Pit bull leaves 49 puncture wounds on girl after attack in NC family’s yard, mom says

A 12-year-old girl suffered 49 puncture wounds when she was attacked this week by a pit bull in the family’s eastern North Carolina yard, the child’s mother told TV station WTVD.

Leteta Verbal says her daughter had to be hospitalized, and Verbal believes the dog should be euthanized because “he could have killed her,” the station reported Wednesday.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office was quoted telling WFMY the attack happened about 3:30 p.m. Monday just outside of Sanford, when a neighbor’s dog got free and started chasing the girl in her own yard.

Sheriff’s Office investigators were quoted saying the girl suffered multiple cuts and puncture wounds before the the dog’s owner was able to restrain it, the station reported.

TV station WNCN identified the girl as Anasti Verbal and said she had just exited a school bus on Carr Creek Road when the typically chained-up dog came running.

“He was biting me on my arms and legs and stuff,” Anasti Verbal told WNCN. “It was terrifying. I was screaming for help and nobody was coming.”

The Lee County Animal Shelter is holding the dog in quarantine for 10 days for observation, the station reported.

This story was originally published October 31, 2018 at 9:49 AM.