Crime & Safety

Harrowing Details Emerge in Wilton Dog Mauling

An eyewitness said, "It took me like six seconds to realize what was under the car was a human being, because I'd never seen a human being in that condition before. She was crying out, 'Help me, it's killing me. Help me. My arm.'"

Written by Leslie Yager
Disturbing details are emerging following Monday's mauling of 65-year-old Anne Murray of 77 Range Road in Wilton by a pet pit bull that was later shot and killed by Wilton Police.

During a noon press briefing at Wilton Police Headquarters, Lt. Donald Wakeman said the victim had been hiding under a car that had been parked in the driveway when police arrived.

Wakeman said that Murray had been transported by Wilton EMS to Norwalk Hospital after the incident. He added that the victim had lost one arm and part of the other arm in the attack and is in ICU in stable condition.

Wakeman said that Murray lived with her twin 26-year old sons but was alone in the home with the dog at the time of the attack. Wakeman said the dog was two years old and that the sons had owned the dog for most of the last two years.   

According to Wakeman, there had been complaints to Wilton Animal Control about the dog Roaming in July and August, but nothing to indicate aggression.

According to Wakeman, Wilton Police Captain Lynch arrived on the scene of the incident just after a Wilton Animal Control officer. 

"He dispatched the dog after he saw the injured party and factored that the dog was not allowing emergency personnel up the driveway," Wakeman said. "He dispatched the dog at an angle that would not put the victim at risk."

Outside the Murray residence Tuesday afternoon around 1:00p.m. William D'arbanville, who lives close by at Holly Place spoke with Patch. 

D'arbanville said he was headed from Wilton to college at WCSU, when the incident happened, adding that he had never met Murray or her sons and that on Monday he had been headed to school but had turned around to get his cell phone when he noticed a samaritan stopped on Range Road.

"A dog walks out from in front of her car and I thought it was a neighborhood dog. When she got out of her car, she yelled 'Call the police.' She had gotten out of her car but the dog was coming at her, biting at her."

"I yelled at her to get back in her car. And basically we didn't want to get out of our cars...but we had our windows down. Then I looked over to the driveway. It took me like 6 seconds to realize what was under the car was a human being, because I'd never seen a human being in that condition before. She was crying out, 'Help me, it's killing me. Help me. My arm.'" 

D'arbanville  said he didn't know what to do as the dog grew increasingly frantic in the minutes before police arrived. "But then the police came. The response time was fantastic. About 3-1/2 minutes after she called."   

"The woman was in a state of disarray, just crying out, crying out," D'arbanville said. "When the police officer pulled up, the first samaritan was yelling 'Shoot it Shoot it.'"
 
"Four shots from here," D'arbanville said, pointing to the spot where Captain Lynch shot the dog four times. "He positioned himself here because he didn't want to risk hitting her," D'arbanville added, referring to Murray.

D'arbanville described how Captain Lynch, after having shot the dog four times, conferred with another officer who had arrived on the scene.

"'I need one more,' D'arbanville described Captain Lynch as saying. "And the other officer said, 'Do it.' Then he mercy shot the dog at point blank to put him out of his pain," D'arbanville, said.

"The cop (Captain Lynch) said he was sorry for what I'd seen, but I said 'No you did exactly what you had to do,' D'arbanville said.

"They said they were going to cut the dogs head off and have it tested for rabies.  It was the most terrifying animal I've ever seen," D'arbanville concluded, looking shaken despite a day having passed since the incident.

D'arbanville said when an officer came out of the house afetr searching inside, "The other cop asked what he was searching for and he said 'Evidence,' and that when he was asked what he found and, he replied, 'pieces...fingers'  and the other cop said go back in and grab them because the hospital might want them."  

According to Wakeman, rabies tests take approximately two days. A call to the Murray residence from Patch was not answered. This story will be updated as more information becomes available. 


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