Necropsy on Wilton Dog that Mauled Owner Turns up Nothing

After a two-month wait, the results from a necropsy on the Wilton dog that mauled its owner, Anne Murray, 65, on Nov. 11, 2013 have turned up nothing that might explain a dog's sudden attack on its owner. 

On Tuesday, Wilton Police Capt. Lynch shared results from the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory that tested the dog's body. 

The lab results, dated, Dec. 18, 2013, indicate, "There was no gross or microscopic evidence of any inflammatory, infectious or neoplastic disease process in any of the examined tissues of the dog. PCR [sic] for canine distemper virus from a pool of tissues (lung, urinary bladder, and kidney) was negative. No toxic organic compounds were detected in the liver.”

Captain Lynch shared his account of the events that took place on Nov. 11 at Range Rd at a weekly briefing with reporters on Tuesday, saying that it was the most stressful incident in his police career.

Lynch recalled that he had been on his way to get a quick coffee with Wilton Police Officer Tyler, who had been involved in a car accident that morning, when he heard on the police radio that there had been an incident involving a dog bite. Lynch said that when he arrived at 77 Range Rd there were two cars on the scene and one was blocking the southbound lane. 

"A woman witness was sticking out of the passenger seat of her car and she said to be careful," Lynch recalled, adding that he heard screaming from the victim coming from under the car in the driveway.

Capt. Lynch said he then called into headquarters to say the incident was serious and that he would have to "dispatch the dog," who he described as "a very large dog who was prancing between me and the woman and I felt it could attack me. I was unsure if I could defend myself," Lynch said, adding that he knew he had to get to the victim. 

Capt. Lynch said that his training kicked in and he was able to get an angle with a clear shot at the dog without endangering the victim or the other witness, William D'arbanville, a college student from the neighborhood.

"The first shot the dog went down, but he was moving," said Lynch who added that he shot the dog again. Capt. Lynch said the incident seemed to have gone on for a long time. "Listening to the tapes, it was just a minute and a half but it felt like five minutes," he said. 

Capt. Lynch indicated there had had been some contact with the victim's twin sons, 26, since the incident, but that Wilton Police have not been able to speak to the victim to explore what might have led to the attack. A test for rabies test on the dog came back negative on Nov. 14. 

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