A 17-year-old girl was mauled by a pack of dogs when she was out for a run in her neighborhood. Tracy Hurtado was out jogging near her home in Newberry Springs, California, between 6:30 and 7:00 a.m. on July 17, unaware of the tragedy that was about to unfold.
As per San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department (SBCSD), more than 10 dogs attacked Tracy, and the bites she received “caused large lacerations, abrasions and removed flesh.”
Tragic teen left unrecognisable after pack of dogs tore flesh from entire bodyhttps://t.co/oQauX7YSk9 pic.twitter.com/d4xXqCqzIO
— Mirror World News (@MirrorWorldNews) August 18, 2025
While talking to ABC7 about the harrowing incident, Tracy’s mother, Maria Azpeitia said, “I thought she was gonna be fine, because she walks to her bus stop. So I never would have thought that anything would happen to her.”
She said that she rushed to the scene as soon as she learned that her daughter had been attacked. Maria said that when she arrived, her daughter was unrecognizable.
“I didn’t know who she was. She was so dirty — covered in dirt. So I didn’t recognize my daughter. I recognized her bra. That’s what I recognized,” she said.
⚠️ WARNING: This post contains graphic descriptions of an animal attack.
Tracy Azpeitia, 17, was left with devastating injuries after being mauled by a pack of at least 10 “large-breed dogs” while jogging in Newberry Springs, California. The brutal attack occurred on July 17. A… pic.twitter.com/Uky1Ud4oEG
— True Crime Updates (@TrueCrimeUpdat) August 9, 2025
What further broke her heart was a question that Tracy asked her as she lay there covered in bite marks and blood.
“I got close to her, and she [was] like, ‘Mom, am I still pretty?’ ” Maria told ABC7.
“I told her, ‘Yes, of course, you’re beautiful.’ ”
Tracy’s stepfather, Carlos Ramirez, told the outlet that she has over 100 dog bites and received 500 stitches as she was rushed for medical treatment immediately after the attack. “They bit every part of her body you could think of, except for her ankles,” he said.
Weeks after the incident, on August 13, Craig Arthur Simmons was arrested, as per an update from SBCSD. 61-year-old Simmons is reportedly the owner of those dogs. He is charged with Penal Code 399(B), which is “owner of animal causing serious bodily injury or death.”
The outlet reports that Animal Control seized a total of 16 dogs that were neither fenced nor leashed.
Meanwhile, the victim’s family has set up a GoFundMe page as they seek support for her recovery. The family says that Tracy was gearing up to do her senior year of high school this year. However, after the tragic incident, she will have to stay at home until she recovers. What could have been an exciting year of her life ahead of college would now revolve around doctors’ appointments and rehab.
The family revealed that Tracy cannot sleep at night as she has nightmares. The family is raising $40k, out of which they have already received over $36,800 at the time of writing.
Tracy was discharged from the hospital three weeks after the attack.
