A Home Stands Guarded as a Community Reels
A member of the Westport Police Department guards the main entrance to a Coleytown neighborhood home where two community members were found dead Thursday afternoon. The white light of investigators’ flashlights can be seen on the second floor as members of the Westport Police Department and Connecticut State Police begin to piece together a tragedy that has left the Westport community reeling.
Coleytown Elementary School and Stepping Stones Preschool were announced as closed for academic classes on Friday, allowing the school to be used for mental health support services - available from 11:00 AM until 1:00 PM.
If you or someone you know is in need of mental health support services, visit Westport Together for resources available.
Superintendent: “We were informed of the untimely and tragic loss of one of our parents and her beloved daughter.”
Press Release, Superintendent Thomas Scarice
Dear Westport Families and Staff,
It is with great sadness that I write this message to the school community this evening. Late this afternoon, we were informed of the untimely and tragic loss of one of our parents and her beloved daughter. There are no words that could console the sense of sorrow we feel by this unspeakable tragedy. We want to express our deepest condolences to all those impacted by this heartbreaking loss.
At times like this, children, like adults, begin to think of their own experiences with death and many feelings surface. These feelings may focus on the person who has died, another person who has died in the past, an impending death, or anxiety about death in general. As a school staff, we encourage you to listen carefully to your child and answer questions openly and honestly should they occur. Accepting your child’s feelings and validating them is beneficial. During the days ahead, your child may find it helpful to discuss his/her feelings with you or another adult.
The school district has begun to mobilize all of our resources to provide the necessary support to our students and faculty. More information will be forthcoming regarding emotional supports for members of our school community. If your child has questions or needs support, please reach out to a building administrator, school psychologist, counselor, or social worker. In the interim, we have provided the following resources for families.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CkZBC-G1A83mRD8G_bk83dhyMwkVp9IE/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CvixUoR9lRDTeI5IHVZDtHQRBrk1Vkcy/view?usp=sharing
Coleytown Elementary School and Stepping Stones Preschool will be closed for students tomorrow but will be open for parents and students to access mental health services between 11:00am-1:00pm. More information will be provided to the Coleytown Elementary School and Stepping Stones Preschool communities.
Respectfully,
Thomas Scarice
Superintendent of Schools
Westport Police Investigate the Untimely Death of Adult and 7 Year Old Child in Westport Home
The Connecticut State Police Major Crime Squad remaining on-scene at 11:00 PM Thursday night. Westport Police Press Release
(Westport, CT) At approximately 4:00 p.m. on this date the Westport Police Department along with Westport Emergency Medical Services and the Westport Fire Department responded to a home in Westport on a report of an unresponsive female. Upon arrival, an adult female was located inside the home, and it was determined that she was deceased. After finding the female, the officers went through the interior of the residence todetermine if anyone else was inside. It was at that time that officers located a seven-year-old child who was also deceased.
The Westport Police is in the beginning stages of thisinvestigation and is being assisted by the State Police MajorCrimes Unit.
This appears to be an isolated incident and we do not believe that there is any active threat to the community.
Traffic Agent to the Commuter’s Rescue
A Westport Police Department traffic agent manned the intersection of Riverside Avenue and Bridge Street this evening as the afternoon commute made its way through the community. After several weeks of seemingly increasing traffic in Westport, the traffic agent was a site for sore eyes as cars quickly made their way off of the William F. Cribari Bridge, which was named for the famous traffic cop who kept the cars moving through the early 2000s at nearly 80 years old.