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Elizabeth Smart Case - Ricci Dies in Hospital
FoxNews | 8/30/02

Posted on 08/30/2002 8:48:33 PM PDT by stlnative

Richard Ricci Dies in Hospital
AP
Richard Ricci
Friday, August 30, 2002

SALT LAKE CITY — Richard Albert Ricci, the top potential suspect in the kidnapping of 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart, died at a hospital Friday.

Ricci, 48, had been hospitalized for three days after suffering from a brain hemorrhage and collapsing in his jail cell, doctors said.

Earlier Friday, doctors had said Ricci had an irreversible injury to the brain stem after the hemorrhage Tuesday night.

The former handyman for the Smart family was not charged in the disappearance and denied involvement. He was in prison for a parole violation.

Salt Lake City Police Chief Rick Dinse this week reaffirmed that Ricci remained at the top of the list of potential suspects in Elizabeth's abduction. However, investigators were no closer to finding the missing 14-year-old than they were June 5, when a gunman took her from the bedroom she was sharing with her younger sister.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.



TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: elizabethsmart; richardricci
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To: Utah Girl
Heartfelt prayers for the grieving.

**My mom also said that the reporter said that Ricci would never answer who picked him up that day from the auto repair shop...**

I believe this would be key evidence.

141 posted on 08/31/2002 7:21:42 AM PDT by homeschool mama
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To: Bella
With Ricci dead and gone Ed can be upfront with the sketch...and, tell us whose voice Mary K. heard. There will be no reason to keep the facts in this case secret anymore. I will expect a press conference tomorrow!

Don't hold your breath.

142 posted on 08/31/2002 7:42:01 AM PDT by varina davis
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To: Iwo Jima
It should be interesting to see who suddenly has information to share, stories to change, things to "clarify" now that Ricci is dead.

One of those people just might be Angela Ricci -- but not in the way some people might think. She has nothing else to lose now.

143 posted on 08/31/2002 7:47:28 AM PDT by varina davis
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To: All
""As far as the investigation, [Ricci's death] might help. People who may have been involved can now step forward and tell all."

I don't think we're going to see anybody rushing in to "tell all" in this case.

There have been TWO men publicly placed at the center of this investigation......the first was Bret Edmunds. Anyone remember what happened to him? As I recall, even after fleeing all the way across the country, he turned up in a West Virginia hospital near death. Edmunds was placed in strict isolation and kept under U.S. Marshall guard during his recovery. Was this because he was considered a flight risk, or was it because LE knew that an attempt had been made on his life?

Immediately after Edmunds talked with LE, the focus of the investigation shifted to Richard Ricci. Ricci was placed in maximum security at the prison, although the charges against him consisted only of minor parole violations and petty theft/burglary charges. Was Ricci being held in isolation because he was considered a flight risk, or because LE feared that there would be an attempt made on his life? I also recall that one of Ricci's cohorts (I believe it was Young) was placed under U.S. Marshall guard even while he was being held in the Salt Lake City jail. Once again, was it because he was considered a flight risk, or was it because LE feared there would be an attempt made on his life?

If Ricci were the only casualty in this drama, I might be more willing to believe that his death was coincidental. However, the fact that BOTH Ricci and Edmunds met with serious misfortune after becoming the focus of this investigation raises my suspicions considerably. I think that Edmunds and Ricci both know/knew too much about what happened to Elizabeth and who was responsible. I think an attempt was made to silence Edmunds before he lead the police to Ricci. I think attempts were made to protect Ricci from whoever might want to likewise silence him. Unfortunately, those attempts were unsuccessful.

I don't know the extent of Ricci's involvement in Elizabeth's disappearance, but I think that LE's real interest in him lay in what he KNEW, not in what he DID. I think that LE has a pretty good idea of who is responsible for Elizabeth's disappearance, but I think they're having a lot of trouble getting people to testify. Needless to say, I think that with Ricci's death, their job just got harder.

144 posted on 08/31/2002 7:49:05 AM PDT by freedox
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To: FR_addict
don't seriously think a career burglar would use a chair under a window as a point of entry.

Not likely! The aroma around this case is getting stronger.

145 posted on 08/31/2002 7:49:42 AM PDT by varina davis
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To: jengaio
Posting these stories before they disappear from the net. http://www.sltrib.com/08312002/utah/767074.htm

Ricci Dies in Coma
Saturday, August 31, 2002

BY ASHLEY BROUGHTON and KEVIN CANTERA
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE

Richard Albert Ricci died Friday evening at University Hospital after family members made the decision to remove him from life support, hospital officials said.

Ricci, who had been in a deep coma since suffering a brain hemorrhage Tuesday night in his cell at the Utah State Prison, was taken off life support at 7:16 p.m. and died at 7:28. His wife, Angela, was by his side, as were Ricci's mother, brother and sister.

Ricci, 48, who police had at the top of the list of possible suspects in the June 5 disappearance of 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart, had shown no brain activity Friday except initiating breathing on his own, hospital officials said.

A brain scan performed Thursday night showed Ricci's brain stem, including the area responsible for consciousness, was severely damaged from the brain hemorrhage, said neurologist Elaine Skalabrin.

Members of the Smart family, meanwhile, hope that information Ricci may have had regarding Elizabeth's whereabouts did not die with him.

"The family wants to express their condolences to Angela, she has been through so much," said Chris Thomas, Smart family spokesman. "As far as the investigation, [Ricci's death] might help. People who may have been involved can now step forward and tell all. There are still so many questions."

The family on Friday announced additional rewards for information in the case, including the identity of a person seen with Ricci three days after the abduction.

Although police had said Ricci never fully answered their questions, Ricci was never charged in connection with the kidnapping and he maintained his innocence. He had been in prison since June for alleged parole violations. After Ricci was hospitalized in critical condition, Salt Lake City Police Chief Rick Dinse said that, if Ricci died, "that would be a big impact on the [Smart] case." He added, "There are questions about things that [Ricci] did . . . [his death] will have an impact on if we can ever clear him."

Angela Ricci released a statement shortly after her husband died. In it she said, "Although I know that Richard would not have wanted to be kept alive by artificial means, six months ago when we married, saying good-bye was unthinkable. Like other new brides I had planned a life with the man I loved. . . . I know that the world will never know the Richard that his family and I knew, but I will always remember him as a kind and gentle man who was a loving husband to me and a caring father to my son." Ricci received an LDS blessing Friday evening before life support was removed, said spokeswoman Nancy Pomeroy. The blessing asked that "the will of the Lord be done." Angela Ricci is Mormon; her husband was raised in the Roman Catholic Church.

Doctors do not know what caused Ricci's hemorrhage, Skalabrin said, but it was not an aneurysm. Common causes include a small malformation in blood vessels or a weakening of blood vessels stemming from long-term high blood pressure.

No malformation was found in Ricci's case, Skalabrin said. While Ricci previously took blood-pressure medication, his blood pressure was normal when he received a physical exam upon entering the prison in June. Although staffers continued to monitor it, he was judged not to need medication, Ford said.

In addition, there would probably have been physical signs that Ricci's body was affected by years of high blood pressure, Skalabrin said, and he reported no such symptoms. An autopsy is planned.

-------------------------------------------
http://www.sltrib.com/08312002/utah/767062.htm

Not Knowing: Bundy Victim's Parents Sympathize With Smarts
Saturday, August 31, 2002

BY LINDA FANTIN
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE

With Richard Ricci dead and unable to answer any more questions about Elizabeth Smart's disappearance, it is hard to imagine there are people out there who understand what Ed and Lois Smart are going through.

But once upon a horrible time, the Kent family was spiraling down a similar path.

Their 17-year-old daughter, Debi, was abducted Nov. 8, 1974, from Viewmont High School in Bountiful and, despite exhaustive searches, was never found. The man believed to be responsible was in jail for other crimes and facing certain death. Police had only circumstantial evidence tying Ted Bundy to the Kent case, but it was enough to torture the Kents into believing the serial killer would die before he could confess or clear his name.

The Smarts have now landed in the Kents' nightmare.

Fourteen-year-old Elizabeth is gone, kidnapped June 5 from her Salt Lake City home, and Ricci, the man at the focus of the police investigation, was taken off life support Friday night.

Ricci repeatedly denied any involvement in Elizabeth's kidnapping, and his wife said he was home in bed with her at the time.

A year ago, the Smarts hired the 48-year-old handyman to perform odd jobs at their home, unaware that he was a paroled criminal. He had a history of petty crime, shot and wounded a law officer and was a longtime drug user. He even told a neighbor the day after Elizabeth disappeared that he thought police would suspect him.

But law enforcement only nodded in Ricci's direction. They searched his trailer and that of his in-laws but apparently never uncovered enough physical evidence to tie Ricci to the crime.

Ricci's conduct cannot and should not be compared with that of a serial killer like Ted Bundy. But both men were unwilling and later unable to answer critical questions about the abductions, leaving the Smarts and the Kents haunted.

"We are very, very sympathetic to the Smarts. We know the anguish those folks are feeling," said Dean Kent, Debi's father. "Hardly a day in my life goes by that I don't reflect on the unknowing."

Bundy ultimately confessed to killing 38 women. But in Debi's case, he did so 15 years after the fact and only because he thought it might delay his execution. All those years of Bundy's silence, of not knowing whether Debi was dead or alive, robbed the Kents of any peace of mind.

"Every time the phone rang, every time I left the house, I was watching and looking for my daughter, right up until the time Bundy confessed," Kent told The Salt Lake Tribune. "It's a feeling of pure frustration. You just don't know what to expect."

Other families were caught in the same turmoil. Nancy Wilcox, a 16-year-old Olympus High cheerleader, disappeared a month before Debi. She was last seen in a yellow Volkswagen similar to the one Bundy drove. Nancy Baird, 23, vanished from a Layton gas station July 5, 1975. Their bodies were never found.

In the days leading up to his execution, Bundy toyed with Utah investigators, agreeing to interviews and then backing out at the last minute. Finally, he confessed to killing eight women. He mentioned Debi Kent and Nancy Wilcox by name. Bundy also told investigators where to find their bodies, but searches turned up nothing conclusive.

Dean Kent said he listened to Bundy's taped confession, but Bundy had played the judicial system for so long that Kent wasn't sure what to think.

"It was a real anxious moment for us, and candidly, I think there was some relief. We had been led to believe and I think our subconscious told us he was responsible for all those years. But there was always that question -- 'What if?' "

Last week, Salt Lake City Police Chief Rick Dinse said Ricci's death would be a blow to the Elizabeth Smart investigation, but not necessarily a final one. Police are looking at several other people who might have information about the kidnapping, he said. They have Ricci's blood, hair and tissue samples that, should more evidence surface, could once and for all clear him, or link him to the crime. Then there is always the possibility investigators could solve the case and still not find Elizabeth.

"We live with that. We're haunted by that every day," Dinse said. "You think about it all the time, and it's a reality. But it's one we're not willing to give into right now."

146 posted on 08/31/2002 7:53:10 AM PDT by Bella
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To: varina davis
The aroma around this case is getting stronger.

I'm interested in the autopsy report, should be interesting..or is this why Lee is coming?

147 posted on 08/31/2002 8:01:05 AM PDT by Bella
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To: spore-gasm
Ricci was questioned by police on June 5 or 6. This info came from Angela Ricci in an interview with Larry King. It's hard for me to believe that they didn't know when (or shortly after) they interviewed him, he was a lifelong criminal. They had to know if they're worth their salt, and if they didn't they're either stupid or negligent.

Yes, this was the mistake of the century, wasn't it? If they had followed up on where the Jeep was that Ed Smart had given him this could have unraveled before whatever happened on Jun 8. The only reason I can figure they didn't is because they knew he wasn't the kidnapper.

For the record, I saw several clips this morning (CNN) of the video of Angela and Rick's wedding. I was as close as I could possibly get to the screen and in CLOSEUPS I could see absolutely NO HAIR on his arms or hands. (And I just had my eyes checked last week). Unless he had a habit of shaving his arms/hands (doubtful), there was very little evidence of dark hair.

For the record I've never said I though Ricci was the person that went in the house and kidnapped Elizabeth. He may have been, but I see him more likely in the role of the person that met the other guy, the 5'8" short dark hair, and gave him a key for money in the Shriner's Hospital parking shortly before the kidnapping. This man was seen in daylight by the milkman, on a convenience store video in the Federal Height neighborhood shortly before the kidnapping, by the Security Guard at Shriner's from 20 feet, by searchers, and by Mohl. The milkman said more than a week after the kidnapping he had never been interviewed by police, much less been talked to by a sketch artist, and the Security Guard said the police showed very little interest in the video.

I believe they probably ID'd the man from the video at the convenience store where he went in, stole some beer, & left without the employee in the store ever seeing him come in. So I think the reason for no sketches is they knew who it was. Hopefully they were able to quietly take him off the street on parole violation like they did Ricci. However this is unlikely because you would expect they would have been working he and Ricci against each other and might have gotten one of them to crack by now.

As far as MK identifying the voice from a voice lineup, I'm certainly not sure it was Ricci. It seems to me Ed often makes statements to the effect he sees this as I do that even if Ricci didn't go in the house and kidnap Elizabeth he is sure he's involved in it.

148 posted on 08/31/2002 8:28:01 AM PDT by Sherlock
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Comment #149 Removed by Moderator

To: varina davis
She has nothing else to lose now.

Are you kidding, as a possible accomplice to murder and at least lying to the grand jury to hide evidence and protect a possible murderer!

150 posted on 08/31/2002 8:39:27 AM PDT by Sherlock
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To: Utah Girl
Ricci received an LDS blessing Friday evening before life support was removed, said spokeswoman Nancy Pomeroy.

How's an LDS blessing done, is this when they baptize their dead by dunking them into the font?

151 posted on 08/31/2002 8:50:55 AM PDT by Bella
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To: spore-gasm; All
"We had keys here with them (workers) in the house, and it would have been very easy for him to make a copy," Ed Smart said. "I'm not positive, but he could have easily enough. . . . I never gave him a key." Police said they have considered the possibility that Elizabeth's attacker entered the house with a key but refused to elaborate. "That could explain some theories," Capt. Scott Atkinson said.

Does anyone remember if Ed Smart's statement that Ricci 'potentially' had a key was before or after Ricci's cerebral hemmhorage? I think that would be significant. Interesting that this article implies Ed just informed the police of the potential key with the "That could explain some theories" line, I find that hard to believe. I find just about every statement the SLCPD makes in this case hard to believe.

Still, the Smarts question just how random the incident was. Three distinct similarities exist between the two incidents, Ed Smart said. First, the screen was cut in both windows. Second, both incidents occurred in the early morning hours. Those two details have been widely reported in the media, but until now no one has reported a chair being found outside the Smarts' kitchen window. "It was very unnerving," Ed Smart said of the similarities. "Basically it brought all of our kids who we'd gotten back into their rooms back into our room."

Certainly the timing is not accidental that with the death of Ricci they are now making known there was a chair outside the window at the Smart house like they had told us at the cousin's house. Even if it was a prank it would have had to have been an acquintance that somehow got insider details of the chair in Elizabeth's abduction. This timing does stink. I'm certain the Smarts would have no reason to hide the similarities. Unless the cousin gave out to her friends the information that the kidnapper used a chair in the Smart abduction both families had to have been petrified by this. Discussion of this and why the chair at the Smart house was not made public will go on for a long time, I'm sure.

The other interesting tidbit was Dinse's statements yesterday that there are other potential suspects and they are looking into possible connection between them and Ricci. For 3 months? Should be more from SLCPD on these 'other suspects' shortly.

152 posted on 08/31/2002 9:08:36 AM PDT by Sherlock
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To: spore-gasm
I am shocked to learn NOW that there was a chair below the window....even though the cops are denying it....

so if they still think the perp came in thru the window....then why is ED saying now that the perp might have had a key???

all dis-information ...all along....I don't know who to believe now..

I am not going to automatically take what Ed says as fact anymore....I can believe in his emotions perhaps....but please, no more of this " Ed is just doing or saying what the cops direct him to say " mantra.....it is clear to me now that Ed has said whatever he wants to say...cops be damned....

the info on the chair is important if it is true....

one point here:.....ED may very well be fed up with the cops.....in which case I guess I wouldn't blame him for revealing information now....

in this case, we have a witness.....not a grand one...but a witness who can attest to at least the voice and mannerisms of the perp....

and still....nothing on solving this case..

153 posted on 08/31/2002 9:15:13 AM PDT by cherry
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To: FR_addict
"I don't seriously think a career burglar would use a chair under a window as a point of entry"

or wear white clothes to a burglary or kidnapping....

it seems if this was a true kidnapping the perp would be a little more"professional" ....

this case is Ramsey and Eisenberg all over again

154 posted on 08/31/2002 9:18:02 AM PDT by cherry
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To: Sherlock
I think the Ed Smart statement about the 'potential' key was originally made on Hannity & Colmes after Ricci was in the hospital and Ed had probably been counseled based on the kind of attack Ricci had he wasn't going to make it. This gives the appearance of being the first punch in a one-two, first saying he suspected Ricci because he knew he could potentially have a key, followed by the release of the information of the chair at the window in Elizabeth's kidnapping, a prelude to looking at new suspects. I also find it interesting that new strategies were developed so quickly, LE hinting they are going to release some new names of new potential suspects possibly linked to Ricci and the Smarts bringing up the key followed by the rewards. Both LE and the family seem to be getting the counsel of some pretty well oiled PR services.
155 posted on 08/31/2002 9:27:03 AM PDT by Sherlock
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To: jengaio
"Weird, weird, weird, man. I may become a conspiracy theorist myself...."

don't do it Jen..it's a hard , hard, life ......

156 posted on 08/31/2002 9:27:37 AM PDT by cherry
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To: spore-gasm; varina davis; IamHD
http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual/section14/chapter175/175a.htm

Trauma of the Head

Head injury causes more deaths and disability than any other neurologic condition before age 50 and occurs in > 70% of accidents, which are the leading cause of death in men and boys < 35 yr old. Mortality from severe injury approaches 50% and is only modestly reduced by treatment.

Damage may result from skull penetration or from rapid brain acceleration or deceleration, which injures tissue at the point of impact, at its opposite pole (contrecoup), or diffusely within the frontal and temporal lobes. Nerve tissue, blood vessels, and meninges can be sheared, torn, or ruptured, resulting in neural disruption, intracerebral or extracerebral ischemia or hemorrhage, and cerebral edema. Hemorrhage and edema act as expanding intracranial lesions, causing focal neurologic deficits or increased intracranial swelling and pressure, which can lead to fatal herniation of brain tissue through the tentorium or foramen magnum. Skull fractures may lacerate meningeal arteries or large venous sinuses, producing epidural or subdural hematoma. Fractures, especially at the skull base, can also lacerate the meninges, causing CSF to leak through the nose (rhinorrhea) or ear (otorrhea) or bacteria or air to enter the cranial vault. Infectious organisms may reach the meninges via cryptic fractures, especially if they involve the paranasal sinuses.

Symptoms, Signs, and Diagnosis

Concussion is characterized by transient posttraumatic loss of awareness or memory, lasting from seconds to minutes, without causing gross structural lesions in the brain and without leaving serious neurologic residua. Patients with concussion rarely are deeply unresponsive. Pupillary reactions and other signs of brain stem function are intact; extensor plantar responses may be present briefly but neither hemiplegia nor decerebrate postural responses to noxious stimulation appear. Lumbar puncture is generally contraindicated in cases of head trauma unless meningitis is suspected and should be performed only after appropriate x-rays or imaging studies.

Postconcussion syndrome commonly follows a mild head injury, more often than a severe one. It includes headache, dizziness, difficulty in concentration, variable amnesia, depression, apathy, and anxiety. Considerable disability can result. The part played by brain damage is unclear. The postconcussion syndrome is more common in patients with a premorbid neurotic disposition. However, studies suggest that even mild trauma can cause neuronal damage. Although this situation lends itself to malingering and fraud with the hope of compensation, many patients have legitimate complaints. The benefits of drug or psychiatric treatment are uncertain.

Cerebral contusions and lacerations are more severe injuries. Depending on severity, they are often accompanied by severe surface wounds and by basilar skull fractures or depression fractures (see also Temporal Bone Fractures in Ch. 85). Hemiplegia or other focal signs of cortical dysfunction are common. More severe injuries may cause severe brain edema, producing decorticate rigidity (arms flexed and adducted, legs and often trunk extended) or decerebrate rigidity (jaws clenched, neck retracted, all limbs extended). Coma, hemiplegia, unilaterally or bilaterally dilated and unreactive pupils, and respiratory irregularity may result from initial trauma or internal brain herniation and require immediate therapy. Increased intracranial pressure, producing compression or distortion of the brain stem, sometimes causes BP to rise and pulse and respiration to slow (Cushing's phenomenon). Brain scans may reveal bloody CSF; lumbar puncture is usually contraindicated.

Nonpenetrating trauma is more likely to affect the cerebral hemispheres and underlying diencephalon, which are larger and generally more exposed, than the brain stem. Thus, signs of primary brain stem injury (coma, irregular breathing, fixation of the pupils to light, loss of oculovestibular reflexes, diffuse motor flaccidity) almost always imply severe injury and poor prognosis.

Thoracic damage often accompanies severe head injuries, producing pulmonary edema (some of which is neurogenic), hypoxia, and unstable circulation. Injury to the cervical spine can damage the spinal cord, causing fatal respiratory paralysis or permanent quadriplegia. Proper immobilization should be maintained until stability of the cervical spine has been documented by appropriate imaging studies.

Acute subdural hematomas (blood between the dura mater and arachnoid, usually from bleeding of the bridging veins) and intracerebral hematomas are common in severe head injury. Along with severe brain edema, they account for most fatalities. All three conditions can cause transtentorial herniation with deepening coma, widening pulse pressure, pupils in midposition or dilated and fixed, spastic hemiplegia with hyperreflexia, quadrispasticity, decorticate rigidity, or decerebrate rigidity (due to progressive rostral-caudal neurologic deterioration). CT or MRI scans can usually identify operable lesions. Surgical excision of large lesions may be lifesaving, but posttraumatic morbidity is often high.

Chronic subdural hematomas, may not produce symptoms until several weeks after trauma. Although early diagnosis (2 to 4 wk after trauma) may be suggested by delayed neurologic deterioration, later diagnosis can be overlooked because of the time lapse between trauma and the onset of symptoms and signs. Subdural hematomas are more common in alcoholics and patients > 50 yr, in whom the head injury may have been relatively trivial, even forgotten. Increasing daily headache, fluctuating drowsiness or confusion (which may mimic early dementia), and mild-to-moderate hemiparesis are typical. In infants, chronic subdural hematomas can cause head circumference to enlarge, suggesting hydrocephalus. MRI scans are diagnostic; CT scans are less consistently so.

Epidural hematomas (blood between the skull and dura mater) are caused by arterial bleeding, most commonly from damage to the middle meningeal artery. Symptoms usually develop within hours of the injury and consist of increasing headache, deterioration of consciousness, motor dysfunction, and pupillary changes. A lucid interval of relative neurologic normality often precedes neurologic symptoms. Epidural hematoma is less common than subdural hematoma but is important because prompt evacuation can prevent rapid brain shift and compression, which can cause fatal or permanent neurologic deficits. Temporal fracture lines suggest the diagnosis but may not always be seen on skull x-rays. CT or MRI scans or angiograms should be obtained promptly. If scans are unavailable, burr holes should be drilled promptly to aid diagnosis and allow evacuation of the clot.

Posttraumatic epilepsy, with seizures beginning as late as several years after trauma, follows about 10% of severe closed head injuries and 40% of penetrating head injuries.

A persistent (chronic) vegetative state (PVS) may follow the most severe form of head injury, which destroys forebrain cognitive functions but spares the brain stem. The PVS can last for many years. In it, the capacity for self-aware mental activity is absent, but autonomic and motor reflexes and normal sleep-wake cycles are preserved. Few patients recover when PVS lasts for 3 mo after injury, and almost none after 6 mo (see Vegetative State in Ch. 170).

Treatment

At the accident site: Multiple injuries are likely with traffic accidents, less so with gunshot wounds or other localized cranial injury. Once a clear airway is secured and acute bleeding controlled, the victim is moved en bloc, with particular care taken to avoid displacing the spine or other bones, so that the spinal cord and blood vessels are not injured. For care of a victim with possible cord injuries, see Spinal Cord Injury in Ch. 182. Morphine and other depressants are contraindicated during initial management.

In the hospital: Once the airway is secured and IV lines are in place, internal bleeding and other emergency complications are evaluated and treated. Hypoxia and hypercarbia can aggravate brain injury and often require respiratory assistance.

Assessment includes state of consciousness, breathing pattern, pupil size and reaction to light, oculomotor activity, and motor activity in the limbs. By scoring initial and subsequent responses using the Glasgow Coma Scale (see Table 175-1) and noting neuro-ophthalmologic changes, an examiner can estimate severity of injury and prognosis. Neurologic findings, BP, pulse, and temperature should be recorded at least hourly, because any deterioration demands prompt attention. CT or MRI scans can detect potentially operable intracranial hematomas and, if possible, should be obtained in all patients observed to be unconscious for > 2 h and in those with focal neurologic abnormalities. If such tests are unavailable, patients should be transported to better equipped medical facilities. Only when CT or MRI is impossible are cerebral angiograms indicated. Radioactive scans and EEG are of no diagnostic help immediately after trauma. Frequently, intracranial pressure is continuously monitored in patients with severe head injuries.

Patients with concussion should be closely followed for 24 h. If a CT scan shows no evidence of intracranial bleeding or displaced fractures and the patient is neurologically intact, hospitalization is not needed. Skull x-rays are useless for making this decision.

Skull fractures, if aligned, require no treatment. Depressed fractures are best handled by a neurosurgeon and may require emergency management of lacerated vessels. Antibiotic prophylaxis is not recommended because it encourages drug-resistant strains, but it is often used if CSF is leaking from the patient's nose or ear.

157 posted on 08/31/2002 9:38:57 AM PDT by Bella
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To: Sherlock
Yes, this was the mistake of the century, wasn't it? If they had followed up on where the Jeep was that Ed Smart had given him this could have unraveled before whatever happened on Jun 8. The only reason I can figure they didn't is because they knew he wasn't the kidnapper.

I think that Ricci slowly percolated to the top of the list of potential suspects. In the initial interview I would bet that LE probably knew nothing about the Jeep that Ed had sold him. The Smart's probably gave LE a list of anybody who had worked on the home or looked at it while it was listed. If Ed had been suspicious of Richard from the beginning then I'm sure he would have gone over every single detail of their business relationship right from the start. Ed didn't even know Richard was a felon. He had suspected that perhaps Ricci had stolen from him, but Richard had returned to Ed and tried to con him into believing that he wasn't the culprit in the thefts. Also petty theft is along way from kidnapping. It just seems to me that the details of the Jeep sale came to LE's attention from a follow up interview by detectives after nothing really jumped out at them in their initial interviews with potential suspects. By then it was to late. The Jeep was back at Moul's.

158 posted on 08/31/2002 9:44:13 AM PDT by sandude
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To: All
Let's hope now if Ricci was not the perp or did not play a part in it that whoever did it starts getting nervous since Ricci has died. The way I see it if I was the perp that did this and after all this time and with Ricci in the limelight I would have been breathing easy and probably would have felt I had gotten away with it. Now that Ricci is gone, this means more information may come out. Even the person who gave Ricci the ride home on June 8th from the repair shop may be ID or may come forth.

I have had this nagging feeling since the start of this that Ricci really was not one, I think it is someone that lives very close to the Smart home or has a connection to the school that Liz attended. It is someone that has been looked at, but has the police fooled at this point.
159 posted on 08/31/2002 9:44:42 AM PDT by stlnative
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To: brigette
I have had this nagging feeling since the start of this that Ricci really was not one, I think it is someone that lives very close to the Smart home or has a connection to the school that Liz attended. It is someone that has been looked at, but has the police fooled at this point.

I said this long ago..the real perp is right in front of them and going through the motions.

160 posted on 08/31/2002 9:50:28 AM PDT by Bella
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