Fifteen-year-old Joslyn Stinchcomb of Barrow County, Georgia, faced a horrific pit bull attack while walking around her neighborhood last week. The teen is now fighting for her life in Grady Memorial Hospital, where she reportedly suffers from injuries to her scalp, face, trachea, and the loss of her left ear.
Joslyn would typically take a walk around her neighborhood every day, but her stroll on July 31 ended in disaster.
When police arrived on the scene, they found the teen lying face down against the curb after two pit bulls got loose and chased her down the street, the Daily Mail reports. One of the dogs had Joslyn by the neck and the other was biting at her head.
As one deputy got out of his police car, one of the dogs approached him.
The officer then shot the dog, who survived the shot and ran off. The other dog then released Joslyn from its grip and took off.
"She was coming around the cul-de-sac and the dogs just attacked, no provocation at all," Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith told WSB.
According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the dogs had also grabbed her hair and ripped her scalp off during the attack. "By the time we got there, she was fighting for her life," Smith added. "By the grace of God, she didn't pass away."
Police traced the owner of the dogs as 29-year-old Alexandria Torregrossa.
They followed the dogs back to Torregrossa's house, the Classic City News reports, and when she returned home, she was arrested.
"[Torregrossa] was charged with reckless conduct, two dogs running at large, two counts of biting and attacking," Smith added to WSB.
Meanwhile, Joslyn was flown to by helicopter to Grady Memorial Hospital.
According to a post on Joslyn's aunt's Facebook page, as of August 2 Joslyn was being treated for a "crushed and lacerated" trachea.
"She had surgery to repair it but it will take weeks to heal," aunt Charity Stinchcomb Montgomery wrote. "In the meantime a trach has been [put] in place and she is on a vent to breathe for her."
The dogs also ripped off Joslyn's left ear.
Doctors who treated Joslyn were able to reattach the ear, but aren't sure if she'll be able to use it.
"Only time will tell," Montgomery wrote.
Joslyn's face also suffered from multiple lacerations and nerve damage.
"We don't know the extent of this damage at this time. We have been told that this may effect her smile, her blinking and other facial expressions," she added.
"She also has asphalt in the tips of her fingers where it appears she tried to claw her way away from those dogs," Montgomery wrote. "She currently has pulled her tube out that was holding her vocal cords in place."
Her doctors tried and failed to perform a scope of Joslyn.
And on the day she published her post, doctors found that Joslyn had a clot in her jugular that they needed to investigate.
"There is still so much that we don't know about her injuries, but we know that God knows and that can heal her!" the aunt added.
Torregrossa was released from police custody on bail. Both dogs have been euthanized.
In the meantime, Joslyn's family has been quickly trying to raise funds for her medical fees through a PayPal fundraiser. But they warn people looking to donate need to be wary of unofficial crowdfunding pages that have popped up since Joslyn's story has become more well-known.
"The family is overwhelmed by the prayers and support we have gotten," the crowdfunding page reads.
"Please continue to pray for our sweet girl," Montgomery added on Facebook.
