GA - Suspicion over heat death of Cooper, 22 mo., Cobb County, June 2014, #1

[AzPistonsGirl]

from the article Patience linked upthread at http://www.newsnet5.com/news/nationa...old-sons-death:

"However, police doubt the story Harris told them and are looking for injuries that happened before the little boy’s death, according to a CNN report."

BBM

 

[NZkirsty]

What a shocking case

"Police have said they cannot be sure whether Cooper was even in the car at 9am" (from the link above) A strange thing to say ...

 

[Linda7NJ]

I'm thinking if the high temp for the day was 88...that wouldn't have been reached until way way after 9am. Closer to 2 or 3 IMO.
So the child should have been alive & well for quite sometime, the majority of those 7 hours...yet he was in full rigor?



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[eileenhawkeye]

It is weird how much denial there is (not here but on other sites) that the child was murdered. So many people seem to think that this is an ordinary hot-car accident. I think the appearance of the father is a big reason for the denial. He just looks so harmless and friendly. People do not want to think that someone who looks like a nice, normal guy could murder their child.

 

[Chewy]

It will be interesting to see this unfold. I wonder if the parents forgot him in the car the day before and were drugged or passed out and they knew the story would be seen differently so they waited until the next day.

 

[LayzeeDayzee]

I thought that too at first - but I think it was a quick search of the office that resulted in these charges, not findings in an autopsy. As I understand it, the child died of heat exposure and something in the office caused them to believe it was intentional.

I respectfully disagree. IMO there had to be some reason LE felt the need to obtain a search warrant to even search his office. LE were aware of something being amiss (based on ME's findings during autopsy, etc) which then lead them to the office search. IMO.

 

[tlcya]

so from the warrant we get that father is charged with murder while in commission of felon (child cruelty 1st degree).

From various statements by the police chief, dad's story did not add up with the statements given at the scene/and or the evidence LE has gathered.

thanks for the link to warrant BTW

 

[*LD*]

I respectfully disagree. IMO there had to be some reason LE felt the need to obtain a search warrant to even search his office. LE were aware of something being amiss (based on ME's findings during autopsy, etc) which then lead them to the office search. IMO.

The appearance of little Cooper's body must have immediately told the cops that he didn't die in that car in the last 7 hrs. Many reports rigor mortis had already set in. Combine that with Dad's story not making sense and the police knew he was lying about something. All my opinion.

 

[NZkirsty]

Does anyone know if they have done a drug test on dad?

 

[LayzeeDayzee]

This is beginning to look kind of murky. They handcuffed the dad at the scene while his child lay lifeless on the concrete, and took the dad to the police station.

That seems like an odd over reaction to me - and I wonder if the charges in general are not also the result of an overreaction?

Apparently the autopsy is complete but won't be released right now to the public?

??

This is beginning to look not nearly as clear cut as it did yesterday when it seemed they found an Ah HA thing in his office. He was in handcuffs at the parking lot when the baby's body had not yet been removed.

What caused this immediate rush to judgement of a man who witnesses describe as beside himself with self-accusation and panic?

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/2014/06/23/father-charged-felony-murder-heatstroke-death/11262205/

I originally wondered if maybe LE handcuffed the father because he was so hysterical and refused to leave the boy's body and as a result he became combative to LE..........but the fact that they kept him in handcuffs then took him to the police station, that's significant to me. I'm doubtful that it's common protocol to handcuff distraught parents in these tragic scenarios and then take to police station?

Just watched HLN..........it's been reported by one of Jane-whatshername that witnesses interviewed said he came across as "play acting".........and that he seemed more worried than distraught. The bottom line is that there were witnesses who got a sense that his behavior/reaction was "off."

 

[tlcya]

I just read an article that the father had to be restrained on the scene because he was so distraught that he was interfering with first responders.

Checking to find it.

Police had to restrain Harris because he was so distraught and took him into custody for questioning then.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/06/19/boy-dies-hot-car/10859917/

MOO, his distress and behavior felt off and overdone to responders and witnesses enough to the point where they wanted to get him somewhere else to try to question him about what had happened and be able to question witnesses with him not present and still grieving copiously to get their unbiased reactions.

 

[Mystymiss]

We are talking about a human life lost. So would it be a mistake if a druggie parent left
his/her drugs around the house where their toddler take them. Would that be just a mistake? I think Not.. Lets hold the responsibility where it should lay. With the caregiver of that child..

 

[JeannaT]

We are talking about a human life lost. So would it be a mistake if a druggie parent left
his/her drugs around the house where their toddler take them. Would that be just a mistake? I think Not.. Lets hold the responsibility where it should lay. With the caregiver of that child..

Well, driving a car with a child in a car seat isn't a crime, and having illegal drugs in your home is.

I think your analogy would work better with legal prescription meds that a child accidentally ingests, and in my experience, no, parents aren't charged with crimes when that happens accidentally.

 

[JeannaT]

I originally wondered if maybe LE handcuffed the father because he was so hysterical and refused to leave the boy's body and as a result he became combative to LE..........but the fact that they kept him in handcuffs then took him to the police station, that's significant to me. I'm doubtful that it's common protocol to handcuff distraught parents in these tragic scenarios and then take to police station?

Just watched HLN..........it's been reported by one of Jane-whatshername that witnesses interviewed said he came across as "play acting".........and that he seemed more worried than distraught. The bottom line is that there were witnesses who got a sense that his behavior/reaction was "off."

Interesting. I wonder if he came across as "play acting" before it became common knowledge that police don't believe his story.

I certainly didn't hear any witnesses prior to that suggest it was anything but a horrifically sad scene to watch.

 

[tlcya]

We need to find the footage of any witnesses interviewed before news broke of his charges and see if any of them seem to convey that dad seemed a bit over the top.

 

[tlcya]

wait - WHAT? I don't remember reading this. This is one of the earlier articles on this story.

“He dropped one child off at day care and went to work in a corporate environment,” Pierce said. Police believe the father forgot the other child was still in the car. They have not said where he worked.

The father discovered the child was in the car shortly after 4 p.m., when he was driving home, Pierce said, and pulled into the parking lot behind Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint. The father entered the restaurant, asking people to call 911, employee Rodney Smith said.

Two men were trying to perform CPR when the police showed up, Smith said.

Read more: The Marietta Daily Journal - Our son is dead Witness overhears father who Cobb police say forgot 22 month old child was in back seat of car

http://mdjonline.com/view/full_stor...k-seat-of-car?instance=lead_story_left_column

 

[*LD*]

We need to find the footage of any witnesses interviewed before news broke of his charges and see if any of them seem to convey that dad seemed a bit over the top.

I remember on African american man say something that struck me as odd. After conveying what most witnesses reported he said something like "I hope that what we think happened isn't what really happened".

It struck me because at this time everybody seemed to believe this was an accident and we all knew the child was deceased. So I wondered what it was he didn't know about what " happened ".

 

[Flutterby80]

I can't imagine what could be considered over the top for this situation. And I am wondering why they can't be sure the baby was actually in the car at 9:00 am. I feel like the baby's body showed obvious signs of trauma or decomposure. Maybe they searched dad's office for proof of him even being at work that morning. Idk...moo.

 

[tlcya]

Witness Jennifer Delahoussaye, who has worked 44 years as a flight attendant, said she thinks people are too overworked and stressed.

“I’d like to give him the benefit of the doubt, but if he dropped one off ...,” Delahoussaye said, adding there are too many distractions in our world. “Human beings are losing the ability to make wise decisions because of too much overtaxing on the brain.”

Cooper said she couldn’t imagine “what can be so distracting that we forget a child,” and that children’s safety should be a priority.

Read more: The Marietta Daily Journal - Our son is dead Witness overhears father who Cobb police say forgot 22 month old child was in back seat of car

http://mdjonline.com/view/full_stor...k-seat-of-car?instance=lead_story_left_column

 

[newone]

wait - WHAT? I don't remember reading this. This is one of the earlier articles on this story.

“He dropped one child off at day care and went to work in a corporate environment,” Pierce said. Police believe the father forgot the other child was still in the car. They have not said where he worked.

The father discovered the child was in the car shortly after 4 p.m., when he was driving home, Pierce said, and pulled into the parking lot behind Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint. The father entered the restaurant, asking people to call 911, employee Rodney Smith said.

Two men were trying to perform CPR when the police showed up, Smith said.

Read more: The Marietta Daily Journal - Our son is dead Witness overhears father who Cobb police say forgot 22 month old child was in back seat of car

http://mdjonline.com/view/full_stor...k-seat-of-car?instance=lead_story_left_column

from your link

this is new information for me

"“He dropped one child off at day care and went to work in a corporate environment,” Pierce said. Police believe the father forgot the other child was still in the car. They have not said where he worked."

2 kids???