(KATV) — A 15-year-old Arkansas girl was killed by a pack of dogs on Wednesday.
At approximately 12:15 p.m., the Saline County Sheriff’s Office said it received a 911 call reporting that dogs had attacked a female. Deputies and emergency medical personnel responded immediately to the scene, where they found the girl deceased.
Locals believe the tragedy could have been prevented and blame the county for not intervening sooner to address the animals’ neglect, which their owners had caused.
Neighbors KATV spoke with said the girl was trying to feed the malnourished dogs on a property on White Oak Drive when she was killed. The young lady 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.
It all went horribly wrong on Wednesday.
Shortly after noon, 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, run the fence. He pulled out his pistol and shot into the ground twice, and the dogs ran. 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,” said Ralph Murphy, who lives across the street on Cherylwood Road.
Neighbors say they have complained multiple times in the past to the county about the dogs, which were not controlled by their owners and at times, ran loose throughout the neighborhood.
“When they moved in all the neighbors were very upset. 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, like 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,” Heidi Clay, whose family owns property nearby, said.
Area residents said the county told them on multiple occasions that they couldn’t do anything about the dogs, of which there are anywhere from 30 to 40.
“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.
“It’s the county. There is no humane society to call that will come out here and pick up these dogs. My dad has tried, before he passed away, he used to call them all the time, and they told him to shoot them,” Clay told KATV.
Locals believe the girl’s death wouldn’t have happened had the county acted sooner. Wednesday, the sheriff’s office and Benton Animal Control seized the animals.
“But it’s just too late. So I think our government has failed us,” Murphy said.
“And if somebody had done something, then then maybe this little girl would be alive,” Clay said.
The Saline County Sheriff’s Office said it is investigating the incident and, out of respect for the family, the name of the victim will not be released at this time.
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