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No Charges Will Be Filed In Dog Mauling That Killed Dighton Teen

DIGHTON (CBS) - The Bristol County District Attorney said no charges will be filed against the owner of five dogs that mauled and killed 14-year-old Ryan Hazel, of Dighton.

The medical examiner determined that Hazel's cause of death was canine bite wounds and the death was an accident.

Hazel was watching the dogs for their owner, 49-year-old Scott Dunmore, while Dunmore was in Boston. Hazel was driven to the Maple Swamp Road property by his grandmother. When he didn't return to her car, a neighbor was called.

Ryan Hazel
Ryan Hazel (Courtesy photo)

According to the district attorney's report, the dogs were a Dutch shepherd and four Belgian Malinois. All five dogs were euthanized.

Dunmore trained dogs on the property. The district attorney's report said investigators said that Hazel has experience caring for dogs,  "and these five dogs in particular."

"There is no evidence of foul play in this case. The owner of the dogs was cooperative throughout the investigation. There is no basis for criminal charges to issue in this case. This was sadly a terrible tragedy," the report said.

The report said there is no way to know what sparked the attack.

Hazel was a freshman at Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School.

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