A three-month-old boy was viciously mauled by the babysitter's pit bull despite her desperate attempts to hide the tot in a cupboard where the dog managed to get in and kill him.
Little Lucas Levi dos Santos was sitting in his caretaker's lap when her dog suddenly ran into the house and attacked the child.
The woman, not named, was looking after the baby at her home in Sao Lourenco da Mata, in the Greater Recife area of Brazil, on Monday, 14th April, while Lucas' mother was at work.
When her pet pit bull attacked the baby, she desperately tried to fight off the dog and hid Lucas in a nearby cupboard.
But the dog managed to get the door open and mauled the baby to death.
The emergency services were called, but firefighters could only confirm that the infant had already died by the time they arrived.
Picture shows little Lucas Levi dos Santos, undated. The three-month-old baby was mauled by a pitbull in Sao Lourenco da Mata, Brazil. Note: Private photo taken from social media. (Newsflash/NX)
According to the police, Lucas, who was born on 6th January, was in the care of a trusted childminder.
It was the very first time she was looking after him, but the woman had previously cared for the boy’s older brother and was well-known to the family.
The police said that the pit bull was initially in the garden but managed to force its way into the house and charged directly at the baby. Another child was also in her care at the time.
Police spokesperson Victor Leite said: "She said the pit bull ran straight towards the baby. She even fought the dog off and showed a hand injury sustained while trying to rescue the baby. This is all being analysed."
Lucas's body was handed over to the Institute of Forensic Medicine (IML) for autopsy.
Meanwhile, authorities are considering whether the dog's owner should be charged with involuntary manslaughter.
It is currently unclear what will happen to the dog.
The incident is under investigation.
(Simona Kitanovska / newsX)