Horror as girl, 10, dies after being bitten by family dog at home

Heartbroken family pay tribute to 'beautiful, kind and loving' daughter

A 10-year-old girl has died after being bitten by the family dog at her home in Milton Keynes.

The girl has been named locally as Lexi Branson, a pupil at Oakgrove School in Milton Keynes.

Thames Valley Police were called at 3.30pm on Monday to reports Lexi had been bitten by a dog and were at the scene within six minutes. Paramedics also attended, but she was declared dead at the scene.

Lexi's parents have described their "beautiful, kind and loving daughter, who was taken from us too soon".

The dog was seized at the scene and enquiries are ongoing.

Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Bosley said: "This is a tragic incident, and our thoughts are with the girl's family at this extremely difficult time.

"We are carrying out a full investigation to establish the circumstances, and we would ask anyone who has information, or who witnessed what happened to contact us.

"The dog was seized and remains in our custody while we make enquiries."

Thames Valley Police said formal identification of the girl will take place in due course and a post-mortem examination will be carried out.

Chief Superintendent Marc Tarbit, local policing area commander for Milton Keynes, said: "This is a tragic incident and our deepest sympathies are with the family and friends of the young girl.

"I understand that this incident will have shocked the local community, and I would like to reassure people that we are carrying out a full investigation to establish the circumstances.

"There will be an increased police presence in the area while our enquiries continue, and I would encourage anyone with any information or concerns to speak to one of our officers."

Anyone with information is asked to call 101, or visit the force's website, quoting reference number 1098 of 11/12/2022.