Mass. Woman`s Lips and Nose Recovered From Pit Bull`s Stomach

Dec. 04--The veteran Bridgewater cop who rushed parts of a mauled grandmother's face to the hospital just moments after they were extracted from the pit bull that attacked her said the speed run to Brigham and Women's was one of his most unusual assignments in 23 years on the force -- but he insists he was only doing what he's sworn to do.

"It's just another day on the job," patrolman Joseph DeMoura said. "Obviously it was a bizarre call, but it's just part of our job. You never know what call you're going to be handed."

DeMoura was among the officers called Thursday to a home on Brian Road, where police say the family pit bull, Rex, had just attacked 71-year-old Normanda Torres, who had moved into the house just days earlier. She was flown to Brigham and Women's Hospital, where police say doctors urged veterinarians to extract parts of her nose and lips from the euthanized beast's belly.

DeMoura was then dispatched to the Westbridge Veterinary Hospital, where doctors had washed and packaged the facial tissue for delivery.

"They just handed us, literally, a box. A 12-inch square box, sealed. And that was it.

"The doctor handed off the package to us. EMT David McGillis -- he was my co-pilot -- we just headed into Boston, 24 to 93. We tried to blue-light it into town -- lights and sirens. We made it within 40 minutes or so, and just handed off the package to the doctor.

"She took it and said, 'Thank you, we're going to start the surgery in 30 minutes.' "

DeMoura said he and McGillis didn't give too much thought to their uncommon cargo -- instead, they focused on getting it to its destination as quickly as possible.

"(I was thinking) just that we all get there safely, that no one gets hurt," DeMoura said. "Just get the package to the professionals and let them do their job."

Officials at Brigham and Women's Hospital declined to say whether the surgery was successful, saying that Torres' family has requested privacy.

Police say the family has cooperated with the investigation -- the dog had bitten people at the home twice before, but it was never reported -- and that Torres and her loved ones are in their thoughts.

"It was a horrible event, obviously, and we all feel very badly for the victim. We're hoping for a positive recovery," DeMoura said.

john.zaremba@bostonherald.com

Copyright 2011 - Boston Herald