SC woman who lost arms in dog attack in good spirits, faces more surgery

The Upstate woman mauled by three dogs is alert, antsy and wants a Dr. Pepper, her sister reported Monday.

“She is in good spirits,” Amy Wynne wrote on her gofundme page, which she started to raise money for Kyleen Waltman, who lost both arms and had bites all over her body after two pit bulls and a mixed breed attacked her as she walked down a Honea Path road March 21.

She has endured 10 surgeries and faces another Tuesday on her badly injured leg and on her right shoulder. She has been fitted for a prosthesis on that arm.

“The left shoulder still isn’t healing and they don’t have enough skin to do another graft,” Wynne said. “They’re hoping they can put a balloon in her right flank where there isn’t any bite marks so they can stretch the skin to do the graft on her leg if it’s doing good once it’s cleaned and her left shoulder.”

Wynne said she sometimes doesn’t think her sister realizes she’s lost both arms.

“She will ask our mama to hold her hand and mama says, ‘I am,’ and Kyleen will say “OK.” Wynne wrote. “It’s sad to see her like this.”

Waltman, 39, has three children and a newborn grandchild. She worked in a Honea Path restaurant. She was walking down a dirt road from her boyfriend’s house to her mother’s, when the dogs attacked.

Aaron Presley, who lives near the location Waltman was attacked, was able to run the dogs off by firing a handgun. The dogs have since been euthanized.

Her family has recounted her story on the gofundme page, which had topped $210,000 by Monday morning for her medical care.

The family has said doctors told them they had never seen such vicious bites from dogs. Much of the muscle and tissue from her arms was gone.

Justin Minor, who lives on the road where the attack took place, was arrested and charged with three counts of owning a dangerous animal that attacked and injured a human, rabies control violation and dangerous animal not permitted beyond premises unless restrained. All are misdemeanors.

He was freed on a $15,000 bond.

The owning of a dangerous animal charge carries a penalty of $5,000 or a sentence of three years in prison.

Magistrate Susan Gladden set an initial appearance in General Sessions Court for Minor for May 6.

Wynne wrote of her sister, “She is awake and alert and very hard headed. LOL.”

This story was originally published April 26, 2022 at 5:00 AM.