A 15-year-old girl lost her life while trying to help a pack of abused and hungry dogs.
Makayla Fortner, a student at Bryant High School and a member of the girls’ varsity soccer team, was found dead on June 11 around noon at a home on White Oak Drive in Alexander.
While trying to feed the animals, the dogs turned aggressive and attacked her. Tragically, she did not survive the attack.
Community Heartbroken After Teen Killed While Helping Neglected Dogs
Makayla and her mother, Stephanie Wilkie, had gone to the property to care for around 30 to 40 dogs that had been left without food or care.
On June 8, Makayla’s mother shared a message on Facebook asking for help with a serious dog hoarding situation.
She explained that an elderly couple, both in their 80s, had over 40 dogs on their property, including many non-sterilized puppies and even a new litter born that day.
She and Makayla were doing their best to help take two dogs home, giving them baths, and treating the yard for fleas and ticks.
Makayla was helping by cutting down the tall grass and weeds around the property.
Her mother asked for support with spaying, neutering, and adopting the dogs.
She also mentioned her Cash App for anyone willing to donate toward vet costs and urged others to share the post.
Similarly, a neighbor shared that people in the area had reported concerns about the dogs to Saline County officials on several occasions before.
Heidi Clay, one of the neighbors, said the problems started when the couple first moved in.
They brought a lot of dogs and several broken-down vehicles with them, which upset many people living nearby.
She explained that the dogs were aggressive, especially near the fence, which made parents feel unsafe about letting their kids walk to the bus stop.
Other neighbors also said they had contacted the county for help, but were told there wasn’t much the officials could do about the situation.
Even in the comments section, a person named Mark Allen Adams was infuriated when people on her post showed more sympathy for the dogs than for the young girl who died.
Another commenter, James Franklin McCool, called him out, saying it was wrong and heartless to post something like that under a grieving mother’s message.
He reminded Mark that the dogs weren’t the ones being discussed and told him he should be ashamed for making such a comment during such a tragic time.
After the tragic attack that took Makayla’s life, officials from nearby Benton said they removed 14 dogs from the property, and all of them had to be put down.
Only four dogs that were kept locked inside the house were left behind.
In the meantime, a fundraiser was set up to support Makayla Fortner’s family expenses.
