Baby is maimed; mom in rehab blames family pet for injury

WEBSTER, Texas - A woman with a history of drug abuse says she awoke from a nap to find her miniature dachshund had torn off her baby boy's genitals.

Authorities have doubts about her story, but exactly how the newborn was maimed is still a mystery.

Holden Gothia, now 7 weeks old, was found on a bed in his mother's suburban Houston apartment March 13, covered in blood. His genitals were severed and there was a deep cut in his upper leg.

He has been in critical condition ever since. He may never regain the use of his leg and faces years of operations, according to the boy's father, Camden Gothia, who is seeking sole custody.

Police, doctors and Child Protective Service officials told Gothia that the injuries were not consistent with dog bites - the lacerations were too neat.

But Holden's mother, the only person who might have the answers, has checked into a treatment program and refuses to cooperate with police. No charges have been filed.

Child-protection authorities said the 25-year-old woman had a history of prescription-drug abuse and had tested positive for cocaine and methadone the day after Holden was mutilated.

The mother's name has not been released, and the boy's father would not disclose it. The couple were living together but were not married.

Gothia, 36, an assistant supervisor at a chemical plant, said Holden was born healthy and drug-free, and for the first month of his life, the mother "was just glowing. She was head-over-heels in love with Holden."

But Gothia said he soon saw signs that his girlfriend was using drugs again, and the day before the maiming, he threatened to take the boy away from her.

Gothia said the 8-pound dachshund, which he bought as a gift for Holden's mother, had never shown any aggressiveness and often slept nestled to the newborn. *