Flowers, Stuffed Lovey, Memorialize Young Westporter
Flowers and a stuffed animal sit atop a card outside of 1 Lyndale Park this afternoon. The makeshift memorial popped up this morning as news continued to break about the horrific tragedy that has rocked Westport and the school communities.
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.
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
First Selectman: “I know we will come together to support those who need to begin the healing process.”
Westport First Selectman Press ReleaseWestport First Selectman Jim Marpe made the following statement today:
The community is dealing with an awful tragedy. Since this terrible event is still under investigation, I cannot comment on the details. My prayers and condolences are with the family.
Police, First Responders, public school personnel and students have been directly impacted by this devastating event. The entire community shares in their grief and sadness. Westport is a caring community and I know we will come together to support those who need to begin the healing process.
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.
Coleytown Elementary, Stepping Stones Preschool Closed for Classes Tomorrow; Open from 11-1 for Mental Health Support
Press Release, Superintendent Thomas ScariceDear Families and Staff of Coleytown Elementary School and Stepping Stones Preschool,
As you are aware from my earlier message, our community is dealing with the tragic loss of a mother and her beloved daughter. This tragedy has particular significance to both Coleytown Elementary School and Stepping Stones Preschool. In order to support the members of these school communities, both schools with be closed for students on Friday, June 18, 2021. Parents and students from both schools can access school-based mental health services and resources between 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at Coleytown Elementary School.
It is times like these that a community is drawn together to support each other. I ask that everyone in our community take a moment to reflect how we can help each other through this tragic loss.
Respectfully,
Thomas Scarice
Superintendent of Schools
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.