Medical Examiner Releases Ruling in Death of Keith Morris

Stamford Patch- There was little information available from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Connecticut relating to the death of Keith Morris, the New Rochelle firefighter who died in a boating crash Sunday night as he drove four others home from a restaurant.




"We only give out two pieces of information to the public," said a representative at the office. "Ruling and cause."



What little was available only gave a glimpse into the night tragedy struck:



•Morris death was ruled accidental.

•Cause of death was drowning.

No toxicology reports or descriptions of physical injuries he may have suffered as a result of the crash that might have impeded his ability to swim following the flip were available.



Morris, 30, was driving four friends home to New Rochelle from the Crab Shell waterfront restaurant & bar on his boat at approximately 10:30 p.m. when he struck a breakwall and flipped the vessel in Long Island Sound, near the Stamford Lighthouse.



Two of the passengers were clinging to the boat, waiting for help to arrive while two of the passengers were inside the cabin when the boat flipped. They were trapped until rescue divers arrived, and eventually freed.



Divers searched for Morris throughout the evening, to no avail. His body would be recovered close to the scene of the crash the following afternoon in roughly 16 feet of water at low tide. He would've been covered by 24 feet of water and debris during high tide at the time of the crash.



New Rochelle firefighters are still struggling to cope with the loss. DiMeglio also said the firefighters in Morris' company has been dealing with things, a majority of the time, in their own way.



"We told them that we have resources available if they need them," DiMeglio said. "But, as of now, those resources aren't being utilized."



Funeral arrangements have been made with viewing hours for friends and family Thursday and Friday with a mass and interment on Saturday. Chief Louis DiMeglio said he would do everything in his power to help Morris' family.



"We just told the family that we'll do our best to comply with whatever their wishes are," said DiMeglio, who knew Morris well and worked with him closely.



The family has asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to “Butterflies from Jodie," the Jodie Torigian Charitable Fund, 31 President Street, New Rochelle, NY 10801.

HIATUS

I've taken quite a hiatus haven't I? I Don't thik there's anyone out there anyway who takes interest in my blog.. But I don't care... This is *my* vault of memories...

I think this has been quite the summer for local shocking news... Especially in the Stamford and Greenwich areas.

I'm going to sit back and reminisce, try to catch up on any noteworthy news..

Earliest local news that comes to mind was a few months back when a 2 year old, Massimo Furano and his grandmother, Anna S. Furano, were found drowned in their koi pond over on Fox's Lane in Greenwich...Very tragic.

Joe Schiano, who was slightly younger than me and had mutual friends in common with me, passed away after serving two terms in the Marines.. Unfortunatley he died in a car accident in New York after returning from duties.

I believe a few days after that I learned of a car with two women driving on I-95 in Cos Cob over the Mianus Bridge... A bolt fell off of a dump truck in front of their car, and it flew threw the window into the passenger's head, killing her. Can you imagine?

As the summer goes on all you hear about, sadly, is all the murders in Bridgeport, Stamford and Norwalk... Then, more noticible news again out of Stamford- on Bedford Street behind the diner (very close to an apartment I work sometimes) was found a 39 year old man hanging from a tree in the back part of the parking lot.

Close in time to that was another suicide of a 2o year old Stamford junior volunter firefighter, his body found in a Belltown grass field.

Jasmine Brown, an inspiring fashion designer from NY was high on PCP, climbed a tree naked and fell out of it, killing herself. Imagine that horrible scene..

In a bit of national news- as we all know, over the weekend a helicopter full of Navy Seals (3o) was shot down. One of them, Brian Bill, was from Stamford. Thank you for paying the ultimate price while fighting for our country....

A 92 year old man, trying to park in a handicapped spot, accidently floored his Honda, plowing threw a pole and proceeding to crash 20 feet into Cafe Oo La La on Summer Street (Ridgeway Shopping Center), sending people flying all over the place. Miracously no one was killed, but a baby and a pregnant woman were injured in all the mess. Thus sparks the debate again on modifying driving conditions for elderly drivers. Is it really all that hard for the DMV to put in place a system where the eldery driver would have a simulated road test say at the person's physician's office or even at the DMV itself? God forbid we spent any on insuring people can stay safe on the roads and keep clear of crazy old grandpa who's too proud and dementiated to take himself off the road. They are actually charging him ... Not sure for what but good for them! His family shouldn't have let him drive.

The next day, which I believe was Tuesday, I heard of a poor woman on route in Wilton who must've not even seen it coming when a dump truck hit her Ford Taurus, killing her and injuring three others (including a six year old) in the car. The car pulled out from a church, right into the path of the dump truck that couldn't stop in time. The driver of that car was 91, and was the victim's father. Her grandaughter was next to her, and probably saw her die.

Why did these people have the grandfather drive??? He could've killed his six year old grandaughter as well...Bad enough now he has to live knowing he killed his daughter. Sad and tragic, shouldn't have happened.

This morning I read that a car hit into a construction site, killing the driver, a 23 year old Greenwich resident, Michael Defruscio. Two years younger than I am, but I do not recognize the name..

It's sad but true that most news we hear of is depressing and negative, but if it wasn't something so shocking it wouldn't be newsworthy. There is some news lately that's been amusing and some news that actually is postive.

A month or two ago a mountain lion was spotted in Greenwich, and then a few days later found dead in Milford on the turnpike. It was found out that the mounatin lion had actually migrated from North Dakota, something that was unheard of for mountain lions until now! Apparently there were two new sightings this past Sunday... So are there more or what??

Here's a picture of my Uncle Mike, middle, on duty and it looks like he's with a search for the lion. (lol)

Remember Charla Nash, the poor woman who had her face pretty much torn off by that ape in backcountry Stamford? She succesfully completed a 20 hour facial transplant a few days ago, and unveiled her new face for all to see in both national and local articles. Good for you, Charla!

Autopsy: Man Found in Westport Accidently Drowned

WESTPORT - The state medical examiner says the elderly man found floating in the waters off Westport Saturday accidentally drowned.

Earlier today, police identified the body as 88-year-old Richard Terry, of North Haven.

Officials say Terry was found between two docks at the Saugatuck Harbor Yacht Club. They also found his car submerged in about 15 feet of water.

A resident on Duck Pond Road says Terry had attended an event at her home Friday night.

Dad Charged With Murder In Toddlers' Deaths

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- A metro Detroit man declared, "I didn't hurt my babies," after he was arraigned on murder charges Friday in the drowning deaths of his two toddlers.

Steven Nicholson sobbed as he entered the 24th District Court in Allen Park and listened as a judge read the charges against him: two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of felony homicide and two counts of child abuse. If convicted, he could spend life in prison.

His daughter, 15-month-old Ella Stafford, and his son, 13-month-old Jonathon Sanderlin, were discovered unresponsive in Nicholson's Allen Park apartment on Tuesday -- after Nicholson called 911at about 2 a.m..

When officers arrived, Nicholson was sitting on the floor with the bodies in front of him, Allen Park police Detective Jeff Miller told a judge.

Nicholson told police that he woke up and found the kids in the bathtub but his statements are "inconsistent with evidence found at the scene," Miller said without elaborating.

The Wayne County medical examiner ruled that the toddlers died from drowning and scalding.

Nicholson was being held without bond. No defense attorney was present at the court and it was unclear if he had retained one.

“The alleged facts in this case have affected even the most seasoned prosecutors in this office," said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy. "We stand ready to bring this case to justice in a court of law."

Local 4 has learned Ella Stafford's mother, Taylor Stafford, was questioned by Allen Park police in connection with the case.

Police said they asked the mother pointed questions about where she was the night the children died.

Several neighbors reported to police that Taylor Stafford was at the home and fighting with Nicholson in the hours before the children were found dead. However, police said Nicholson told investigators he was the only adult home when the children died.

Stafford said she was supposed to go to a movie Monday night with Nicholson, but when he didn't call, she went to bed. The next morning, she found a missed call from him -- about the time police said he called 911.

"Right now, I'm trying to get them to give me a polygraph test, get my phone numbers, get my phone records. They have permission to do all that," Taylor Stafford said.

Nicholson's aunt, Sandra Kirby, told Local 4 she spoke to him on the phone while he was in police custody.

"He was broken down. He was crying, hysterically crying, and the words he said to me, 'Aunt Sandy, I did not hurt my babies. You know what those babies meant to me' and I do believe him because I seen him with them," she said.

“I’ve never been through this before. So, my first instinct, because I know Steve Nicholson so well, was that it was done intentionally,” said Jonathan’s mother, Sara McGee.

The children's mothers said they had talked recently about concerns for their children’s safety.

In one e-mail, she wrote to McGee that she thought the children were being abused.

“We’ve been fighting so hard to get the babies out of the house, but nobody would listen to us,” McGee said.

Police said Nicholson had full custody of Jonathon and court-ordered visitations with Ella.

McGee said she never trusted Nicholson and didn’t want him to be a part of raising her son, so she moved to Cadillac, Mich.

She said she was contacted by the court and told that Nicholson had been given sole custody because it had been decided that she was attempting to kidnap the child by leaving the area and refusing to allow Nicholson to see him.

“I’ve been through the police, I’ve been through the friend of the court, I’ve been through Child Protective Services numerous times, and nobody would listen to me,” McGee said. “Even when I brought evidence, they didn’t do anything.”

Police said Nicholson maintains that the children somehow turned on the tub and got in.

“He was such a good dad. Every time I seen him, he was feeding them or bathing them or taking care of them,” said Nicholson’s cousin, Dawn Hood.

Hood said Nicholson has called family members from jail and told them exactly what happened.

“He went toward the bathroom to open the door and found his baby girl on the floor and his baby son in the bathtub,” she said.

According to court records, Nicholson has convictions for possessing and distributing cocaine and drunken driving. His license has been suspended numerous times.


More than 50 people gathered Tuesday night for a candlelight vigil in Champaign Park outside the Valley Springs Apartments.

The public vigil was organized with help from Allen Park police.

Ella Stafford’s grandmother, Renne Demery, said Nicholson treated her granddaughter better than Jonathon, and that she had contacted Child Protective Services recently.

"Because over the summer, he sat him on one of the chairs on the back and the baby fell on his head and he grabbed him by the arm and yanked him," Demery said.

Police said officers have been called to Nicholson’s home several times for reports of domestic abuse.

Demery said she is estranged from Nicholson because he is dependent on alcohol and has been abusive.

"He would drink all day. Sip on a fifths all day. I would say, 'You can't do that. When you have children you have to give up your good life. You can't do that,'" Demery said.

Neighbor Candice Curcio said she often found the father roughhousing with the children.

"He would push them away, like, 'Come on, let's go, get in the house.' He was just very rough with them," said Curcio.

"Two little babies lost their lives and that's the long and short of it," said the Valley Springs Apartments owner Nancy Dascenzo. "I am destroyed that this could happen here, anywhere. Two little babies lost their lives."

A burial fund has been set up for Ella Stafford. Donations can be made to the Ella Gray Stafford fund at any Fifth Third Bank in metro Detroit.

Ella Stafford's funeral was Friday at the Martenson Funeral Home on Allen Road. Services will be held at the same home Saturday at 10 a.m.

The funeral for Johnathan Sanderlin will be at 11 a.m. on Saturday at the Peterson Funeral Home in Cadillac, Mich. Visitation was Friday afternoon.

Mom Drowns After SUV Rolls Into Canal

Miami Herald- A teenager watched his mother slip away Sunday morning after he, his father and a collection of strangers did all they could to save her life.

It happened about 11:45 a.m., after the family had stopped at a strip mall near West 12th Avenue and 68th Street in Hialeah to get cash from an ATM, said police spokesman Detective Eddie Rodriguez, who gave this account:

The teen got the keys to the 1996 gray Isuzu Rodeo to drive away from the shopping center. His father, 48-year-old Jose Bacallo, strapped himself in the front seat. The teen's mother, Mercedes Hurtado, rode in the back.

As the car pulled away, they spotted vendors selling wares from a van. Thinking his parents might be interested in the merchandise, the teen maneuvered the car onto a patch of grass behind a canal.

He released his foot from the brake pedal. That's when he realized he had not put the car in park. The car slowly rolled into the murky water behind them. The son tried to slam on the brake, but hit the accelerator instead.

The son and father escaped through the windows. But the mother was still in the back seat.

The son, whom police did not identify because of his age, jumped in to save her. But the canal was 12 feet deep, and too murky to see through.

The father tried, too, but to no avail. A stranger jumped in to help, as did a Hialeah police officer. Neither was successful.

Hurtado still had a faint pulse by the time Hialeah Fire-Rescue workers pulled her body out the water. She died after being taken to Palmetto General Hospital. She was 51 years old.

Before television cameras, the son sobbed as family members tried to console him.

''On a Father's Day,'' said Detective Carl Zogby, another Hialeah police spokesman. ``What a terrible day for this to happen.''

Man Accused Of Drowning Girl At Metro Lake

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A metro man has been arrested in connection with the drowning of a 2-year-old girl Thursday at Lake Stanley Draper.

Donald Michael Reeser, 29, was booked into the Oklahoma County Jail on one count of first-degree murder in the death of Allie Croom.

Police were called to Midwest City Regional Hospital at about 5:30 p.m., and investigators from the Crimes Against Children Unit also responded.

Investigators said Reeser, who is the boyfriend of the toddler's mother, was at the lake with the victim. They believe Reeser repeatedly forced the child under water until she drowned.

A fund for the girl's family has been established at Tinker Federal Credit Union.

4 Bodies Found in Car Pulled From Lake

COCHITI LAKE, N.M. (KRQE) - New Mexico State Police have found at least four sets of human remains inside a car that was pulled out of in Cochiti Lake.

State Police said two days ago the department got a report from the owner of a pickup truck, stating that he thought his truck went into the lake.

So officers started searching the lake on Wednesday, and that's when they found a Ford four-door sedan under the water.

They arranged to have the car removed Thursday, and in the process of pulling it out, they found human bones.

State Police Lt. Eric Garcia said he believes the car has been in the lake for "over a year, at least." He said the car has been submerged for so long that there are fishhook marks in the side of the vehicle from recreational fishers at the lake.

Police discovered through the license plate and id number that the car is linked to a missing persons case, related to a custody fight back in 2001 in Albuquerque.

That fact has Albuquerque Police on scene as well.

"The state police advised they found a vehicle of our probable offender. That's what we're doing here. See if we can close out that case with this investigation," Albuquerque Police Officer Nadine Hamby said.

State Police obtained a search warrant and are currently in the process of examining the car. The Office of the Medical is on scene, according to Garcia.

As for the truck that officers were originally looking for, it was never found.

State Police said they are treating the area on the lake as a crime scene, and that it could take days before they can positively identify the bodies.

Queens Baby Dies After Falling into Mop Bucket at Day Care Center

Daily News- Police were investigating the death of a Queens baby who perished Monday when he fell headfirst into a mop bucket at his baby-sitter's house.

James Farrior, who would have been 1 year old next month, was declared dead at Jamaica Hospital at 11:25 a.m.

"What can I say, he was my baby? We're trying to cope," said his devastated mom, Chrisann Josiah. "We don't know what happened yet."

It was not immediately clear if James drowned or broke his neck. An autopsy will be performed today.

"I saw the firefighters bring the boy out. He was gasping for air," said neighbor Billy Casares, 41. "It's heartbreaking."

Baby-sitter Kristal Khan, 28, who normally took care of two neighborhood kids along with her small son and daughter in an informal but legal day care arrangement, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor, police said.

Police sources said Khan told cops James and her two kids, ages 3 and 4, were in the living room with the bucket when she went to fetch a mop.

When she came back, she found James had fallen headfirst into the blue 7-gallon mop bucket that was three-quarters full of water.

Neighbor Liz Rivero, 31, a mother of three, said she began to pray when she saw a firefighter running Monday morning with the baby, limp and faceup, to an ambulance waiting a block away.
"I started to cry when I saw that. I am a mom," Rivero said.

Khan and a man neighbors said was her brother were taken away for questioning.

"They looked sad," Rivero said.

At Khan's green two-story house on 108th St. in South Richmond Hill, colorful stickers on the door advertise, "Childcare, All Day, Everyday."

The operation had no permits or license, but did not require any because there were fewer than three outside kids and the caregiver was older than 18.

Neighbors said Khan is well-known and well-regarded.

"She usually takes good care of the kids," said William Munoz, 40. "She's a very responsible person."

Khan's Web site says she is a married, convent-educated immigrant from Trinidad who taught elementary school for eight years and has a teacher certificate.

Because children can drown quickly and virtually silently in small amounts of water, drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death in children, after car crashes.

Oregon Girl Who Survived Bridge Fall Improving

ABC NEWS- A mother accused of throwing her two children into the Willamette River — killing her 4-year-old son and injuring his older sister — has a history of domestic violence and recently filed for separation from the children's father, police said.

Amanda Jo Stott-Smith, 31, was taken into custody at a downtown parking garage Saturday morning — some six hours after her children's screams were first heard on the river.

She had threatened to jump off a ledge when officers arrived, police said.

A state medical examiner determined that Stott-Smith's son, Eldon Jay Rebhan Smith, drowned. Her 7-year-old daughter, who has yet to be identified, was hospitalized after surviving a fall of 75 feet and more than a half-hour in the cold water. Police said Sunday afternoon that the girl's condition was improving and she had spoken with officers.

"How she's not dead is a miracle," said Sgt. Mike Marshman, a Portland Police Bureau spokesman.

Stott-Smith faces aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder charges. She is to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon.

Police have not yet released a motive. It's unclear if the woman has an attorney.

Stott-Smith filed for separation from her husband, Jason Smith, in March, according to Washington County Circuit Court records. The parents had joint custody of the children, Marshman said.

Court records show Stott-Smith had been charged with domestic assault in 2000.

Early Saturday, the father filed a missing persons report in suburban Tualatin that helped authorities identify the children, Sgt. Detective Rich Austria said.

At about 1:20 a.m. Saturday, residents reported hearing screams on the river. When officers and rescue workers arrived, they tried to find the source of the screams in the early morning darkness.

Pati and Dan Gallagher, both 50, live in a town home just east of a bridge. They were sitting on their patio, they said, when they suddenly heard a single splash, silence, then screams. They called 911.

"At first it was, 'Help me!'" Pati Gallagher said of the girl's screams. "Then it went to anguishing horrible screams."

By 2:10 a.m., police said, the children were pulled from the water.

"It's tough to get the sounds out of my head — the screaming, the splash," Dan Gallagher said.

Marshman said police remain in awe of the girl, whom he describes as "tiny for a 7-year-old," and how she was able to not only survive the long fall, but withstand more than 30 minutes in the cold water.