Inquest opens into baby's death in Redcar dog attack

A three-month-old baby girl died in hospital after being attacked by dogs at a home in Redcar, North Yorkshire, on April 9, 2026, an inquest heard.

Maggie May Ann Moody, who was born on January 10 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, was pronounced dead the following day at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough. Her body was formally identified by her grandmother, Michelle Scott, on April 11. The inquest, which opened on April 21 at Teesside Coroners Court in Middlesbrough, was told that the provisional cause of death was a head injury. Teesside area coroner Paul Appleton described the incident during the brief hearing, noting that two dogs were present at the address on Hardale Grove.

At 1:33 p.m. on April 9, Cleveland Police received a 999 call from paramedics reporting a child who was not breathing and had been attacked by a dog, Appleton said. The paramedics provided telephone instructions on performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation until emergency responders arrived. Initial accounts indicated the dogs had been in the rear garden before entering the room where Maggie was located. It remains unclear which dog was responsible for the fatal injuries.