over to Anderson County PAWS.   Officials confirmed to the outlet that Dean sustained critical and life-threatening injuries and was flown by light flight to Greenville, where he died on Friday.  The Anderson County Coroner's Office said that Dean died from multiple traumatic injuries, and ruled his death an accident.  Officials said that the adult sustained serious injuries, but was later released. The identity of the injured adult remains unclear.  'None of us are doing well but we are together as a family in tears and love,' the fundraiser, which has garnered over $44,800 as of Monday afternoon, continued.  Thomas Gross's brother, Miller Gross, wrote on Facebook: 'My sweet little brother and sister in law lost a true little angel to a terrible unthinkable tragedy.' 'Dean was such a sweet and happy little guy,' he continued. 'I feel so grateful to have gotten to be his uncle for five months.' Just one week ago, Natalie, a Spanish teacher, celebrated her first Mother's Day with Dean Thomas Gross's brother, Miller Gross, described Dean as a 'sweet and happy little guy' The Anderson County Coroner's Office said that Dean died from multiple traumatic injuries Just one week ago, Natalie, a Spanish teacher, celebrated her first Mother's Day with Dean.  Her husband Thomas wrote on Instagram: 'Happy Mother's Day to the love of my life. I am so grateful I get to have another reason to celebrate such a special and beautiful person. You are truly the most intuitive and loving mother of all time! I love you so much!'  Officials confirmed that the incident remains under investigation.   The Daily Mail reached out to the Anderson County Sheriff's Office and attempted to reach the Gross family for comment.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.