A pet pit bull mauled a child to death in the far east valley Wednesday afternoon, Metropolitan Police Department officials confirmed late Wednesday.

Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center (Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

A pet pit bull mauled a child to death in the far east valley Wednesday afternoon, Metropolitan Police Department officials confirmed late Wednesday.

The child was visiting a friend’s house at the time of the attack, which happened about 3:35 p.m. outside the 6490 Duck Hill Springs Drive home, near Desert Inn Road and Hollywood Boulevard, Lt. Timothy Hatchett said.

The pit bull had been inside during the child’s visit, but either escaped or was let out before attacking the child for unknown reasons.

The child suffered life-threatening injuries and later died at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center ’s trauma unit .

It’s unclear how old the child was or whether the child had previously visited the friend’s home. It’s also unclear how long the friend’s family had owned the pit bull.

Animal control was in custody of the dog as of Wednesday night. It’s unclear what will happen to the dog or if anyone at the home will face charges in connection with the attack.

The coroner’s office will name the child once his or her family has been notified.

Contact Rachel Crosby at rcrosby@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Find @rachelacrosby on Twitter.