INQUEST INTO CEDARVILLE CHILDREN'S DEATHS SET TO BEGIN

INQUEST INTO CEDARVILLE CHILDREN'S DEATHS SET TO BEGIN

July 24, 1993

Janice Haidet

Dayton Daily News

Greene County's first coroner's inquest in a decade is set to begin Tuesday, a day later than first scheduled.

Greene County Coroner's Chief Investigator William McCarthy said the inquest, which is aimed at getting more information about the deaths of three children in the same Cedarville family, is expected to last three days. The inquest at the Greene County Courthouse in Xenia will be open to the public, McCarthy said.

It will involve questioning paramedics, law enforcement officers, family members and others who may have knowledge about the deaths of Mollie and Noah Carroll, both age 3, and Isaiah Carroll, 11.

The most recent death was in June. Isaiah Carroll was born with cerebral palsy and asthma, but officials said they couldn't figure out why he died. His death prompted the inquest.

They were three of 10 children adopted by Kathleen and Timothy Carroll. Five of those children died within nine months, including Hannah, 6, who died after ingesting household bleach. The parents pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge as a result of Hannah's death.

The family has said they believe the deaths resulted from causes related to the children's handicaps or illnesses.

Greene County Coroner Manoj Desai has said he and County Prosecutor William F. Schenck agreed an inquest was necessary because members of the Carroll family, apparently acting on advice from attorney John H. Rion of Dayton, have declined to speak directly with investigators.