Latest news with #welfarecheck
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Watchdog assessing police referral over baby's death in Birmingham
The police watchdog is assessing whether to investigate officers who visited a house hours before the death of a baby boy. West Midlands Police carried out a welfare check at on Culford Drive in Bartley Green in Birmingham on Wednesday, before being called to reports of a medical emergency hours later. The boy later died in hospital.A 37-year-old woman who was arrested on suspicion of child neglect has been bailed with strict conditions. The force has asked the public not to speculate on the circumstances, and confirmed the matter has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct. In a statement to the BBC, a spokesperson for the watchdog said: "We can confirm that we have received a referral from West Midlands Police in relation to this incident. "We are assessing the referral and will decide whether further action may be required from us." The IOPC oversees the police complaints system in England and Wales and investigates cases such as deaths following police forces must refer themselves to the body following certain serious incidents, regardless of whether someone has made a complaint. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
Phoenix newborn found 'clinging to life' at home near dead mother
A welfare check in Phoenix revealed a woman who was possibly dead for several days and her newborn baby near her, still alive but in critical condition, according to police. Officers went to the woman's home near Central Avenue and Illini Street on May 14 after a neighbor hadn't seen or heard from a mother and her newborn in several days. Inside the home, officers discovered the mother had died, but her baby was still alive, "dehydrated and clinging to life," Phoenix police said. Officers opened a window to the apartment and saw the woman motionless on the floor and an infant lying on the bed visibly emaciated, according to police. Bodycam footage of the incident showed police entering the home, finding the infant, and removing the baby from the home to be evaluated by Phoenix fire officials. The newborn was taken to a hospital to recover. Police said the infant's condition greatly improved, and the newborn was expected to survive. Police said detectives took over the investigation, while the Department of Child Safety was working with investigators and family. The Office of the Medical Examiner is investigating the cause and manner of death of the baby's mother. Police have not released the woman's name. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona newborn found in home near dead mother
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Heartbreaking video shows newborn all alone in apartment for a week after mom met tragic fate
A newborn baby girl found 'barely clinging to life' beside her death mother is expected to survive thanks to the heroic actions of police. Officers stormed a Phoenix apartment on May 14 as they carried out a welfare check on a new mother who had not been seen for several days, heartbreaking body camera footage released Thursday shows. Police arrived at the home, peered through an open window and saw the mother lying 'motionless' in the unit. They shouted out 'hello' and shined a flashlight into the home and onto the infant's face, causing her to move slightly. 'The baby is here and the baby is still alive,' one officer said. Another replied: 'We need to go.' Officers rushed to the front door, kicked it in and raced towards the infant, whose body was swaddled in a blanket and lying on a bed next to her mother's body. 'Hi,' an officer said as he approached the baby girl. 'Come here. Come here.' The newborn, who was severely dehydrated and emaciated, wiggled her toes as the officer picked her up and carried her outside saying, 'come on, come on little one'. The mother had been dead for at least a week by the time the baby was rescued, police said. The newborn was treated by firefighters at the scene and transferred to a nearby hospital in critical condition. She has 'improved greatly' and is 'expected to survive', police revealed Thursday. Neighbors at the apartment complex called police to conduct a welfare check after seeing packages piling up outside the unit. They told police they had not seen the woman 'for days'. 'The mother had passed away while the child was still on the bed still curled up where the mother had left them,' Sgt. Brian Bower told Arizona's Family. 'It wasn't learned until well after the fact from doctors and staff at the hospital that if the police officers didn't immediately provide aide and didn't immediately go into the apartment, the child may not have survived much longer.' The mother's cause of death remains under investigation. Her identity has not yet been released to the public. No information has been given as to whether the girl's father is on the scene. The Department of Child Safety is also involved in the case. Sgt. Bower has praised the 'immediate actions' of his officers, which saved the baby's life, as well as the community for requesting help when they noticed 'something unusual'.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Yahoo
Retired detective found dead in hoarding conditions in Connecticut, months after she went missing
GLASTONBURY, Conn. (AP) — Mary Notarangelo lived a reclusive life in her later years, according to the few people who had contact with her. The retired police detective tended to her many birds at her Connecticut home and posted videos of them on social media, including one accompanying her on a trip to a local crafts store. But a welfare check request to police last year uncovered disturbing truths. Hoarding conditions were found in her house in Glastonbury, just southeast of Hartford, when authorities tried to find her last July. It wasn't until February that a work crew using a small excavator discovered her skeletal remains. They were found beneath a pile of debris heaped just inside her front door, according to a police report released Wednesday. Glastonbury police said conditions in the single-family home set off a rural road in the woods were among the worst they've seen and hindered several search attempts over the months. Officers said there were 6-foot-tall (2-meter-tall) 'mountains' of garbage blocking entrance doors. Dead birds were found in cages along with mice running about and a live cat. And there was a terrible stench. 'Once inside, I observed more mountains of garbage, cobwebs, and spiders,' Officer Anthony Longo wrote in the report. 'There was no path whatsoever. The only way to move from room to room was by climbing over the garbage.' It's not clear how Notarangelo died. At 73, she was a retired Bridgeport police detective and longtime Wiccan, according to officials and friends. Her death was first reported by Hearst Connecticut Media earlier Wednesday. The state medical examiner's office said her cause of death could not be determined because the remains were mostly skeletal. A friend had called police to request the welfare check July 3, 2024. He told investigators Notarangelo last texted him around June 12, 2024, saying she was having abdominal cramps, vomiting and had fallen. It's not clear why the friend — who did not return phone and text messages — waited so long to call authorities. It's also not clear why it took seven months to find her remains, although several attempts had been made and officials cited the mounds of trash and other items. A police spokesperson did not immediately return an email seeking comment about the timeline. 'It's so upsetting and so sad,' said another friend, Patti Steeves, who worked with Notarangelo at the Bridgeport Police Department as a civilian employee years ago. 'She, as quirky as she was, she was a good person at heart.' Steeves added: 'She was passionate about her faith. She was passionate about her job. She had a great sense of humor. And she loved her animals. She loved her animals more than she did herself.' Steeves said she tried to talk with Notarangelo about the hoarding, but Notarangelo wouldn't discuss it. She said Notarangelo was a 'bird fanatic' who had about 20 birds, including cockatoos, cockatiels and parrots, and a cat and a dog. Bridgeport police said Notarangelo worked there from 1985 to 1996. She was promoted to detective in 1992 and to sergeant a year later. Steeves said she retired on disability after an on-duty car crash that injured her back and legs. Notarangelo posted occasionally on her social media accounts, saying she was an animal lover and an 'intuitive & reiki master,' referring to the Japanese healing practice. She posted videos and photos of her birds, including a cockatoo perched on a shopping cart during her outing to a crafts store. Police and firefighters first searched the home on July 3, 2024, the day of the welfare check request but couldn't find her, citing hoarding piles as a major factor. They also sent a drone in the house, but it hit cobwebs and became disabled, police said. More searches, they said, were conducted on July 5, July 11, July 12 and Nov. 20. On Feb. 24, an environmental services crew arrived with a small excavator. Plywood was removed from the front door area and crews used the excavator to carefully remove the contents of the home through the opening. Notarangelo's remains were discovered within minutes, police said. An attorney was assigned to handle Notarangelo's estate in March. He did not return phone and email messages Wednesday. Relatives of Notarangelo, including her brother and niece, declined to comment. Dave Collins, The Associated Press
The Independent
18-06-2025
- The Independent
Retired detective found dead in hoarding conditions in Connecticut, months after she went missing
Mary Notarangelo lived a reclusive life in her later years, according to the few people who had contact with her. The retired police detective tended to her many birds at her Connecticut home and posted videos of them on social media, including one accompanying her on a trip to a local crafts store. But a welfare check request to police last year uncovered disturbing truths. Hoarding conditions were found in her house in Glastonbury, just southeast of Hartford, when authorities tried to find her last July. It wasn't until February that a work crew using a small excavator discovered her skeletal remains. They were found beneath a pile of debris heaped just inside her front door, according to a police report released Wednesday. Glastonbury police said conditions in the single-family home set off a rural road in the woods were among the worst they've seen and hindered several search attempts over the months. Officers said there were 6-foot-tall (2-meter-tall) 'mountains' of garbage blocking entrance doors. Dead birds were found in cages along with mice running about and a live cat. And there was a terrible stench. 'Once inside, I observed more mountains of garbage, cobwebs, and spiders,' Officer Anthony Longo wrote in the report. 'There was no path whatsoever. The only way to move from room to room was by climbing over the garbage.' It's not clear how Notarangelo died. At 73, she was a retired Bridgeport police detective and longtime Wiccan, according to officials and friends. Her death was first reported by Hearst Connecticut Media earlier Wednesday. The state medical examiner's office said her cause of death could not be determined because the remains were mostly skeletal. A friend had called police to request the welfare check July 3, 2024. He told investigators Notarangelo last texted him around June 12, 2024, saying she was having abdominal cramps, vomiting and had fallen. It's not clear why the friend — who did not return phone and text messages — waited so long to call authorities. It's also not clear why it took seven months to find her remains, although several attempts had been made and officials cited the mounds of trash and other items. A police spokesperson did not immediately return an email seeking comment about the timeline. 'It's so upsetting and so sad,' said another friend, Patti Steeves, who worked with Notarangelo at the Bridgeport Police Department as a civilian employee years ago. 'She, as quirky as she was, she was a good person at heart.' Steeves added: 'She was passionate about her faith. She was passionate about her job. She had a great sense of humor. And she loved her animals. She loved her animals more than she did herself.' Steeves said she tried to talk with Notarangelo about the hoarding, but Notarangelo wouldn't discuss it. She said Notarangelo was a 'bird fanatic' who had about 20 birds, including cockatoos, cockatiels and parrots, and a cat and a dog. Bridgeport police said Notarangelo worked there from 1985 to 1996. She was promoted to detective in 1992 and to sergeant a year later. Steeves said she retired on disability after an on-duty car crash that injured her back and legs. Notarangelo posted occasionally on her social media accounts, saying she was an animal lover and an 'intuitive & reiki master,' referring to the Japanese healing practice. She posted videos and photos of her birds, including a cockatoo perched on a shopping cart during her outing to a crafts store. Police and firefighters first searched the home on July 3, 2024, the day of the welfare check request but couldn't find her, citing hoarding piles as a major factor. They also sent a drone in the house, but it hit cobwebs and became disabled, police said. More searches, they said, were conducted on July 5, July 11, July 12 and Nov. 20. On Feb. 24, an environmental services crew arrived with a small excavator. Plywood was removed from the front door area and crews used the excavator to carefully remove the contents of the home through the opening. Notarangelo's remains were discovered within minutes, police said. An attorney was assigned to handle Notarangelo's estate in March. He did not return phone and email messages Wednesday.
