MANORVILLE, N.Y. (AP) – A 6-year-old may have been strangled when her family’s golden retriever playfully grabbed her scarf and dragged her around the yard, authorities said Wednesday.

When Kaitlyn Hassard came home from school at around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, the dog, Jessie, a 70-pound retriever mix, began tugging at her scarf.

The little girl and the dog went into the yard, and when her 11-year-old brother went to get her about 10 minutes later, he found her lying on the ground. Their mother called 911 and began CPR, but Kaitlyn was pronounced dead of asphyxiation at Brookhaven Memorial Hospital.

Kaitlyn was wearing the scarf, wet with dog saliva, when she was found; it was not clear whether any further evidence indicated that she had been dragged.

“I don’t believe the dog’s actions were intentionally malicious,” said Detective Lieutenant John Fitzpatrick, a Suffolk County homicide detective, who called the incident “an absolutely tragic story.”

The 1½-year-old dog was taken to the Brookhaven Animal Shelter.