Westport Police: Deaths of Mother and 7 Year Old Daughter Ruled a Homicide-Suicide
Westport Police Press Release
The adult female who was found deceased in the home at 1 Lyndale Park has been positively identified as forty-six-year-old Tracy Do. The deceased juvenile also resided at the above address and is Ms. Do’s daughter.
On June 18, 2021, the two deceased individuals were brought to the State Medical Examiner’s office in Farmington to be autopsied. The Medical Examiner determined that the seven-year-old had drowned and ruled her death a homicide. The Medical Examiner ruled Ms. Do’s death a suicide. The Westport Police Detective Bureau along with the State Police Western District Major Crimes Unit continue to investigate the facts and circumstances related to these two deaths.
Chief Koskinas stated that “this is a horrible tragedy, and the police department is keeping the family as well as the community that was so deeply affected by this in our thoughts and prayers.”
At this time, we are not releasing any further information related to this case.
Westport Senior Center Opens on Limited Basis Starting July 1
Westport Center for Senior Activities Press ReleaseThe Westport Center for Senior Activities (WCSA) has announced its reopening on Thursday, July 1st, 2021. The Center has been closed since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since its closure last March, the WCSA staff has remained busy offering virtual social and recreational programs, information and resources, and countless food distribution programs for residents. The phased reopening will include in-house, outdoor, hybrid, televised, and Zoom classes during the summer semester.
WCSA Director Sue Pfister noted that the WCSA has been meticulous in establishing safety protocols that offer seniors the safest and most comfortable re-entry to the state-of-the-art facility. This includes enhanced air-handlers, sanitizers, and other CDC-guided precautions that will be in full effect upon reopening.
According to Pfister, “We’ve also installed a beautiful canopy over a portion of the back patio to extend our outdoor space and provide shaded comfort for those wishing to participate in our outdoor offerings. We’ve expanded our collaboration with Westport’s Park & Recreation Department to provide weekly En Pleine Air painting classes, which will meet at various town parks throughout the summer too.”
While the WCSA is opening for limited in-house programming, the congregate luncheon program will remain closed until September. Fall programming plans will be consistent with current COVID restrictions and re-assessed regularly based on the Town of Westport’s COVID policies prioritizing resident and staff safety. The summer semester at WCSA will not allow for drop-in visits or congregating during the initial reopening phase. Water fountains will not be available, so participants are encouraged to bring a water bottle from home.
“This is the day I’ve been longing for,” stated Sue Pfister as she and her staff gear up to welcome seniors back on July 1.
Senior WCSA participants must pre-register with the Center’s new registration system MyActiveCenter (https://myactivecenter.com/) to sign up for activities, classes, and programs. For instructions and a list of upcoming courses, please visit www.westportct.gov/seniorcenter or call 203-341-5099.
The effects of COVID-19 continue to affect day-to-day lives. The Department of Human Services staff can offer information and resources to residents seeking additional support by contacting 203-341-1050. Kristen Witt, LCSW Municipal Agent for Seniors, can be reached directly at 203.341.1067 or kwitt@westportct.gov with specific requests for assistance.
Coleytown Elementary and Stepping Stones Preschool Closed Monday; Students will be Given a Time to Collect Belongings
Press Release, Westport Public Schools Superintendent Thomas Scarice Dear Westport Families,
As our community mourns the tragic loss of one of our beloved students and her mother, I want to provide assurance that the school district is actively working to support those closest to this unspeakable loss. A plan for mental health and grief counselors is being developed for those most impacted.
In order to appropriately end the school year, while simultaneously addressing the profound grief in the Coleytown Elementary School community, Monday June 21 will not be a student day. Coleytown Elementary School and Stepping Stones Preschool students will not report to school Monday June 21 as a scheduled school day.
However, parents can expect to be provided information by CES Principal, Janna Sirowich, and SSP Director, Lynda Codeghini, on an opportunity for students to visit their classrooms and teachers on Monday June 21 for one last time, and to collect their belongings as they depart for summer.
Details of this opportunity will be shared later today by building administration, yet I can share that there will be a defined window of time for visits. I want to assure parents that there will be no discussion of the recent tragedy while students visit their teachers and collect their belongings. We will have staff staged across the entire school to help facilitate this opportunity for your child. This will be a drop off event and should take no longer than approximately 30 minutes. Again, details will be forthcoming from building administration.
Finally, parents will be provided additional resources on how to speak with your child, and whether or not it is age-appropriate to do so. Members of our team are ready to support our families, faculty and staff.
I want to thank the school community for the respect given to our faculty, staff and all first responders as we heal and support each other, and move to support all of those most impacted by this tragedy.
Respectfully,
Thomas Scarice
Superintendent of Schools
Take a Moment: Breathe with the Flow of the Saugatuck
Seeing and hearing the rhythm of the Westport community through video. Pause the news cycle and world around you. Reset your mindset. Remember the beauty of the community around us.Take a moment.