A four-month-old boy has died and his 22-month-old brother has been left with life-changing injuries after they were mauled by a dog in Colchester. Archie Joe Darby, his older brother Daniel-Jay, and their mother were found injured at a detached house on Harwich Road at 3.10pm on Thursday. All were taken to hospital, where Archie Joe died from his injuries.

Daniel-Jay was initially treated at Colchester general hospital before being transferred to a specialist unit elsewhere, according to a tweet by the area’s MP, Will Quince. The boys’ mother was treated for minor injuries and has been discharged from hospital. The dog has since been put down, police have said.

On Friday evening, the family paid tribute to the boys. In a statement, they said: “Our beautiful sons Archie Joe Darby and Daniel-Jay Darby are so, so loved by us all and were such happy little lovable boys. It doesn’t seem real that our little Archie Bum has gone to heaven and our little Daniel is in intensive care because of a tragic, tragic incident involving a dog attack.

“We have lost our gorgeous little four-month-old baby and our beautiful 22-month-old boy is currently being treated for his injuries. Heaven has gained a beautiful little angel and he will be greatly missed by us all and our other little soldier is still fighting strong. Please, please, please can you all respect our privacy at this time.”

Police and forensic investigators were still at the house on Friday, and the property’s back garden was taped off. Neighbours said they did not know the family well because they had only moved in earlier this year.



Ellen Double, 87, who lives several doors down, said: “We never knew the people who lived there. I’ve never seen anybody go in there and as for a dog or children, you never see anything except three cars – that’s all I have seen. So yesterday when I saw the ambulance … First it was just one ambulance, and suddenly there were two emergency ambulances and police cars. The whole road was blocked.”

Double said she saw a woman being guided from the house and into the back of one of the ambulances. “The last thing I saw was that a young woman came out with something draped over her head and she went into the ambulance,” she said. “I was standing up at my bedroom window and I couldn’t help watching, but I didn’t know how serious it was. She was bent down and she had her coat or whatever draped right over her head, so nobody could see her, but she got into the ambulance, which then drove away.”

Scott Mills, 24, an accountant who lives across the road from the scene, described the light brown dog that was removed from the house as “like a staffordshire bull terrier, but slightly more built”. “It was like it was a cross-breed,” he said. “It was primarily staffordshire in its looks, but it was a lot broader.”

Armed response units arrived at the scene, Mills said, but the dog was taken away by a specialist handler. “It was on a pole lead,” he said. “It was totally calm coming out. There was no blood or anything on it. It didn’t appear aggressive; it just appeared that it was being put on a lead to go for a walk. It just jumped in the back of the van and the van left.”

Ch Insp Elliot Judge said: “This is a tragic incident that Essex police is investigating. Specially trained officers are providing support to the family at this difficult time. We will not be making any further statement at this time and would ask the media to respect the family’s privacy.”



An East of England ambulance service spokesperson said: “We received a call yesterday (13 October) at 3.08pm to reports of a serious incident in Colchester. We dispatched three ambulances, a rapid response vehicle, an ambulance officer, and an air ambulance from the Essex and Herts air ambulance trust.

“At the scene two young children were treated by crews, one for life-threatening injuries, and the other for life-changing injuries. Both were taken to Colchester general hospital via land ambulance in a serious condition.”