Woman found dead, unborn child taken from womb.....
Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 11:45 am
What is WRONG with the world???:-5:-5:-5
WORCESTER, Mass. -- A pregnant woman was found dead in her apartment with her fetus cut from her womb, and police on Wednesday were trying to find the missing baby, which they said could have survived.
Darlene Haynes was about eight months pregnant and the child would have needed immediate medical attention to survive, authorities said.
Haynes' body was found Monday by her landlord, William Thompson, who said a strong smell led him to her, reported WCVB-TV in Boston.
"It was just a horrifying smell and just led me to the bedroom. And that's where I located ... the body was in the closet," Thompson said.
Police said the 23-year-old victim had apparently been dead for several days, and that she hadn't contacted family or friends since Thursday. It was not until an autopsy on Tuesday that authorities discovered the fetus was missing.
"It's horrific," Thompson said Wednesday. "There's no words to describe what's going on in this building today."
Haynes' skull was cracked and her womb cut open, the fetus removed.
"At eight months pregnancy, this infant is viable and has, according to medical personnel, the possibility of surviving," Worcester police Sgt. Kerry Hazelhurst said.
Detectives have been checking hospitals to see if anyone has brought a baby in. They said it's possible the infant could have survived but would be in urgent need of medical attention.
Haysha Toledo, 17, a neighbor who said she often saw Haynes walking in what she called "a nice quiet neighborhood," said neighbors used to hear "a lot of fighting" from the apartment she shared until recently with her boyfriend, Roberto Rodriguez.
"We used to hear her crying and screaming but no one ever really did anything," Toledo said, adding that neighbors did not want to get involved.
Haynes had a restraining order against Rodriguez, who allegedly pushed her into a glass table in June and cut her arm, then grabbed her by the throat and slapped her, the Telegram & Gazette of Worcester reported, citing court records.
Court records also showed Rodriguez was charged with hitting Haynes in 2008 in a case that was continued without a finding.
In June, Haynes described the 24-year-old Rodriguez as her boyfriend of several years. Her landlord said Rodriguez moved out of the apartment last month. However, Haynes still shared custody of their daughter with him. He was also the father of the fetus.
Rodriguez was interviewed by authorities.
"(Haynes) was a nice girl. She had her problems, you know? But nobody deserves to go through what she went through," Rodriguez said.
The exact cause of Haynes' death has not yet been determined pending toxicology tests, but Worcester Police Detective Capt. Edward J. McGinn Jr. said the autopsy indicated Haynes suffered head injuries.
Family members said she had three other children.
Her youngest, an 18-month-old girl, is in state custody, according to Department of Children and Families spokeswoman Alison Goodwin. Family members had been looking after her.
Haynes' aunt, 58-year-old Sandra Grandmaison, told The Boston Herald that her niece's two other children, Jasmine, 4, and Lilliana, 3, live with Haynes' grandmother.
Grandmaison told the Herald that Haynes postponed two visits with her older children last week because she said she was having problems walking.
"She was a very sad, very young girl who never really grew up," Grandmaison said. "Darlene does not have the know-how or the ability to sense danger."
Haynes' uncle, Karl Whitney, said that the family is still in shock.
"How you go forward with this? I have no idea. I, having two grandchildren of my own, could not imagine this every happening to one of my kids," Whitney said. "Her other two daughters are aware of what happened to Mom, but, you know, it's difficult to know at a young age."
Whitney said that the family hopes the baby is still alive and urged the person who took the baby to go to a hospital.
"Darlene had I guess chosen a name for the baby but wouldn't tell anybody because she wanted to surprise everybody," Whitney said.
WORCESTER, Mass. -- A pregnant woman was found dead in her apartment with her fetus cut from her womb, and police on Wednesday were trying to find the missing baby, which they said could have survived.
Darlene Haynes was about eight months pregnant and the child would have needed immediate medical attention to survive, authorities said.
Haynes' body was found Monday by her landlord, William Thompson, who said a strong smell led him to her, reported WCVB-TV in Boston.
"It was just a horrifying smell and just led me to the bedroom. And that's where I located ... the body was in the closet," Thompson said.
Police said the 23-year-old victim had apparently been dead for several days, and that she hadn't contacted family or friends since Thursday. It was not until an autopsy on Tuesday that authorities discovered the fetus was missing.
"It's horrific," Thompson said Wednesday. "There's no words to describe what's going on in this building today."
Haynes' skull was cracked and her womb cut open, the fetus removed.
"At eight months pregnancy, this infant is viable and has, according to medical personnel, the possibility of surviving," Worcester police Sgt. Kerry Hazelhurst said.
Detectives have been checking hospitals to see if anyone has brought a baby in. They said it's possible the infant could have survived but would be in urgent need of medical attention.
Haysha Toledo, 17, a neighbor who said she often saw Haynes walking in what she called "a nice quiet neighborhood," said neighbors used to hear "a lot of fighting" from the apartment she shared until recently with her boyfriend, Roberto Rodriguez.
"We used to hear her crying and screaming but no one ever really did anything," Toledo said, adding that neighbors did not want to get involved.
Haynes had a restraining order against Rodriguez, who allegedly pushed her into a glass table in June and cut her arm, then grabbed her by the throat and slapped her, the Telegram & Gazette of Worcester reported, citing court records.
Court records also showed Rodriguez was charged with hitting Haynes in 2008 in a case that was continued without a finding.
In June, Haynes described the 24-year-old Rodriguez as her boyfriend of several years. Her landlord said Rodriguez moved out of the apartment last month. However, Haynes still shared custody of their daughter with him. He was also the father of the fetus.
Rodriguez was interviewed by authorities.
"(Haynes) was a nice girl. She had her problems, you know? But nobody deserves to go through what she went through," Rodriguez said.
The exact cause of Haynes' death has not yet been determined pending toxicology tests, but Worcester Police Detective Capt. Edward J. McGinn Jr. said the autopsy indicated Haynes suffered head injuries.
Family members said she had three other children.
Her youngest, an 18-month-old girl, is in state custody, according to Department of Children and Families spokeswoman Alison Goodwin. Family members had been looking after her.
Haynes' aunt, 58-year-old Sandra Grandmaison, told The Boston Herald that her niece's two other children, Jasmine, 4, and Lilliana, 3, live with Haynes' grandmother.
Grandmaison told the Herald that Haynes postponed two visits with her older children last week because she said she was having problems walking.
"She was a very sad, very young girl who never really grew up," Grandmaison said. "Darlene does not have the know-how or the ability to sense danger."
Haynes' uncle, Karl Whitney, said that the family is still in shock.
"How you go forward with this? I have no idea. I, having two grandchildren of my own, could not imagine this every happening to one of my kids," Whitney said. "Her other two daughters are aware of what happened to Mom, but, you know, it's difficult to know at a young age."
Whitney said that the family hopes the baby is still alive and urged the person who took the baby to go to a hospital.
"Darlene had I guess chosen a name for the baby but wouldn't tell anybody because she wanted to surprise everybody," Whitney said.
