An Ohio mother received the maximum sentence after her boyfriend’s pit bull killed her infant son.
Alyssa Smith, baby Royal’s mother, was sentenced Oct. 17 to three years in prison. She was convicted of third-degree felony child endangering, according to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office.
“Parents must prioritize their kids above all, and this sentence warns that failure can lead to prison,” Marion County Prosecutor Ray Grogan said in the release. “Judge [Todd] Anderson handled this matter with wisdom and passion, and the result holds Alyssa Smith fully responsible.”
An Ohio mom (Alyssa Smith) has learned her fate after her six month old baby (Royal) was mauled to death by a pit bull.
She received 3 years in prison for child endangerment.
“Parents must prioritize their kids above all, and this sentence warns that failure can lead to… pic.twitter.com/ZcBnhRwysN
— • Angry Frog ™ • (@angrifrog) October 20, 2025
Smith’s boyfriend, Blake Bates, also pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter earlier this month.
Bates will be sentenced later, however, as he’ll likely face charges for other unrelated incidents, including fourth-degree felony strangulation of a former partner and third-degree felony escape while in custody.
The dog attack occurred in April 2024, when Smith left the 6-month-old baby alone with another child and her boyfriend’s pit bull, Kilo, whom she knew was aggressive.
“Smith’s actions in ignoring the dog’s history showed a pattern of irresponsibility that cost baby Royal his life,” Grogan said.
Kilo brutally mauled the six-month-old, tearing into his skull, according to WSYX-TV in Columbus, Ohio.
Father pleads guilty in infant son’s death following pit bull attack in Marion >> https://t.co/MVU9GHQIaV pic.twitter.com/R7NMb4EeCg
— WSYX ABC 6 (@wsyx6) October 2, 2025
Bates was also well aware of the dog’s aggression.
In an earlier incident, the dog warden admonished Bates after Kilo attacked a child.
“Everyone is responsible for the dogs they own, and — for aggressive dogs — those owners must take extra precautions, especially around kids,” Grogan said, according to WSYX.
Kilo was ultimately euthanized.
From 2005 through 2019, pit bulls were involved in 66 percent of fatal dog attacks in America, according to DogsBite.org.
One 1989 study posited that, in the U.S. from 1979 through 1988, pit bulls were involved in nearly 42 percent of reported fatal dog attacks, according to the National Institutes of Health.
But accurate pit bull statistics aren’t so simple to calculate, according to the Palermo Law Group in Illinois.
“Many factors influence dog attack statistics, including population density, owner neglect or abuse, and reporting biases,” the website read. “In areas with higher populations of pit bulls, naturally, the breed will be involved in more reported incidents.
“Moreover, pit bulls often suffer from a ‘labeling effect’ in which attacks by mixed-breed dogs or dogs with similar physical traits are incorrectly categorized as pit bull attacks,” the site read.
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