A teenage girl in Arkansas was killed in a horrifying attack while she and her mother were trying to take care of 30 to 40 malnourished dogs who were left to starve at a nearby property.
Makayla Fortner, 15, was found dead at a home on White Oak Drive in Alexander shortly after noon on Wednesday, KATV reports.
Neighbors said the teenager was trying to feed the malnourished dogs when they suddenly attacked her.
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.
Neighbor added that they had complained to Saline County officials about the animals multiple times in the past.
‘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.
‘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,’ she continued.
She and other residents also told the local news station that county officials had told them on multiple occasions that they could not do anything about the unruly animals.
Makayla Fortner, 15, was killed in a horrifying attack while she and her mother were trying to take care of 30 to 40 malnourished dogs
‘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,’ Ralph Murphy said.
But following the mauling attack, Benton City officials said all 14 dogs seized from the property have been euthanized.
Only four dogs that were locked inside the house were left on the property.
Murphy, though, says he wishes something had been done sooner.
‘It’s just too late,’ he lamented. ‘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.
Meanwhile, an online fundraiser set up to help Fortner’s family has garnered more than $17,000.
Neighbors said the teenager was trying to feed the malnourished dogs when they suddenly attacked her
Fortner and her mother stepped in to help take care of the dogs after noticing their deplorable conditions
They were even trying to find permanent homes for the animals
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.’
Fortner was also ‘deeply loved by her family, friends and everyone who had the privilege of knowing her.’
All of the money collected from the fundraiser will go toward funeral expenses, grief counseling for Fortner’s family and support for them.
