It has been nearly two months since a rural Oklahoma mother was nearly killed in a savage animal attack, and investigators are still working to identify the creature responsible.
Alicia Maxey, 38, remained in a Tulsa hospital for weeks, having endured a staggering eight surgeries to repair damage so severe it has baffled veteran law enforcement officers.
The incident took place on March 29, 2026, in a remote yard in Blanco. Maxey was discovered unconscious and covered in blood roughly an hour after the attack by the homeowner, a certified EMT, who performed lifesaving measures until a medical helicopter arrived.
While a dog was present when she was found, the nature of Maxey’s injuries immediately raised red flags for authorities.
“In 38 years, I’ve never been involved or seen anything to this extent as far as injuries caused by a wild animal,” said Pittsburg County Sheriff Frankie McClendon.
The Sheriff’s Office is currently working with Oklahoma Wildlife Services to process DNA evidence. Investigators sent Maxey’s ripped clothing to a lab to determine if the predator was a domestic dog, a bear, or a mountain lion. As of mid-May, the results of those forensic tests have not yet been publicly released.
From her bed at Ascension St. John, Maxey has provided chilling details about the moments before the lights went out. She recalled hearing a “deep growl” after pulling up to a gate.
“Something just pounced on her and knocked her to the ground,” her sister-in-law, Kat Kelley, said. “She says it was dog-like is what she described, but she didn’t say it was certainly a dog.” Maxey also has a faint memory of hearing shouting and a possible gunshot during the struggle.
The physical toll has been catastrophic. Doctors have fought to save Maxey’s arms from amputation, a battle they are winning for now, though Maxey has told family that the “pain is almost unbearable.”
The case bears a striking resemblance to a 2019 tragedy in North Carolina, where teacher Brenda Hamilton was killed by an unidentified animal. In that case, DNA confirmed a canine attacker but could never definitively distinguish between a domestic dog and a wild coyote or wolf.
The Maxey family is also navigating a logistical nightmare. Alicia was the sole breadwinner for her husband, Wallace—who is on dialysis and awaiting a kidney transplant—and their two daughters. While the family’s towed vehicle was eventually returned without fees following local news coverage, the mounting costs of housing, travel for dialysis, and Alicia’s long-term care continue to pile up.
“Alicia is a loving, caring person,” Wallace Maxey said in a GoFundMe fundraiser. “It doesn’t matter who you are, she will sit there and help you the best that she can.”
As summer approaches, the Blanco community remains on edge, waiting for the lab results that might finally identify the predator that changed the Maxey family’s lives forever.
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