Boy mauled to death by dogs, his mother jailed for child endangerment

A 10-year-old boy was found mauled to death by dogs yesterday morning in a neighbourhood park in the American city of St.Louis, Missouri. Authorities say the body of Rodney McAllister was discovered under a pine tree by a passer-by. A coroner's autopsy showed that dog bites killed the boy. "He was literally eaten by the dogs," Police Chief Ron Henderson is quoted by the AP as saying. "They fed off of him." Rodney was last seen at about 5 p.m. Monday when his mother said he went to a park near his home to play basketball with friends, Mr. Henderson said. When Rodney didn't come home, his mother, Gladys Loman, thought her son had spent the night with a friend's and did not report him missing to authorities, Henderson said. Ms. Loman, 35, was jailed Tuesday on charges of child endangerment.