Makayla Fortner, Arkansas teen girl mauled to death by pack of malnourished dogs she was trying to rescue after left to run amok on property. Locals blame Saline County for failing to address neglected dogs.
An Arkansas teen girl was mauled to death as she and her mother sought to feed a pack of 30 to 40 malnourished dogs who were left to starve at a nearby property.
Makayla Fortner, 15, was killed in the dog attack when the starving and neglected animals suddenly attacked her. The tragedy occurred on Wednesday, just after noon, June 11, at a residence on White Oak Drive in Alexander, KATV reported.
Why didn’t Saline County officials remove the dogs?
Fortner and her mother, Stephanie Wilkie, had recently stepped in to help take care of the dogs after noticing their deplorable conditions.
The teen was even trying to find permanent homes for the pack of dogs, whom neighbors said were not controlled by their owners and sometimes ran loose through the neighborhood, according to My Saline.
Neighbors said that they had complained to Saline County officials about the animals multiple times, only for nothing to be done.
‘When they moved in, all the neighbors were very upset,’ Heidi Clay recounted of the pet owners. ‘They moved in with a huge amount of dogs and a large amount of broken vehicles.
Adding, ‘These dogs were very vicious at the fence, to the point that no one wanted to let their children walk to and from the bus stop.’
Clay claimed county officials telling concerned locals on multiple occasions that they could not do anything about the unruly animals.
‘I had called Saline County and they sent a deputy and said that there’s not any animal control in the county and there’s nothing that they can do,’ neighbor, Ralph Murphy said.
A tragedy that could’ve been averted
Following the deadly attack, Benton City officials seized 14 dogs from the property and had them euthanized. However, four dogs that were locked inside the house during the attack were left inside the property.
Murphy laments the tragedy, saying he wishes something had been done sooner.
‘It’s just too late,’ he told KATV. ‘So I think our government failed us.
‘And if somebody had done something, then maybe this little girl would be alive.’
The Saline County Sheriff’s Office is now investigating the incident.
An online fundraiser set up to help Fortner’s family has to date raised more than $33,000.
It describes the teenager as a ‘beautiful, bright girl with the kindest soul who had so much life ahead of her.
‘Her smile could light up a room and her laughter was the kind that made others feel instantly at ease.’
All of the money collected from the fundraiser will go toward funeral expenses, grief counseling for Fortner’s family and support for them.
