Last night we reported the shocking news of a 7 year old boy in Santa Elena Town who was slaughtered by a pair of rottweilers. It happened on Saturday afternoon in a neighbor’s yard which is where the 7 year old boy and his 9 year old friend had gone to reportedly pick up coconuts. But it was an ill-fated adventure because minutes into it they were viciously attacked and 7 year old Dualvin Jacinto Albeno Cordona didn’t make it out alive. Keith Swift has more in this report from Santa Elena.
Keith Swift Reporting,
Today Jovani Cordona quietly wept as he stared inside the coffin in which his 7 year old son Dualvin Jacinto Albeno Cordona was. Dualvin was mauled to death by this pair of rotweiller dogs on Saturday afternoon.
Marlene Lemus, Aunt of Dualvin Cordona
“My mom had to do a message. We stayed home with them. They had lunch and everything and then Dualvin was playing on the hammock with a machete and I took it away from him. And then after that Dualvin came outside, I don’t know for what reason, and then after that my neighbour came running to tell me that he is in our neighbour’s yard and the dog bit him and thing like that.”
Sara Carr, Family Friend
“By reaching home, one of his aunts told us, Sara she said with expression that Dualvin is dead, Dualvin is dead. We didn’t believe it. I thought it was an exaggeration so I ran with his grandmother, hugged her and we went down to see what’s happening. I went in and I saw the child bleeding to death with blood all over his face. I thought he was at least alive or something. He told me he is there. I saw him and I saw the lifeless body of the child and
I went very close to him, very very close and I saw if he was breathing or something and I asked him if he had seen him and he said no. I told him he is dead.”
Dualvin was in the care of his grandmother because both his mother Norma Salinas de Jacinto and his father Jovani Cardona are remanded on gun charges. They were released to attend today’s funeral.
Norma Salinas de Jacinto, Mother
“It is not fair that my child is in a coffin and the dogs are still alive. It is not fair. It is not fair that my son isn’t valued more than those animals.”
Jovani Cardona, Father
“Although it is a dog that took away my son’s life – it is very hard for me. Very very hard. Although I am in prison it is very hard for me. Although the dogs are alive I would like for justice to be done because it can affect some one else in the situation. It can be repeated.”
Admittedly Dualvin was in his neighbour’s yard. Police say he was in there picking coconuts but his family vehemently denies that. But even if he was, Dualvin’s family says that is no excuse for the brutal attack on Dualvin.
Marlene Lemus,
“I can’t tell you what he was doing there because one of our neighbour’s just came and told me that he was in the yard where the dog bite him but I didn’t expect them to kill him like that.”
Keith Swift,
“And this something Darwin would do, jump the fence to pick coconuts?”
Marlene Lemus,
“No because he has a lot of coconuts home and he has no reason to
go and get coconuts either.”
Keith Swift,
“Do you think that maybe if Dualvin had more supervision that he wouldn’t have ended up in that yard?”
Marlene Lemus,
“Well I don’t know because even if you look after them, kids are kids and they do what they want.”
Sara Carr,
“To me it hurts because I see him, I mingle with him, anywhere the child sees me he is like, ‘hello, hello.’ He is very respectful and it is true that children are children who play but I think also that if you have those kinds of dogs you must be very careful. And also on my behalf with the family, I would say it is not fair that they are alive. They are right out there. The gentlemen hasn’t even come to us, not to the family and said my condolence.”
Sgt. Kent Paulino, Investigator
“Well with respect to the dog incident, the file will be compiled and will be sent to the DPP and therefore she will give us her directive and then we will act from there.”
Keith Swift,
“Under the law is there something the owner can be charged with?”
Sgt. Kent Paulino,
“Well like I said we will get our instructions from the DPP and we will follow through.”
Seven news tried to speak to the owner of the dogs. His name is Finley Mansanto but we were told he wasn’t home. But his dogs King and Queen were and they made it clear that we weren’t welcomed.
[Dogs barking.]
And just as we weren’t welcome – so too are these dogs. Neighbours today told us that king and queen are proven killers and they want them out of the neighbourhood.
Keith Swift,
“Do you feel safe with those two dogs still alive?”
Sara Carr,
“I’ll be honest to you, no. We don’t feel safe at this moment. We don’t feel safe at this moment with those dogs. Although they are in their fence but we don’t feel safe with these animals and I think it is unfair, it is very unfair of the situation.”
Silva Lara,
“I am seeing from Saturday the reaction of those dogs and I think that the whole neighbourhood doesn’t want the dogs to be around anymore because we all feel in danger.”
A post mortem conducted yesterday certified that Dualvin Cordona died from a dog bite to the neck.
