CA - Roman Anthony Lopez, 11, found deceased, poisoned , Placerville, 11 Jan 2020 *arrests*

[Noharg]

Autopsy On Body Of 11-Year-Old Roman Lopez Set For Tuesday


An autopsy on the body of a missing 11-year-old boy found dead in Placerville this weekend is scheduled for Tuesday.

The Placerville Police Department is calling the death of Roman Lopez suspicious.

Lopez loved sports, ice cream, and playing in the water, according to a family friend from Michigan, where Roman and his family lived before moving to Placerville just weeks ago.

On Monday, the porch light on the Placerville family home remained on, while the inside appears empty. CBS13 has learned Roman was one of eight children living in the home, including four older siblings who are Roman’s brother and sisters. His mother is also the current legal guardian of the three youngest children.

A spokesperson for El Dorado County Child Protective Services issued a statement reading, “El Dorado County CPS did not have any investigations or referrals about Roman at any time leading up to his death. Due to privacy laws, CPS will have no further comment on this matter at this time.”

READ: Stockton Man Dies After Getting Shot In Backyard While Confronting Intruders

“It’s terrifying,” Placerville mother Suzanne MacKendric said. “I have a 9-year-old daughter.”

MacKendric has been following the investigation into Roman Lopez’s tragic death closely.

“I mean a little boy lost his life,” MacKendric said. “No matter how it happened it’s devastating.”

Placerville police released a statement Monday reading there is no public safety threat, and that they are protecting the integrity of the investigation by not releasing specific details.

Lopez was first reported missing by Placerville police Saturday evening. Sunday, they announced his body was discovered during a search. Just how he died remains a mystery, for now.

The coroner’s autopsy will include a toxicology test. It will be forwarded to the Placerville police.

 

[cb73]

His bio-mom will be interviewed on local tv this evening.

Link to Fox 40 story: ‘He did not deserve this’: Mother opens up about son’s death in Placerville

 

[Beth11311]

It’s been quiet, but to me LE stating no threat to the public but an “ongoing investigation” makes me think something is amiss.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

 

[Ontario Mom]

It’s been quiet, but to me LE stating no threat to the public but an “ongoing investigation” makes me think something is amiss.

It makes me think they either already have a suspect in custody (usually on other charges, until the ME is done with the autopsy) or are watching one carefully, even if they haven't announced to the public there's a suspect or POI.

Truly, it takes a special kind of monster to hurt a child. Sadly, we have no shortage of monsters, since these precious kids keep dying.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Few were taking the news of what police called a suspicious death as hard as Kira Sutkay, who lives in Michigan.

“There’s just no way a child just dies, you know, unexpectedly,” Sutkay told KTXL. “The boy was healthy. My three children, they always played with him.”

Sutkay’s three biological children were living with the family in the Coloma Street house, the Placerville Police Department confirmed. She told KTXL that Lopez’s parents had custody of her kids.

“We were going through tough times and she decided to reach out and offered to help,” Sutkay said.

But hearing of Lopez’s death, she said she worried for her own young children.

“That's why I feel my children are in danger,” she explained.

“I want my kids back,” she said.
7 Kids Placed in Protective Custody as Police Investigate ‘Suspicious Death’ of Missing NorCal Boy

 

[Amstorrs]

Found a more recent picture of Roman... look at his wrists and side of his head.

 

[abeaman02]

Found a more recent picture of Roman... look at his wrists and side of his head.

That does not look good at all. It almost looks like he was restrained. moo

 

[BOSCOE]

This story STINKZ

Yet another precious innocent life snuffed out.
Thank God the other children are in protective custody.

When I first heard about this my thoughts immediately went to Noah McIntosh and I became physically ill.
At least Roman was recovered but I've already got cold chills on this.

RIH lil man.

 

[cb73]

Found a more recent picture of Roman... look at his wrists and side of his head.

I've seen the latest photo taken just a couple weeks ago. It's of all the children, so I won't post it here.

It shows 6 perfectly healthy, smiling children. And Roman--who looked thin and malnourished with dark smudges under his eyes.

Whatever was going on, had been going on for a good long time.

 

[Annah]

I've seen the latest photo taken just a couple weeks ago. It's of all the children, so I won't post it here.

It shows 6 perfectly healthy, smiling children. And Roman--who looked thin and malnourished with dark smudges under his eyes.

Whatever was going on, had been going on for a good long time.

I noticed that roman looked pale and sad and thin in all the photos as well. I wonder if this was one of those cases where they single out one child. The fact that LE says there is no public threat, points to either an accident with suspicious circumstances or an intentional death committed by someone within the home. They usually say there isn’t a public threat when its an isolated incident.. very sad.

 

[LadyL]

This is way too convoluted but it seems like Roman wasn't wanted anywhere. RIP Roman. Fly high with the angels.

 

[LovesPeace2]

Awww Rih Roman. Way to many children lately

 

[SandyQLS]

Thanks Grandma. I'm glad bio mom could clarify this - she says in the video that Roman was goofy & smart. For me, he looks perfect and normal in some photos, but then looks almost brain damaged (any of various congenital problems, or a disease or accident) in others... so I was wondering about the marks that look like they're from restraints, did he have some problems? After watching bio mom's story, I think he was normal.

I'm glad the police will have also seen the photos.

 

[Bethan]

Found a more recent picture of Roman... look at his wrists and side of his head.

Oh My Goodness! This is shocking...I feel quite sick...... thank you for finding this picture @Amstorrs & pointing out the bruising

 

[imstilla.grandma]

“He’s always just been so sweet and so kind,” said Rochelle “Shelly” Lopez in a Facetime interview from Wisconsin on Tuesday. “I felt like Roman deserved a mom who was worthy of him.”

She hadn’t seen him for two years because Roman’s father, who had custody, wouldn’t let her see him.

“They told me it was Roman, and that was the last thing I was expecting to hear,” she said. “I told Roman I would do anything I can do to be with him again.”

Lopez says Roman’s father suddenly took off from his Michigan home. He took Roman, his siblings, and other children his wife is taking care of and moved to California without saying a word.

Former Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness said, “With the family, I guess it can complicate the nature of backtracking to see what took place, but it also provides a different, additional element of resources of information. So, I guess it’s a double-edged sword, it does complicate things, but at the same time, additional resources are brought to bed.”
Woman Who Says She Is Roman Lopez's Mom Found Out About His Death Online

 

[imstilla.grandma]

But Sutkay said she believes the couple had custody of her own three children – ages 7, 2 and 1 – and that they were among the seven minors placed into protective custody.

“As far as I know, my kids are in child protective custody, as well as the other children,” Sutkay said Tuesday morning.

Sutkay claims she had agreed to an arrangement to have Roman’s guardian, Lindsay Piper, home-school her three young children and take them to doctor’s appointments while both women were still living in Michigan. But in late 2019, Sutkay learned that Piper had moved out of the state and had taken the children with her.

Sutkay said she has been in a custody battle since then, and did not know that Piper or the children had been in California until a mutual friend told her about Roman’s death over the weekend.

“We were kind of in shock,” Sutkay said. “I instantly texted Lindsay, ‘Is my son alive and OK?’“

She has yet to receive a response, she said.

“Hopefully it doesn’t take months for me to get my kids back,” she said. “I hope it’s a quick process.”
https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article239271898.html

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Kira Sutkay, who lives in Michigan, told ABC10 in a phone interview Tuesday that three of her children lived in the house with Lopez and the family.

"He was innocent. He was sweet. He was such a good boy," Sutkay said. "He was quiet — very quiet. He loved my girls, my two girls."
Michigan woman whose daughters lived with slain Placerville boy says he 'was such a good boy'

 

[imstilla.grandma]

“I don't know what happened to him. I don't know if he was in pain. And I don't know if he was missing me or what was going on,” she said.

"It was my mom and my sister and a family friend, and they sat me down and my mom, she said, 'It's Roman,'" Lopez cried.

Lopez said Roman was born in Wisconsin and primarily lived with his father as she recovered from injuries she suffered while serving in Iraq with the U.S. Army.

She said the last time she saw her son was two to three years ago after he moved with his father to Michigan and then to Pennsylvania.

“Roman was a really smart, goofy, little boy,” she said. “He loved trains and he loved cars and he loved being in the water. He was a little water bug.”

“The detective said he couldn't tell me anything either because they are just investigating it,” she said. “Why didn't anybody let me know? Why didn't they even know I existed? People in that town didn't even know that I was his mother. There are so many things that are wrong with this situation and don't add up and don't make sense.”

“There are so many different stories out there, and I don't know what the truth is and I want to know, I want to know what happened to my son," Lopez said. "I want to know what his final moments were. Why he was, where he was. If anybody knows anything, any little thing would help. I just want to know what happened to my son.”
'I want to know what happened to my son,' says mother after Placerville boy found dead

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Chief Jim Ortega stands by how his department delivered word of the discovery.

“Would I have done it different?” Chief Ortega said. “You know, 20-20 hindsight, I don’t think so. We’re trying to keep as few of the details as possible out of the public domain to protect the investigation and potential jury pool, if and when there is an arrest. And I’m not sure how that is going to go yet.”
Placerville Police Chief Calls 11-Year-Old’s Suspicious Death Case Toughest of Career