- Font Size:
- Default font size
- Larger font size
BY DEBORAH LAVERTY
Times Staff Writer | Saturday, March 13, 2004 | (No comments posted.)
CROWN POINT -- Sexual abuse may have contributed to the November death of a 3-year-old Merrillville boy who had a history of heart problems, officials said Friday.
"The rectal injuries could have contributed to his death," Lake County Chief Deputy Coroner Jeff Wells said. "His heart was unstable to begin with, and yes this could have thrown it over the edge. There is a possibility that he could have had a heart attack while being sodomized."
Police are continuing to investigate the death, but have no single suspect, Merrillville Detective Sgt. Don Toth said.
No DNA evidence was found and the boy was in the care of more than one person prior to his death, he said. Efforts by The Times to reach the boy's relatives Friday were unsuccessful.
"Prior to his death there were various individuals in contact with him and so a specific suspect has not been identified," Toth said. "Police are leaving it up to the prosecutor as to the next step. They can review it and see if there is anything there."
Toth said findings from the investigation he is leading will be forwarded to the Lake County Prosecutor's office next week.
Wells said an autopsy showed the boy suffered rectal injuries just prior to the heart attack. He was found not breathing about 11 a.m. Nov. 13 inside his home in the 3900 block of West 78th Court.
The coroner's office consulted with a pediatric cardiopathologist from Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis and forensic pathologists before completing the autopsy findings, he said.
Times Staff Writer Ruthann Robinson contributed to this report.
Deborah Laverty can be reached at dlaverty@nwitimes.com or (219) 662-5324.
Back to story No comments posted.
- It wasn't clear, concise or focused on the topic in the story.
- It was a personal attack, vulgar, explicit or degrading, used actual or implied profanity or contained potentially libelous statements.
- It accused someone of being guilty of a crime.
- It promoted violence or illegal acts.
- It contained telephone numbers or street addresses, or e-mail addresses and links to Web sites other than nwi.com or government agencies.
In no way do these comments represent the views of The Times or Lee Enterprises.
Passionate views, pointed criticism and critical thinking are welcome. Name-calling, crude and profane language and personal abuse are not welcome.
Reader comments will not be edited - they will be approved or declined. They may be used in the print edition of the newspaper.
If you feel a posted comment has violated these guidelines, please email our New Media team the commenter's name, the comment and a link to the article.
For more information please read our Terms of Service.