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The mother of a girl who was mauled to death by two Rottweilers at a family dinner spoke fondly of killer dogs on Facebook four years ago.
Mia, the five-week-old daughter of Tom and Lani Riley, was killed in a wild dog attack at a home in Moruya, on the south coast of New South Wales, at around 10:40pm on Saturday.
The newborn was sleeping in a bassinet at the end of a table surrounded by up to eight adults when the Rottweiler couple, who had been sleeping ten feet apart, suddenly pounced on the baby and mauled her to death.
The dogs belonged to Mia’s grandfather’s neighbor, Ross Galvin, whose house the family visited for dinner.
In 2018, one of the neighbors posted a photo on Facebook of the two Rottweilers believed to have been responsible for the attack.
The image shows the black dogs sitting side by side looking at the camera, their tongues happily hanging out of their mouths.
In the comments, Ms Riley spoke fondly about the animals, writing: “Haha so proud.”
A friend said Tom and Lani Riley’s two-year-old daughter had also been around the dogs several times since she was born without incident.
The neighbor posted the above photo of the rottweiler believed to be responsible for the attack online in 2018.
Ms. Riley commented on the photo, admiring the dogs.
Before Mia’s death, the dogs had reportedly spent time with Riley’s eldest daughter, two years old, without a problem.
The resurgence of the creepy post comes as Riley’s sister, Anna Zandberg, defended the young couple as “amazing parents” on Wednesday after social media trolls wrongly claimed her brother and sister-in-law had failed to “supervise ” to your daughter.
‘[The] baby was not properly supervised or it wouldn’t have happened,” one posted on Facebook.
‘If you can’t see that it’s the fault of the people responsible for taking care of the child, then it’s something that can happen again.
“People need to learn from their mistakes and not act like they’ve done absolutely nothing wrong.”
Ms Zandberg lashed out in response: ‘[Mia] she was never alone during her five short weeks on Earth. She was and is very loved and was taken away before our eyes’.
But the troll responded with the incorrect statement: “If she was never alone, why didn’t anyone witness the attack?”
An emotional Ms. Zandberg asked why the troll “intended to cause us pain” and clarified that the tragedy unfolded in front of several adults.
“My sister-in-law and my brother are amazing and this happened in a room with everyone there,” she said.
In another comment, Mia’s distraught aunt said: “We’re grieving and traumatized and you’re all out like a lynch mob.” Is this really the world?
The family of Mia Jade Riley (Mia pictured with her older sister) said the baby was asleep when the ferocious dog attack occurred.
Anna Zandberg (left) defended her brother Tom Riley and his wife Lani as ‘amazing parents’
Mia’s aunt lashed out at online trolls: ‘They’re all out like a lynch mob. Is this really the world?
She said that Mia’s parents are “the most loving, dedicated and protective parents who have just experienced the most unimaginable thing that a person can.”
A family friend told Daily Mail Australia that both sides of the Mia family are “not doing very well”.
“It is simply a tragedy for everyone involved,” they said.
“Our thoughts are only with the parents and everyone involved who will be affected by this for the rest of their lives.”
A police source told Daily Mail Australia there is no indication the parents have done anything wrong and they will not be charged.
But it has come to light that several residents claim to have reported the dogs to the council months before the attack.
They said they were so afraid of the Rottweilers that they had stopped walking the property where they lived.
“We warned them…we told (the council) that one day they would attack someone, they are so loud and intimidating,” an elderly resident told the daily telegraph.
Another local added: ‘I know the council went there maybe six or 12 months ago and talked to the people (who own the dogs).
But nothing really changed. I’m not aware they’ve ever attacked, but they’re scary to look at and so big, you just worry what they might do if they got out.
The Rottweilers were seized by Eurobodalla Shire Council following the incident. They are believed to have been euthanized.
Mia’s grandfather, Ross Galvin, is pictured on the right. He is standing next to a neighbor. There is no suggestion that the neighbor in the photo is the owner of the dogs that attacked Mia.
Pictured: Ross Galvin, Mia’s grandfather. The little girl was mutilated by dogs during a family dinner
Above is Mia Jade Riley’s grandfather’s house in Moruya, on the south coast of New South Wales.
The dogs were seized by council rangers after the attack and are believed to have been euthanized (one of the Rottweilers is shown)
The Rottweilers (pictured) were previously reported to the council by neighbours, it has been claimed
Local residents Karen and Mandy said the girl’s death has shaken the tight-knit community.
Karen said a friend called her “in tears” yesterday to tell her the devastating news, but also issued a warning to parents.
“Many dog owners trust their dogs and don’t believe something like this could happen,” he added.
Days before the tragedy, Mr. Riley had posted on the Facebook page for South Coast Spine Care where he worked as a chiropractor, saying he planned to work just four days a week so he could spend more time with family.
Three heartbreaking posts show a happy family devoted to their newborn – in one, Mia’s older sister could be seen cradling the baby.
In the same post, the proud father told his patients that his little daughter was “safely delivered home” on Monday, January 6.
He planned to return to work “after some much-needed family time surrounded by all my beautiful girls.”
On the door of the chiropractic clinic on Wednesday was a note: ‘Clinic closed due to unforeseen circumstances.’
On Saturday, parents jumped in to free their baby dogs as horrified dinner guests rushed to help.
They wrapped the blood-soaked girl and drove her to the nearby Moruya Hospital.
But the doctors could not save her and she died from her head injuries shortly after midnight.
“Everyone had to be involved to get the dogs out,” a family friend told Daily Mail Australia.
On the door of the chiropractic clinic on Wednesday was a note (pictured): “Clinic closed due to unforeseen circumstances.”
‘There was a considerable amount of blood, it was terrible.
‘There was just no warning.
“They were having a family barbecue with the neighbors at the back of the property and then they turned around and the dogs were all over her.
“There were no other children, the dogs were not running and nobody provoked them or anything. They were not agitated or distraught.
“It just happened out of the blue.”
He said the couple’s other two-year-old daughter had also been around the dogs multiple times since she was born without incident.
“They have another child who has probably been in the same or very similar position,” he said.
‘There has never been a problem. It’s really awful. It is beyond words.
He said the coastal city was recovering from the attack.
“It’s really impacted this little community,” he said. There’s nothing you can say. It’s that tragic.
‘This will be very difficult for the whole family to handle. I spoke to Grandpa and he is in shock.
A NSW Police investigation has been launched into what exactly happened at the house and a police spokesperson was unable to provide further comment.