This Isn't The Dog's Fault

The condition of a 3-year-old Spotsylvania County boy mauled by a neighbor's Rottweiler improved to serious yesterday, one week after the attack left the child critically injured.

Meanwhile, Spotsylvania Sheriff Howard Smith said authorities wrapped up their investigation and no criminal charges will be filed in the case.

Last week, Spotsylvania Commonwealth's Attorney William F. Neely said investigators had found no basis for a neglect charge against Dakota Murphy's father, who apparently lost track of the boy.

The father told authorities he had last seen his son asleep in an upstairs bedroom the afternoon of Jan. 10 and that the boy was gone when he went to check on him 15 to 20 minutes later, Smith said.

While searching outside, a deputy heard one of the neighbor's two dogs bark, Smith said, and then saw the boy sprawled on the ground in the neighbor's fenced yard. Authorities believe the boy might have climbed a fence at a sloping area of the two adjoining yards or might have been pulled over by the dog.

WHERE WERE THE PARENTS?