Originally posted 9-April-2026
A woman in a remote area of Oklahoma was attacked by an animal in the early morning hours of March 29. Originally thought to be a dog attack, by the time the story spread in the local news media, the dog scenario had clouded a bit and the attack was from an “unidentified animal”.
Scroll to see the UPDATE on this story below.
The source of the news was here, on April 3. Alicia Maxey became unconscious during the attack but from what she told her family, she remembered hearing a “deep growl” and then, “Something just pounced on her and knocked her to the ground,” said her sister-in-law. “She says it was dog-like is what she described, but she didn’t say it was certainly a dog.”
A cryptid mystery to solve
Almost a week later, it is the top trending article on the news site. Car seat cryptozoologists (I call them this because many of them are filming on their phone in their car and posting to social media) have elevated this story to a major cryptid mystery that they want to “solve”.
One TikTokker, who labeled herself as a “wife & mother, salon owner, dog lover, lake bum”, has been following the comments on the story. She provided a handy summary of the chatter about what the mystery animal might be. As you probably could guess, the speculation gets wild. People are logically suggesting it was indeed a large dog as the most obvious answer. A bear is also highly plausible since it can seem doglike, they are coming out of hibernation quite hungry, and a bear can inflict serious injury, even death. Other opinions as follows:
Mountain lion – There have been confirmed sightings of mountain lions in Oklahoma, but they are rare. The details of the attack do not seem to match well with that of an ambush predator since the woman said she heard growling. Mountain lion attacks are rare even in areas where they are prevalent. While this is a possibility, it’s not a sound conclusion to jump to until more evidence comes to light.
Wolf – There are no known populations of wolves in Oklahoma, but some claims have surfaced that a few individuals may be entering from the southwest. It’s a long shot option. A wolf-dog, coy-dog or coyote is also possible.
Big cat – Could a captive imported animal have escaped? There were no reports of this and no other corroborating evidence to suggest this. A very long long shot.
As with any mystery animal story, some rather unserious persons make guesses for things like skinwalkers, chimpanzees, alligators, wild boars, etc. Hyena is a frequent suggestion in the comments though I’m not sure why this is even proposed. These are African animals and an escaped imported animal is not plausible, especially a hyena.
Dogman – This pop cryptid is a large werewolf-like creature with dog features but walks upright. It’s an impossibility unless you creep into the supernatural realm. It is a cultural cryptid, not a new, undiscovered animal. To propose a dogman as a solution to a mysterious attack is to use a fictional story to account for a real trauma. It’s dramatic and attention-grabbing, but absurd.
For more on the dogman, see: We need to talk about Dogman and Dogman Leads the Pack.
Embellishing the story
The Maxey story first came to my attention from a video on TikTok a few days ago when a cryptid commentator (possibly in Oklahoma) floated the idea that this was a dogman attack. He noted that it took place during a full moon (it did not, see below), and that it corresponded with decades of stories about the dogman in this area. (That is highly exaggerated and possibly manufactured. Stories of a “dogman” were not prevalent until the late 1990s into the 2000s, partly based on a hoax story and film.) The dogman angle seems to be the key that resulted in this story reaching worldwide interest.
The dogman is inevitably associated with werewolf lore. Some cryptid content producer sloppily stated that the Maxey attack took place during a full moon. While this tidbit fits in with the fictional werewolf lore, it adds nothing but fake drama to this terrible incident. Also, it was not a full moon. The full moon was on the night of April 1st, 3 nights later. However, if it wasn’t cloudy, the waxing gibbous moon phase would have been bright.
Subsequent videos circulating about the incident added manufactured embellishments to the story saying Maxey heard a wolf howl and a gunshot (see update below) making it appear far more sensational and mysterious. (The percentage of faked news reports on social media is astounding.) The victim could not talk much and the official news reports are giving little information. She may never be able to provide more accurate details because it was dark, she was surprised, she fell unconscious, and memory is malleable. The latest word is that wildlife officials are involved and DNA has been taken from the victim’s torn clothes. We may never hear about the results. Even if we do, many following the story may reject the official conclusion and the incident will be incorporated into an exaggerated cryptid narrative. (Example: the Montauk Monster mystery was rapidly and definitively solved. But no one wants the tale of a dead raccoon. The dogman already has fake stories of attacks woven into its canonical accounts. See “LBL Beast”.)
The incorporation of sloppy “facts”, and the mass opinionation by non-expert commenters is typical of stories like this. Community effort to “solve” a mystery though internet research, or sometimes, personal efforts to interview people and track down other bits of evidence, is a sign of our times. The result of these amateur investigation efforts often involves incorporating conspiracy ideas. In this case, the conspiracy would be that the police or wildlife officials are hiding the true cause which could be anything from a dangerous wild animal to a magical or trans-dimensional monster “they” don’t want us to know about.
The conspiracy narrative
I’ve mentioned before that I lately am concerned that even talking about these extraordinary rumors are adding to the normalization of them. I can’t really stop that, though. Perhaps having an alternative view out there will be beneficial to some. However, the controversy and mystery mongering are the factors that cause the story to be discussed in the first place. All I can provide is a broader view to consider.
As with other socially-derived meta-narratives, with the penultimate being QAnon, online communities of Nancy Drews and Hardy Boys enjoy seeking out obscure “clues” to develop the overarching story, which evolves to fit with the values and beliefs of that community. It’s a 21st century pastime to “do your own research” and spin your own version to broadcast on your “socials”. I’m still trying to figure out the end game. It might just be attention. But it also seems to be the online version of peer groups gathered around in person sharing the local folklore and gossip. Perhaps it reflects our need to feel useful, to ponder puzzles, and to work through uncertainties to find meaning, resolution, or greater understanding. In the end, speculating about mystery animals online is another manifestation of pop cryptids.
Back to reality: My hope is that Alicia fully recovers from her real-life nightmare and her family receives the help they need. The public now feels entitled to know the conclusion to this horrific story.
Update: Sorry for this add-on just after publishing. The family GoFundMe link had some additional information including the mention of a gunshot. It also contains conflicting information about the dog still being present, but the wounds not being consistent with a dog, suggesting some other animal was involved and the dog was part of the reaction, not the cause. The details are all jumbled up and unclear.
UPDATE: DNA tests shows the animal was a domestic dog
On April 16, a local news source reported that the sheriff announced the DNA tests showed Maxey was attacked by a domestic dog. The testing was done at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida. Also noted from Sheriff McClendon was that DNA was collected from “two or three dogs that belong to the owners of the residence where Maxey was found.” This was also sent to the same lab.
So, we have uneven and inconsistent information provided in the media for this story, which is the norm. Officials usually prepare just enough of the story to release to the press and, often, the rest is part of an investigation, or is unknown or unclear (such as how many dogs may have been at the scene). Obviously, certain breeds of dogs can inflict more powerful bites. The sheriff was key in this story by saying that the injuries were nothing like what he’d seen before. It’s not far-fetched to say he hadn’t seen serious dog bites before. This detail bolstered the public reaction and speculation that the attack was from some other mystery animal. However, unrestrained dogs pose a more common and dangerous hazard than wild (or fantastical) animals.
As with other effectively resolved claims tied to mystery animals, it is unlikely that this story will be closed. People who believe in a real dogman will insist it’s a cover-up. The original source of the article, the local Fox TV station, still has the original article up, unedited, where it remains one of the trending stories as of this update.
One of the reasons Dogman gets pulled into this story is that it’s more “fun” to propose a scary mythical creature than a real live animal. People get bored with their humdrum day to day existence and need a little excitement.
It seems obvious to me from info reported, that Alicia Maxey was attacked by a large and powerful wild animal, and could have been a Bigfoot, since reported sightings abound in the area?
There is zero evidence or reason to say Bigfoot over dog, bear, mountain lion, etc. Always assume a known animal before an imagined one.
Dogman needs a better conspiracy origin story. The government lab theory is nuts and it is hard to make cryptid festival based on it.
That was a big nothing burger in the end 😂
Well, it still was tragic. Many people are injured, some fatally, in dog attacks every day. It’s a problem. I wonder if a lawsuit will follow or if the dogs will be put down. Owners have to be more responsible.
Well, as they found out England with the “big cat” attacks. It’s always a dog. although I guess in the US there is more chance of a big cat technically.