A kind-hearted Arkansas teenage girl was mauled to death in a “horrific” dog attack as she attempted to feed multiple malnourished pups left in neglect by their owners.
Makayla Fortner, 15, was killed on the property of the home in Alexander — about 17 miles outside Little Rock — as she was trying to care for around 30 to 40 starving dogs on Wednesday, according to KATV.
Fortner and her mother, Stephanie Wilkie, had been trying to care for the dogs and wanted to rescue them after noticing the state of neglect in which their owners had them living.
Neighbor Ralph Murphy witnessed the moment the first responding officer arrived at the scene and saw him discharge his sidearm multiple times to get the dogs away from the fence.
“I watched a Saline County deputy come out and go up to the fence, and a bunch of dogs ran up to the fence,” Murphy told the outlet.
“He pulled out his pistol and shot into the ground twice, and the dogs ran. Then he walked over and looked down and turned around and walked back. Then I moved and saw a body on the ground.”
For months, neighbors had complained about how out of control the problem with the pack of dogs had become — with many reporting to Saline County officials that they would sometimes run loose throughout the area.
However, county officials had told upset residents on multiple occasions that there was nothing they could do.
“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,” Murphy told the outlet.
Heidi Clay said that the dogs were so “vicious” that “no one wanted to let their children walk to and from the bus stop.”
“When they moved in, all the neighbors were very upset. They moved in with a huge amount of dogs and a large amount of broken vehicles,” Clay told the outlet.
“This was a beautiful young girl who lost her life because these people did not properly take care of their dogs and have a hoarding issue.”
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.
The Saline County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident with the assistance of Benton animal control.
Fortner, a high schooler at Bryant Public Schools, is remembered as a “beautiful, bright girl with the kindest soul,” a GoFundMe set up for the 15-year-old revealed.
“Her smile could light up a room, and her laughter was the kind that made others feel instantly at ease,” the fundraising page reads.
“She is deeply loved by her family, friends, and everyone who had the privilege of knowing her.”
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