Posted on 08/02/2005 5:19:16 PM PDT by Coleus
An inquiry into the June deaths of three boys who suffocated while playing in the trunk of a broken-down car even as the police undertook a wide search concluded today with a finding that had long been suspected: No one thought to look inside the family car.
Despite the failure of police officers to check the Toyota Camry - a place where at least one of the boys had been known to play - authorities said today that no one would be disciplined in the case.
"I don't think any purpose would be served to have heads roll," Vincent P. Sarubbi, the county prosecutor said in a news conference today at the Camden Police Department's headquarters.
Mr. Sarubbi and Camden's police chief, Edwin J. Figueroa, took pains to spread the blame for the deaths of Anibal Cruz, 11; Daniel Agosto, 6; and Jesstin Pagan, 5, who disappeared from the yard of the Cruz family home on the evening of June 22.
"There were multiple causes, multiple reasons for this tragedy - obviously, the clearest one was the failure to look into the trunk," Mr. Sarubbi said. "Yes, there's enough blame to go around: the city, the police and the family."
After the children went missing, the Cruz family waited three hours to call the police. By the next day, more than 100 law enforcement officials were using helicopters, boats and search dogs. They scoured rivers, drainpipes and tick-infested woods. At the same time, family members held an emotional news conference broadcast live on cable television seeking information about the boys' whereabouts. The family said they had lost sight of the boys for only about half an hour.
The children were not found until two days later, when a family member looking for jumper cables opened the trunk
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Unbelievable
I bet you'll find there was one officer who called the others off - because most cops would have known immediately what to look for. There's always a jerk in the crowd and he is frequently the one with authority.
So sad but it was probably too late by the time they got there anyway.
what really upsetting is that the grandmother (owner of vehicle) and the mother blamed the police for not looking in the trunk,knowing that the children had played there before, They also looked in vehicle and did not bother to look in the trunk 3 hours before the police came out. Parents had an obligation to look in trunk. Why didn't they opened the trunk when they looked, yet expected police to have opended.
Those in authority are expected to have the ability to conduct a search...a frantic parent is not capable. The police dropped the ball, period.
I agree, they're the "trained experts" who the parents turned to for expertise, professionalism and help. Parents at that stage of the game can't think, concentrate or remember a thing.
If the family had called police immediately, maybe they would have been found.
If the police had been called and then an alert police officer noticed the shoes in the car, then the boys could have been saved.
Too many variables for even one response to bring about the desired outcome.
So sad.
Confusion at the beginning of the search has been spotlighted because the Camden County medical examiner ruled that the boys lived 13 to 33 hours after they went missing - meaning they were alive at least into Thursday morning.
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/new_jersey/12214369.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
I never in a million years would have thought they were in the trunk. The children were obviously not made to be afraid of playing in the trunk, so that appears to be the main problem.
Huh. You would have thought they would have called out.
They were probably unconscious by then.
they were pretty young children, perhaps they heard them and didn't answer if they were playing hide and seek or afraid of getting in trouble. I thought they said they probably crawed in the trunk through the back seat opening, I wonder why they didn't try and crawl back out. Too young, and said. It's so easy for young children to get into mischief when left alone.
Yeah. What can you say, except so sad. These officers wanted to find them and probably next to the family grieving the most. I'm not worried about it happening again. They will probably rip every trunk open from now on.
If you are saying the family is responsible I agree with your assessment.
I thought about that but that's a big fear, to stay in such a hot area.
When some person accidentally kills a kid, a headline hungry prosecutor is sure to press charges. But, since it's the government at fault, oops! Just an accident. No one will face charges.
If they had died in a discarded refrigerator the owner of the fridge would be in jail.
I think they were too young to make any decisions. I guess we were lucky we had a fireman who lived a couple of door down and taught kids in the neighbor how to be safe. Even then we still had to keep an eye on them. Our older son was so mischievous and curious that we were both always chasing after him.
If his friends were over, the parents had an obligation to watch them.
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