ALEXANDER, Ark. (KATV) – A 15-year-old girl is dead after she was attacked by a pack of dogs, according to authorities in Arkansas.
Neighbors say the girl was trying to feed the neglected dogs on a Saline County property on White Oak Drive in Alexander when she was killed.
The 15-year-old and her mother, out of the kindness of their hearts, had been taking care of the animals for some time after noticing their deplorable condition.
On Wednesday, it all went horribly wrong.
At midday, neighbors heard sirens, and then gunshots, as one of the first deputies arrived at the scene.
“I watched the Saline County deputy come out and go up to the fence, and a bunch of dogs ran the fence. He pulled out his pistol and shot into the ground twice, and the dogs ran,” neighbor Ralph Murphy described. “And then he walked over and looked down and turned around and walked back, and so I moved and I saw a body on the ground.”
There were approximately 30 dogs being housed at the location as part of a rescue at the time of the deadly attack, according to the Saline County Sheriff’s Office.
Neighbors say they have complained multiple times in the past to the county about the dozens of dogs on the property where the girl died. They were not controlled by their owners and, at times, ran loose throughout the neighborhood.
“When they moved in, all the neighbors were very upset,” Heidi Clay said.
Clay’s family owns a property nearby.
“They moved in with a huge amount of dogs and a large amount of broke-down 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,” Clay added. “You had to get out here to get your 15-year-old off the bus because of these dogs. They do not look well cared for. This is a beautiful young girl who lost her life because these people do not properly take care of their dogs and have a hoarding issue.”
Residents in the area said the county previously told them they couldn’t do anything about the 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 they can do,” Murphy said.
Neighborhood residents believe the tragedy wouldn’t have happened had the county acted sooner.
“It’s the county. There is no humane society to call that will come out here and pick up these dogs,” Clay said. “My dad has tried before he passed away. He used to call them all the time and they told him to shoot them.”
The sheriff’s office and Benton Animal Services have since seized the animals.
“It’s just too late, so I think our government has failed us,” Murphy said.
“If somebody had done something, then then maybe this little girl would be alive,” Clay added.
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