A three-week-old girl was mauled to death by a pit bull as she sat in her car seat.

Sgt. Eren Stephens told CBS Detroit that a 24-year-old mother placed her infant, still strapped in her car seat, on the floor of her home on Thursday afternoon. She walked away, not knowing the dog was loose in the house.

When she returned, she saw the pit bull attacking the baby.

The girl was rushed to Sinai-Grace Hospital, but died from her injuries.

Neighbors said the incident was saddening and were surprised to hear about it.

"This is ridiculous and you see it on the news every day about these dogs, okay, you see it every day. You see it's about kids, okay, protect your kids. If you love them, you had them, you have to protect them," one neighbor told WWJ.

Stephens told the Detroit Free Press that the case was now under the jurisdiction of the homicide division. Prosecutors will then decide to file charges after the evidence is submitted.

"It seems like maybe just a tragic accident," Stephens said.