BiteDB
Last updated Sep 3, 2026 · 10:58 PM CT
BiteDB / Incidents / MI
Verified incident record · 2019-08-20

Emma Hernandez: fatal dog attack in Detroit, MI (2019)

Three pit bulls fatally attacked Hernandez while she rode her bicycle.

FatalPit bullDetroit, MI
Date2019-08-20
LocationDetroit area; historical source does not support an exact BiteDB map pin
Victim(s)Emma Hernandez (reported age: 9)
Dogs involvedSee cited historical table; exact count retained in source when available
Injury severityFatal
Breed attributionPit bullBreed/type is reproduced from the cited historical incident table, which explicitly assigns dog type from its underlying sources. BiteDB has not independently verified the breed and does not infer breed from appearance.
What the record currently shows

Incident summary

Three pit bulls fatally attacked Hernandez while she rode her bicycle.

Legal-status note

Legal or animal-control outcome is not generalized from the compiled index unless stated in the incident summary; consult the cited underlying references for case-specific follow-up.

Media & source coverage

Video, reporting and source material

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↗Original source reportFatal dog attacks in the United States — cited historical incident tablePublisher-hosted reporting; media remains with the source.
Source provenance

Primary record used by BiteDB

Fatal dog attacks in the United States — cited historical incident tableSecondary historical index with per-incident citations to reliable news, official records, and/or scholarly sources · Published 2026-08-28 · Accessed 2026-08-28

The cited historical incident table records a fatal dog attack on 2019-08-20 involving Emma Hernandez in Detroit, MI, with dog type listed as Pit bull.

Open original source ↗
Data-quality notes

What BiteDB does not infer

Breed is recorded only at the provenance level shown above. Missing injury details, dog history, ownership facts or circumstances remain unknown unless a reliable source establishes them. This record may be updated as police, animal-control, medical, court or follow-up reporting becomes available.