MA - Remains of 3 infants found, Erika Murray charged, Blackstone, Sept 2014

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Keep in mind that these pics were taken 2 weeks after the babies were picked up and EM went to jail. Had RR been living there for the 2 weeks? I'm not saying that he "trashed" this house in that amount of time - rather, this is how the home was even after everyone was gone. He didn't remove the items from the bath to take a shower, he didn't pick up the plastic bags strewn across the kitchen floor, etc. He even had time to try and "gut out" the home - didn't happen.

This was the "normal" state of affairs in this home for RR (etal) and even after he lost his spouse/girlfriend and kids due to the conditions of the home - it appears he made no attempt to rectify the situation to attempt to get his children returned to his care in that home (ie: 13 & 10 y/o's). The dead babies had not been found by LEO by that point, the house had not been condemned (nor had there been mention of it to my knowledge), and supposedly for all he knew - the case was all about the "filthy conditions" infants were left in.

If he is blaming EM for everything - claiming he had no knowledge of 1) unhealthy conditions of the home, 2) two live babies covered in feces - left to rot, 3) dead babies in the closet, 4) lack of supervision and appropriate care for the older kids . . . . . . he still had every chance to try and make things right. When did he lose his job for the "unforseeable future"? Was it immediately after LEO found the pot plant or was it later when LEO went back to find the infant remains? If he was let go from his job for the pot - then he had 2 weeks of even more time to work toward reunification with his older kids. RR didn't want to raise those older kids (IMO).

There certainly are indicators of "depression" in the adults in this case - but overwhelmingly it appears to be "Apathy" that is the overall prevailing factor. I think EM and RR just didn't see past their own needs to be able to meet the needs of any child - let alone 7 of them!
 
sapofamily said:
I wonder who bought the baby formula? If Erika didn't have an income(?) and didn't report the two youngest children, she most likely didn't receive WIC or government assistance for them. If they did report RR as living in the home, they may still qualify for low income as a family of 4...but, how did she explain to RR that she was buying formula? (I know this question has already been raised, but now we see evidence of these things).

Also found irony in the diaper genie in the closet. Wonder if it was from one of the older children when they previously lived at her parent's home? Many of the dresses & stuffed animals in the photos appear to have been around awhile as if they belonged to her 13 yo daughter.
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BBM - EM mentioned on her fb how she loved to shop yard sales . . . . maybe the dresses were from those?

As a side note, I have spent the past 20 years working with families in their homes and I have to say I see very few toys in this home. A few stuffed animals, one tractor toy, a few books of puzzles, and a couple of randomly tossed toys. I did make out one Thomas the Train face in the pile o'diapers/plastic bottles. The pink suitcase was not really a "toy" - rather a means for the 13 y/o to escape (IMO). Many of the families I have worked with over the years were living in perpetual poverty and they still had dozens of toys (just not expensive ones), and it didn't matter if they were living in rural areas or inner city - there were always lots of toys.
 
wenwe4 said:
Keep in mind that these pics were taken 2 weeks after the babies were picked up and EM went to jail. Had RR been living there for the 2 weeks? I'm not saying that he "trashed" this house in that amount of time - rather, this is how the home was even after everyone was gone. He didn't remove the items from the bath to take a shower, he didn't pick up the plastic bags strewn across the kitchen floor, etc. He even had time to try and "gut out" the home - didn't happen.

This was the "normal" state of affairs in this home for RR (etal) and even after he lost his spouse/girlfriend and kids due to the conditions of the home - it appears he made no attempt to rectify the situation to attempt to get his children returned to his care in that home (ie: 13 & 10 y/o's). The dead babies had not been found by LEO by that point, the house had not been condemned (nor had there been mention of it to my knowledge), and supposedly for all he knew - the case was all about the "filthy conditions" infants were left in.

If he is blaming EM for everything - claiming he had no knowledge of 1) unhealthy conditions of the home, 2) two live babies covered in feces - left to rot, 3) dead babies in the closet, 4) lack of supervision and appropriate care for the older kids . . . . . . he still had every chance to try and make things right. When did he lose his job for the "unforseeable future"? Was it immediately after LEO found the pot plant or was it later when LEO went back to find the infant
Click to expand...


You make an excellent point about RR possibly remaining in that home from 8/28 until the home was condemned. The photos were taken over the course of a few days as they cleaned (9/13-9/15) and it's hard to know if some of the images of the dressers with drawers thrown around weren't taken after the police did their search. At some point during this time, EM moved in with her parents. Do we know where RR went after the home was condemned?

The Department of Children and Families took custody of the children, a 13-year-old girl, the 10-year-old boy, the 3-year-old and the 5-month-old, on Aug. 28. Soon after, town officials condemned the house.

A spokesperson for the district attorney’s office said the children are in the custody of their paternal grandparents.

According to court records, Rivera and Murray had lived in the home together for about 10 years.

Upon searching the basement of the home, officers allegedly found a marijuana plant under a grow light, several glass jars filled with marijuana buds, bagged and loose, and other plastic bags filled with marijuana on a coffee table.

Rivera was arraigned on Sept. 10 on charges of possession with intend to distribute a Class D substance, distribution of a Class D substance and possession of a Class D substance. He was released on personal recognizance after his arraignment.

That same day, Murray was charged with two counts of child endangerment and also released.
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http://www.masslive.com/news/worcester/index.ssf/2014/09/erika_murrays_boyfriend_faces.html
 
Good Afternoon Posters, I recall seeing pictures,( maybe from her facebook?) of food she "claims" she cooked. I'm having a very hard time believing she cooked in that kitchen, maybe mac and cheese. Does anyone have any pics of the food she "claimed" she cooked. As for the crafts business she "claims". I don't believe that either. I think it's possible and probable she may have bought craft items from garage sales, and after holidays sales, and resold them claiming she made them and made a small profit. IMO I pray the younger babies grow and flourish and learn what's it's like to be loved and taken care of. I'm so happy the older kids have a beautiful, big clean house, new friends, where they have a family member who truly cares for their well being, where there are no more ugly secrets. As for the sorry excuse for parents-ROT IN H*ll. IMO
 
probably copied photos from pinterest or cooking show...........lazy never cooked!IMOO
 
Irisha said:
Good Afternoon Posters, I recall seeing pictures,( maybe from her facebook?) of food she "claims" she cooked. I'm having a very hard time believing she cooked in that kitchen, maybe mac and cheese. Does anyone have any pics of the food she "claimed" she cooked. As for the crafts business she "claims". I don't believe that either. I think it's possible and probable she may have bought craft items from garage sales, and after holidays sales, and resold them claiming she made them and made a small profit. IMO I pray the younger babies grow and flourish and learn what's it's like to be loved and taken care of. I'm so happy the older kids have a beautiful, big clean house, new friends, where they have a family member who truly cares for their well being, where there are no more ugly secrets. As for the sorry excuse for parents-ROT IN H*ll. IMO
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If you're referring to the Spanish rice, grown-up grilled cheese, & ice cream cake -- the photos were posted on her FB profile before it was removed. They were most likely taken from google images and as much of a facade as the friend (Michelle) she allegedly made up as the mother of the two little ones in the home. I believe there are few screenshots on a blogger's page...not sure if it's okay to post the link?

http://turtleboysports.com/2014/11/...-rivera-iii-should-obviously-be-arrested-too/

As for the crafts she sold at Ginny's Place, they reminded me of manufactured primitive crafts rather than handcrafted. She also had a FB page which has been disabled (Erika's Country Cupboard & Primitives). I do believe she upcycled pieces of furniture from yard sales (according to her FB), but my question has always been where did she get the $ and how did she get to the store where she allegedly sold the wares?

Maybe this was something she did with her mother?
 
among all the garbage, did anyone notice the magazine "VOGUE"
 
sapofamily said:
MORE PHOTOS!!! I don't remember seeing a lot of these before (#9 - 17, #20, #22-26)) . These include several more photos of the kitchen/dining area, into the hallway where the bathroom & basement door is....a photo of stairs to basement...AND the squalor in the basement:

http://interactives.wpri.com/photom...s-/squalid-conditions-inside-blackstone-home/

ETA: IMAGE #'s
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Yep, basement is just as bad as the "clean" bedroom, kitchen/dining, and bathroom.

The images were pretty close to what I was expecting. I think those four rooms were periodically cleaned.

Not the room with trash mountains, though. I think this is the room where things were put to forget about.
 
sapofamily said:
MORE PHOTOS!!! I don't remember seeing a lot of these before (#9 - 17, #20, #22-26)) . These include several more photos of the kitchen/dining area, into the hallway where the bathroom & basement door is....a photo of stairs to basement...AND the squalor in the basement:

http://interactives.wpri.com/photom...s-/squalid-conditions-inside-blackstone-home/

ETA: IMAGE #'s
Click to expand...

The different views of the dining room seem to have some furniture (e.g. side tables) that might've been for her upcycling? (craft paint on the table). They also show a case of paper towels -- maybe RR bought them from Staples?

Photo #12 shows another container of formula (yellow lid) next to the computer.

Photo #14 in the bathroom appears to have a baby changing pad?

Photo #16 seems to be the other corner of the house (living room). And there's a BASKETBALL!!!! But no furniture?!?

Photo #17 is too blurry...any guesses?

Photo #20 upstairs in master/'clean' BR. The cedar chest looks quite out of place...

Photo #24 in the basement shows an exterior door...

Photo #25 in the basement -- is that a mini refrigerator (black) sitting on the dryer?!?
 
sapofamily said:
The different views of the dining room seem to have some furniture (e.g. side tables) that might've been for her upcycling? (craft paint on the table). They also show a case of paper towels -- maybe RR bought them from Staples?

Photo #12 shows another container of formula (yellow lid) next to the computer.

Photo #14 in the bathroom appears to have a baby changing pad?

Photo #16 seems to be the other corner of the house (living room). And there's a BASKETBALL!!!! But no furniture?!?

Photo #17 is too blurry...any guesses?

Photo #20 upstairs in master/'clean' BR. The cedar chest looks quite out of place...

Photo #24 in the basement shows an exterior door...

Photo #25 in the basement -- is that a mini refrigerator (black) sitting on the dryer?!?
Click to expand...


I noticed the paper towels and the formula (one can sitting right next to the kitchen with yellow lid), I think the "changing pad" is a padded towel for drying dishes on (I have one that looks very much like it - from the $ store) or it could be a bathmat. Blurry pic might be a place to sit in the living room? not sure.

Cedar chest is almost pristine in that corner (comparatively) - I wonder if this is a family heirloom or if EM was planning on resale - attempting to keep it in good condition?

Yep, basement exterior door looks to have 1 step down which is consistent with the outside we saw of the exterior door to basement earlier on (I think about the time they razed the house).

Yes a black mini-fridge and did anyone notice 8 pizza boxes stacked up downstairs? (can't remember which link I saw that one on).

Couple of other items I noticed:

See in link pics:

Center of pic #18/27 there is a photo of an infant in a carrier with yellow truck/tractor next to the child. Could this be pic of 10 y/o in infancy?
It is also seen in pic #21/27

http://interactives.wpri.com/photomo...ackstone-home/

now look @ #20/36 in this one
http://www.wcvb.com/news/photos-show...rrors/29591396

is that the same tractor depicted in the infant pic on the bed?


Another note of interest:

Pic 6/36 on the wcvb.com site

see the mint green item on the left side with what appears to be hair? I think that might be a clip barette with a hair extension (god i hope so) - and items that appear to be hanging.

now look @ #4/44 in the turnto10.com link (one of the very first links of the pics released)
see the same mint green with hair pic?

wondering if this is inside the closet?
 
That baby picture caught my attention, too...how random? Maybe EM kept momentos in the cedar chest & they were tossed about when LEO were looking for documentation for the littles one. Not sure if that's a tractor with the baby boy or not....good eye though!!! The tractor in the trash trench is just unsettling.

Didn't notice the pizza boxes in the basement but identified a girl's dress -- possibly a back to school outfit for the 13 yo?

Photo #16 has yet another VIZIO box. Wonder if RR was getting a 5 finger discount?? It doesn't appear that the family was using any updated electronics. The basement photo has an older style tv across from the plaid couch. Wonder what RR used the hydrogen peroxide for?
 
WARNING VERY GRAPHIC DISCUSSION!!!!

I need to get this off my chest and I am hoping for some input from other WS'rs.

SaucyGal and I previously mentioned staining that we thought looked like decomp staining.

See pg 25/44 of this link

http://www.turnto10.com/story/27321493/new-pictures-show-conditions-in-squalid-blackstone-house


See the Caylee thread – stain in the trunk. Post #310 & mine of #312 (there are ton more on that thread) where WS’rs used filters on the original stain in the trunk (decomp 2.6 days) and the stain on the canvas bag little Caylee rotted in the swamp.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sho...ee+trunk+stain

I don't have the fancy calipers to measure but the sudafed box would be a scale to see if the size of the stain is consistent with an infant decomposing in this spot. The staining is so much like the decomp stains I have seen in cases before.

One more thing, is there anyone here who has the ability to put all of the pics on a dropbox account or some other media storage space? I fear that these pics will no longer be available after a few months and this case appears to be going to take quite awhile.

RR has court on 11/12 for the pot charges - I am wondering if they will charge him with anything more at that time or if they are going to wait until the ME report comes in.
 
saved each image on my hard drive. Will play with google drive to try to figure out the way to upload them to a sharing area in case they disappear from the site.

Pics 24 and 25 are the worrisome ones as far as possible decomp staining (human or animal) KWIM
 
It really puzzles me that this horrible child abuse went on for so many years unnoticed!
No one ever just dropped in?
Her mother or rides never opened the door?
RR lived in the basement in all that filth?
Yes I see he ate pizza (boxes) and had his own black dorm refridg on the washer.......I want to vomit thinking someone actually ate and slept in this mess.
I haven't seen any sheets, blankets or bedspreads? Maybe LE took them?
 
sapofamily said:
I haven't been around very long so I'm not much help; but, I am curious if the stain has anything to do with the animal cage that might've been removed when photo 25/44 was taken?

If you look in the link I posted earlier this evening (Image 20/27) there's an animal cage in front of the same dresser?

http://www.turnto10.com/story/27321493/new-pictures-show-conditions-in-squalid-blackstone-house
Click to expand...

Yes, that is why I suspect the stain is animal waste and possibly animal decomp. While your link takes me to a slideshow of 44 (actually 43 images) I recall having seen the pet cage photo elsewhere.

the photo with the stain on the mattress could be human or pet waste or decomp as well IMO
 
sapofamily said:
I haven't been around very long so I'm not much help; but, I am curious if the stain has anything to do with the animal cage that might've been removed when photo 25/44 was taken?

If you look in the link I posted earlier this evening (Image 20/27) there's an animal cage in front of the same dresser?

http://www.turnto10.com/story/27321493/new-pictures-show-conditions-in-squalid-blackstone-house
Click to expand...

Excellent eye Sapo! Although looking @ the pic on this site appears to have the cage approx 2' - 3' away from dresser while decomp pic appears to be within inches of the dresser. Not saying that cage couldn't have been moved though.



http://linapps.s3.amazonaws.com/linapps/photomojo/wpri.com/photos/2014/11/g15113/280674-f4a22.jpg
 
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