INQUEST POSTPONED IN CEDARVILLE DEATHS
INQUEST POSTPONED IN CEDARVILLE DEATHS
June 26, 1993
Janice Haidet
Dayton Daily News
A coroner's inquest, prompted by the unexplained deaths of three children in the same Cedarville family, has been postponed while investigators await an autopsy report on the most recent death.
An inquest into the deaths of Josiah Carroll, 12, who died June 14, along with the deaths of Noah Carroll and Mollie Carroll, both age 3, had been set for Wednesday. It has been rescheduled to span three days next month.
Coroner's Investigator Charlie Bruce said the change was needed because the Miami Valley Regional Crime Laboratory has been extremely busy and was unable to finish final reports on Josiah's death.
Set for July 26-28, the inquest is expected to include testimony from doctors, paramedics, family members and officials.
Under Ohio law, a coroner may subpoena witnesses to appear for an inquest; anyone failing to show up may be prosecuted for contempt of court.
Meanwhile, Greene County Assistant Prosecutor Suzanne Schmidt said it's unlikely that any action on a request for custody of the remaining four Carroll children will be taken until after the inquest.
The Carroll family has seen five of its 10 adoptive children die within the past nine months. All the dead children suffered from physical or mental handicaps. Four of the children died in the family's home on Straley Road; an infant died after it was returned to foster care.
At the time of the first death last September, nine children were living in the Carroll household. One child is grown and lives elsewhere.
In connection with the death of 6-year-old Hannah last fall, Timothy Carroll and his wife, Kathleen, pleaded guilty to reduced charges of contributing to the neglect of a child. They were accused of failing to seek proper medical treatment for the girl after she burned her lungs and skin with household bleach.
Noah, 3, a crack baby born with part of his brain missing, and Mollie, who was born with a genetic disorder, died late last year.
Josiah suffered from asthma and cerebral palsy, a type of brain damage causing motor impairment and paralysis.
Officials say they can't figure out why these three children died and the inquest is necessary to help them do that.