5-Year-Old in Coma and 'Fighting for Her Life' After Being Mauled by Dog

Mar. 15, 2025

Aletha.Photo:GoFundMe

GoFundMe

The case, which remains under investigation as of Tuesday, Oct. 15, may lead to criminal charges, Detective Jack Taylor of the Independence police tells PEOPLE.

Aletha was attacked around 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8, and suffered “severe lacerations” from the mauling, according to a policepress releaseposted the day of the attack.

She was rushed in an ambulance to a hospital.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

“Early indications are that an unrestrained dog entered the fenced-in backyard of the residence where the child and adult were,” police said in the release.

The detective tells PEOPLE that Animal Services detained the dog on the day of the attack, and that the animal has since been euthanized.

“Aletha suffered devastating injuries, including a skull fracture, a broken collarbone and a broken rib,” Davies wrote on the campaign post, noting that Aletha had been placed in a medically induced coma “and is fighting for her life in intensive care.”

“Because of the loss of blood and oxygen, doctors fear Aletha may have suffered permanent brain damage,” Davies wrote.

source: people.com