![\"Mother](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.animals24-7.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Picsart_25-06-13_11-15-27-931-e1749838559206.jpg?ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\n(Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n ALEXANDER, Arkansas\u2013\u2013<\/strong>Fifteen-year-old dog rescuer Makayla Fortner at about noon on June 11,\u00a0 2025 became the 36th known dog attack fatality of the year;\u00a0 the 29th pit bull victim;\u00a0 and the thirteenth Arkansas dog attack victim since 2017,\u00a0 all of them killed by pit bulls.<\/p>\n Fortner was also the fifth probable pit bull fatality among the seven most recent nationwide to die under circumstances just ambiguous enough to flood social media with denials that pit bulls were involved.<\/p>\n Stephanie Wilkie plays with young pit bulls through fence.\u00a0 (Stephanie Wilkie photos; collage from screenshots)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n News video in Fortner\u2019s case made clear that multiple pit bulls and pit mixes were involved.<\/p>\n Posted Makayla Fortner\u2019s mother,\u00a0 Stephanie Wilkie,\u00a0 40,\u00a0 to Facebook on June 8,\u00a0 2025,\u00a0 \u201cSo like normal found myself in a hoarding situation of an older couple in their 80s with too many dogs, \u00a0non-fixed puppies everywhere, \u00a040+ and a litter born today.<\/p>\n \u201cIf anyone can help,\u201d\u00a0 Wilkie asked, \u00a0\u201cplease, \u00a0we need spay and neuter and adoptions.\u00a0 They let me bring two home.\u00a0 Gave baths and they will need to be wormed and shots.<\/p>\n \u201cMe and my daughter,\u201d\u00a0 Makayla,\u00a0 Wilkie said, \u00a0\u201care treating the yard for fleas and ticks.\u00a0 They are covered. \u00a0My 15 year old daughter is weed-eating the property.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked what sort of dogs were involved,\u00a0 Wilkie responded,\u00a0 \u201cPit mixes.\u201d<\/p>\n Stephanie Wilkie with daughter Makayla Fortner.<\/strong><\/em> \u201cNeighbors say that there were anywhere from 30 to 40 dogs on the property at the time,\u201d\u00a0 affirmed Payton Dhooge of KATV in Little Rock.<\/p>\n As Alexander has no animal shelter,\u00a0 the Saline County Sheriff\u2019s Office transported fourteen dogs from the scene to Benton,\u00a0 Arkansas,\u00a0 thirteen miles southwest.<\/p>\n \u201cBenton city officials tell KATV that all 14 dogs seized from the property after the attack have been euthanized,\u201d\u00a0 Dhooge continued.<\/p>\n \u201cOnly four dogs who had been locked inside the house were left on the property,\u201d\u00a0 Dhooge added.<\/p>\n Two young rescued pit bulls.<\/strong><\/em> The Saline County Sheriff\u2019s Office said Fortner was \u201cfatally attacked by multiple dogs located within a secured,\u00a0 fenced area on private property. Approximately 30 dogs were being housed at the location.\u00a0 The victim had been previously assisting with the care of the animals and was helping to find them permanent homes. The reason for the sudden and tragic attack is currently unknown.\u201d<\/p>\n Continued Dhooge for KATV,\u00a0 \u201cLocals believe the tragedy could have been prevented and blame the county for not stepping in sooner to do something about the animals, \u00a0who had been neglected by their owners.<\/p>\n \u201cNeighbors say they have complained multiple times in the past to the county about the dogs, who were not controlled by their owners and at times ran loose throughout the neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n (Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Said neighbor Heidi Clay,\u00a0 \u201cWhen they moved in all the neighbors were very upset. \u00a0They moved in with a huge amount of dogs and a large amount of broken down vehicles. \u00a0These 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, \u00a0like you had to get out here to get your 15-year-old off the bus because of these dogs.<\/p>\n \u201cThey do not look well-cared for,\u201d \u00a0Clay continued.\u00a0 \u201cThere is no humane society to call that will come out here and pick up these dogs. My dad tried.\u00a0 Before he passed away, \u00a0he used to call [the sheriff\u2019s office] all the time, \u00a0and they told him to shoot them.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd if somebody had done something, then then maybe this little girl would be alive,\u201d \u00a0Clay finished.<\/p>\n Preston Noland. (Facebook photo)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Preston Andrew Noland,\u00a0 46,\u00a0 of Southern Hearts Rescue,\u00a0 who said he was personally involved in collecting some of the dogs,\u00a0 contradicted practically every other witness,\u00a0 including Stephanie Wilkie,\u00a0 in several extensive Facebook postings.<\/p>\n \u201cThe dogs were on the property of people who have the misfortune of living on a dead end street in the country,\u00a0 also known as a common dumping ground,\u201d\u00a0 Noland alleged. \u00a0\u201cThese dogs were not bred by the people. \u00a0They were not used in fighting rings. \u00a0It was not a puppy mill.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were just someone else\u2019s problem that they dumped off on these poor people,\u201d\u00a0 Noland said. \u00a0\u201cThese situations multiply quickly and soon you have 40 unfixed dogs running around your property. \u00a0Good-hearted people saw the problem and were assisting with it.<\/p>\n Makayla Fortner playing girls soccer in 2023.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/em>(Facebook photo)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Fortner \u201cdid not jump a fence to get on the property,\u201d\u00a0 Noland continued, \u00a0\u201cand she had permission to be there. \u00a0These were dogs she had interacted with before. \u00a0They were hound and lab mixes,\u201d\u00a0 Noland contended,\u00a0 likening those who saw pit bulls in the KATV videos of the scene to people claiming they saw Bigfoot.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were not aggressive or dangerous dogs before this incident,\u201d\u00a0 Noland asserted.<\/p>\n Apart from the 14 dogs who were taken to Benton and euthanized,\u00a0 and the four left in the house,\u00a0 Noland said,\u00a0 \u201cAny other dogs who were not personal dogs and not involved in the attack were removed by our rescue.<\/p>\n (Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cSadly,\u201d\u00a0 Noland continued, \u00a0\u201cthese situations are happening all over this state. \u00a0I call them unintentional hoarders. \u00a0What do you do when someone dumps a bunch of animals on you? \u00a0When there is no animal control or shelter in the area? When those animals \u2018won\u2019t leave\u2019?<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you can barely afford to feed yourself and now you have more mouths to feed? \u00a0Can you close the door on the starving puppy crying for food on your porch? \u00a0This little girl lost her life today because she cared. \u00a0She was a hero,\u201d\u00a0 Noland declared.<\/p>\n But she was apparently also surrounded by 14 pit bulls and pit mixes,\u00a0 at least one of whom had birthed a litter only days before.<\/p>\n Lucrecia Macias Barajas.<\/strong><\/em> The disputed involvement of pit bulls in killing Makayla Fortner came a month after Lucrecia Macias Barajas,\u00a0 46,\u00a0 and Fredy Pojoy Sajqui,\u00a0 39,\u00a0 were found dead on May 12,\u00a0 2025 by one of Barajas\u2019 adult daughters in a makeshift tent reportedly locked from the inside at a Los Angeles homeless encampment.<\/p>\n Barajas\u2019 dogs,\u00a0 a pit bull and a German shepherd mix,\u00a0 also found inside the tent,\u00a0 had reportedly eaten parts of her body,\u00a0 and according to some accounts had eaten parts of Sajqui\u2019s remains too,\u00a0 \u00a0but their causes of death have yet to be officially released.<\/p>\n Kianna Winfield.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Kianna Winfield,\u00a0 one month old,\u00a0 sleeping between her parents in the Queensbridge Houses\u00a0project in Queens,\u00a0 New York,\u00a0 was found dead by her mother,\u00a0 Lillian Burton,\u00a0 27,\u00a0 at about 6:30 a.m. on May 27,\u00a0 2025,\u00a0 with their pit bull puppy tearing the baby\u2019s face off.<\/p>\n New York Daily News\u00a0<\/em>reporter \u00a0Colin Mixxon updated a day later that \u201cAn initial autopsy performed by the New York City medical examiner was inconclusive with further testing needed to determine how Kianna Winfield died,\u201d\u00a0 according to a spokesperson for the medical examiner\u2019s office.<\/p>\n \u201cBut the autopsy did reveal the dog bites were inflicted after the girl was already dead,\u201d\u00a0 Mixxon mentioned,\u00a0 while reiterating that both Burton and her boyfriend told the police they had seen the young pit bull biting the baby\u2019s face.\u201d<\/p>\n (See Pit bulls, poor adult judgement, & poverty: common aspects of 2 infant deaths<\/a>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n (Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n In Monroe County,\u00a0 Indiana,\u00a0 WTHR digital desk editor Arianna Sergio reported from Indianapolis,\u00a0 the county sheriff\u2019s office on June 1,\u00a0 2025 responded to a call reporting an unresponsive person inside a car that had hit a concrete light pole base at a Walmart parking lot, \u00a0and that \u201cnumerous aggressive dogs\u201d were inside the car.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen police arrived on scene,\u201d\u00a0 Sergio summarized, \u00a0\u201cthey said eight dogs in the car were acting aggressively and preventing them from getting to the victim.<\/p>\n \u201cPolice said firefighters tried to get to the victim,\u201d\u00a0 but \u201cmultiple dogs escaped and started charging emergency personnel and bystanders.\u00a0 One firefighter and one bystander were bitten,\u201d\u00a0 receiving \u201cminor injuries,\u201d\u00a0 treated at a local hospital.<\/p>\n \u201cPolice said they discovered the victim had been living out of the vehicle,\u201d\u00a0 Sergio said,\u00a0 which according to surveillance video had hit the light pole base about four hours before the situation was reported.<\/p>\n Neither the victim\u2019s identity nor the official cause of death have been disclosed.<\/p>\n Clint and Amber Fontenot.<\/strong><\/em> \u00a0(See also No-kill vs. high human body count: Best Friends fights Arkansas pit bull bans<\/a>.)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>The human toll since 2017,\u00a0 during which time only pit bulls have killed Arkansans:<\/p>\n Clint Fontenot<\/strong>, \u00a041,\u00a0 of Arkadelphia, \u00a0Arkansas,\u00a0 was on July 3,\u00a0 2024 killed by own XL Bully.(See\u00a0Fourth of July 2024 death reports: 3 by dog, 1 by croc, & a famous bull<\/a>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Reuben Pierce<\/strong>, \u00a070,\u00a0 of Jacksonville, Arkansas,\u00a0 was mauled by pit bulls on October 30, 2023.\u00a0 He died from his injuries on January 24,\u00a0 2024.\u00a0 (See\u00a0Pit bulls kill two men miles from home, one in home, & one in front yard.)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Jeane Bennett.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Jeane Bennett<\/strong>,\u00a0 93,\u00a0 of Blytheville,\u00a0 Arkansas,\u00a0 was attacked by three free-roaming pit bulls on June 3, \u00a02023.\u00a0 She died from her injuries on August 16, 2023.\u00a0 Neighbor David Veasey<\/strong>,\u00a0 43,\u00a0 was charged with two counts of felony aggravated assault,\u00a0 two counts of unlawful dog attack,\u00a0 and various violations of city ordinance.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><\/strong>(See\u00a0Pit bull death of 93-year-old woman ends streak of 4 killings of adult men<\/a>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em>James Woodrow McCool,\u00a0 <\/strong>39,\u00a0 of Star City,\u00a0 Arkansas,\u00a0 was allegedly pulled out of his wheelchair by multiple pit bulls on October 29,\u00a0 2023.\u00a0 Cousin Scott Alan McCool,\u00a0 48,\u00a0 owner of Copperhead Kennels,\u00a0 was on January 18,\u00a0 2024 charged with manslaughter.<\/p>\n Brenda Witt<\/strong>, 60,\u00a0 of Genoa,\u00a0 Arkansas,\u00a0 was killed by five free-roaming pit bulls on September 24,\u00a0 2023.\u00a0 (See\u00a0Pit bulls kill 2 women, 2 days apart. Small town cares; does Toledo?)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Brenda Lynn Witt.<\/strong><\/em> Sam Sullivan<\/strong>, 57,\u00a0 of West Memphis, Arkansas,\u00a0 died on November 21,\u00a0 2022,\u00a0 after having been attacked by a pit bull on November 8,\u00a0 2022.)<\/p>\n Unidentified child <\/strong>was killed on November 3,\u00a0 2022 in Nob Hill,\u00a0 Springdale,\u00a0 Arkansas. \u00a0The dog involved was identified by neighbors as an \u201coutside\u201d pit bull.\u00a0 (See<\/strong>\u00a0Tyson executive bust upstages three dog attack fatalities in a week<\/strong><\/a>.)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Patti Webb, \u00a0<\/strong>65,\u00a0 of Avoca,\u00a0 Arkansas,\u00a0 a pit bull rescuer, was killed on September 24,\u00a0 2021 by two pit bulls kept by a renter on her property.<\/p>\n Roger James Kirk, <\/strong>69, Horatio, AR, attacked 3-19-2020, died 3-26-2020 of injuries.\u00a0 (See\u00a0Pit bull attack deaths only slightly slowed by COVID-19 stay-home orders<\/a>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Robbie Taylor<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Robbie Taylor, <\/strong>9,\u00a0 of Mount Vernon, Arkansas, was killed on May 28,\u00a0 2020 by two pit bulls belonging to neighbor Trey Edgar Wyatt, 25, who was criminally charged.\u00a0 (See\u00a0Wrestler Megan Milner is first Canadian pit bull fatality of 2020.)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Bill Deneke, \u00a0<\/strong>70, \u00a0of Pine Bluff, \u00a0Arkansas, \u00a0died on December 8, \u00a02017 of head injuries suffered when a pit bull knocked him down.<\/p>\n Sharon Lindemann, <\/strong>75,\u00a0 was on October 30,\u00a0 2017 killed by two pit bulls in her driveway in Hartman,\u00a0 Arkansas.<\/p>\nAnother rescuer,\u00a0 who arrived after 14 dogs involved in the attack were removed,\u00a0 likened seeing pit bulls in earlier video of the scene to seeing Bigfoot<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nMultiple pit bulls & pit mixes<\/h2>\n
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(Facebook photo)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\u201c30 to 40 dogs on the property\u201d<\/h2>\n
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(Stephanie Wilkie photos)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\nNeighbors \u201ccomplained multiple times\u201d<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cMoved in with a huge amount of dogs\u201d<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nRescuer contradicted other witnesses<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cNot dangerous or aggressive dogs\u201d<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cUnintentional hoarders\u201d<\/h2>\n
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(GoFundMe photo)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\nTent case in Los Angeles<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nInfant case in New York City<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nVictim lived in car with eight dogs<\/h2>\n
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(GoFundMe photo)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\nThe human pit bull toll in Arkansas since 2017<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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(Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/a><\/p>\n