Tullahoma Fatal Dog Attack Raises Criminal Charge Questions in Tennessee

A grandfather and his infant granddaughter were pronounced dead after Tullahoma police responded to a report of pit bulls mauling the 3-month-old girl, according to NBC News. The district attorney general's office for Tennessee's 14th Judicial District said in a news release that authorities are still working to determine the exact cause of death for James Alexander Smith, 50, and his granddaughter, including whether the mauling occurred after they were already dead.

Officers arrived at a home on East Warren Street in Tullahoma and found Smith already dead. The dogs were still attacking the infant's body when police arrived. Officers had to kill some of the dogs to stop the attack and reach the victims. Coffee County Communications Center received the initial call at approximately 3 p.m. reporting an apparent mauling by pit bulls in the 900 block of East Warren Street. NBC affiliate WSMV of Nashville reported that the animals were among seven pit bulls that lived at the residence.

District Attorney Craig Northcutt said the dogs stayed at the home where the mauling occurred, but it was not clear whom they belonged to. The district attorney general's office said it is investigating the animals' backgrounds and other potential issues that may have contributed to the situation. The surviving dogs were transferred to a local animal control agency, and the residence was condemned following the attack. Authorities are also examining any past violent history involving the dogs and whether current or past circumstances may have warranted intervention by the Department of Children's Services.

The prosecutor's office said it is not clear whether criminal charges will be filed in the case. The question of criminal exposure turns in part on what investigators establish about the dogs' ownership and history. Under Tennessee law, criminal penalties can be imposed on dog owners in certain circumstances, including when an owner fails to control a dog that wanders onto someone else's property or into a public place. If the dog seriously injures or kills someone, the owner, or the person responsible for the animal, can be charged with a felony and face years in prison and significant fines. A complicating factor here is that the attack occurred on the residential property where the dogs lived, a fact that triggers a more demanding evidentiary standard under state law. Under Tennessee Code Annotated, if a dog causes damage on residential property and the dog's owner is the owner of the property or is present by permission, a claimant in a civil action must establish that the dog's owner knew or should have known of the dog's dangerous propensities.

A neighbor, Rebecca Adams, told WSMV that the dogs routinely escaped from the family's yard and chased other neighborhood pets, but that she had never seen them act aggressively toward people. Investigators have not publicly identified a suspect, and no charges have been filed as of the date of this report. The 14th Judicial District attorney general's office has not set a timetable for a charging decision.

References

[1] NBC News. (2025, December 05). Police responding to pit bull mauling in Tennessee find grandfather and infant dead. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/police-responding-pitbull-mauling-tennessee-find-grandfather-infant-de-rcna247670

[2] WSMV Nashville. (2025, December 04). Police investigating after grandfather, baby, found dead during dog mauling in Tullahoma. https://www.wsmv.com/2025/12/04/police-investigating-after-grandfather-baby-found-dead-during-dog-mauling-tullahoma/

[3] Chattanooga Times Free Press. (2025, December 05). Grandfather, 3-month-old granddaughter mauled to death by dogs in Tullahoma, Tenn. https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2025/dec/05/grandfather-3-month-old-granddaughter-mauled-to/

[4] Nolo. (2026, February 05). Tennessee Dog-Bite Laws. https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/tennessee-dog-bite-laws.html

[5] Animal Legal & Historical Center. Tennessee Code Annotated § 44-8-413, Consolidated Dog Laws. https://www.animallaw.info/statute/tn-dog-consolidated-dog-laws