Survivor of Lodi bat attack says she feels ‘so alive’

A young Lodi woman said Sunday that she feels “overwhelmed with gratefulness” to be home recuperating after surviving a baseball bat assault that nearly killed her.

Jackie Pickett was released from UC Davis Medical Center on Saturday and returned to her family’s house weeks after she was attacked while walking her dog in a Lodi park. Her injuries required her to undergo a craniotomy.

“I’ve been through some traumatic incidents, and it’s amazing to come back,” the 22-year-old said. “I feel so alive.”

Pickett also said she felt “excitement nonstop” and was “thrilled to be surrounded by so much love.” She returned to a room repainted by family friends.

“It screams Jackie,” Pickett said.

San Joaquin County prosecutors said they charged 17-year-old Dulce Anel Rios as an adult with attempted murder and robbery.

According to law enforcement officials, the two women didn’t know each other before the Jan. 4 attack, a detail confirmed by Pickett’s mother, who said her daughter remembers little from the episode.

While Pickett said she’ll need more time to rebuild her strength and improve her memory, she plans to eventually go to school for a degree in kinesiology, the study of human movement.

“I’m in love with the body and the mind,” Pickett said.

This story was originally published January 24, 2016 at 5:23 PM with the headline "Survivor of Lodi bat attack says she feels ‘so alive’."