SAN ANTONIO – The family of a 1-year-old boy who died of a dog attack is one step closer to laying their son to rest. Jiryiah Johnson’s family held his funeral on Thursday.
“I’ve been trying to be strong and be the rock of the family and be supportive of my lady, but I’m not good,” Julian Johnson, Jiryiah’s father, said. “It hasn’t gotten any easier.”
Jiryiah died from an attack by his babysitter’s three dogs on Oct. 7.
Heather Rodriquez, described as a family friend, was left in charge of watching Jiryiah. Instead, Rodriquez left him alone with her 13-year-old daughter.
Johnson said he wants answers from Rodriquez.
“‘Why did you decide not to call anybody and say you had to go to work?’” Johnson said. “‘Why is it OK that you want to save these dogs after what they did?’”
Johnson said his family had no prior issues with Rodriquez but didn’t know the dogs would be kept inside while his son was under Rodriquez’s care.
Rodriquez is facing three charges: two of them are separate injury to a child charges and the third is an abandoning or endangering a child charge.
A judge decided Thursday for the three dogs to be euthanized during a dangerous dog hearing. Rodriquez has 10 days to appeal the ruling.
“Change needs to happen now because people have been dying left and right, getting attacked left and right by dogs,” Johnson said.
Thursday’s hearing was a civil matter and didn’t involve the criminal case where Rodriquez faces the three charges.
As Johnson greeted family, friends and strangers at Thursday’s visitation, he also had a request.
“I want my son to be remembered by his smile, his laugh,” Johnson said. “The fact that he was loud, and he told everybody, ‘Hi.’ And he blew kisses.”
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