ALEXANDER, Ark. (KATV/CNN/CNN Newsource/WKRC) — A teenage girl was killed by a neglected pack of dogs after she attempted to feed them Wednesday.
A tragic incident unfolded on White Oak Drive when a young girl was killed while attempting to feed neglected dogs on a property. Neighbors reported that the girl and her mother had been caring for the animals for some time due to their poor condition.
Ralph Murphy, a neighbor on Cherylwood Road, described the scene when speaking to KATV.
“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,” he told the outlet.
Residents have long complained about the dozens of dogs on the property, which were not controlled by their owners and often roamed the neighborhood. Heidi Clay, whose family owns nearby property, spoke to KATV regarding the situation.
“When they moved in all the neighbors are 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,” Clay told the station.
Neighbors said they had contacted the county multiple times about the issue.
“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,” he told the station.
“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 reporters with KATV.
Following the incident, the sheriff’s office and Benton Animal Control seized the animals.
Murphy expressed frustration with the situation.
“But it’s just too late. So I think our government has failed us,” Murphy told KATV.
“If somebody had done something, then maybe this little girl would be alive,” Clay said when speaking to the station’s reporters.
A GoFundMe campaign for Funerals & Memorials was launched to help raise money for the family. The campaign aims to raise $45,000 and has garnered $27,430 as of Friday, thanks to help from others.
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