GUILTY NJ - Brendan Creato, 3, found dead in Cooper River Park, 13 Oct 2015

[cattlekate]

Hmmm. White rabbit's observation is intriguing - only the lawyers for the dad and grandparents have stated the toxicology tests didn't find anything. The media articles don't quote LE directly.

It's also interesting that Dr Pete Speth (retired, consultant) felt compelled to write a public letter. He states he had access to privileged information. Yet in what capacity is he serving? His name comes up on an Internet search, and the results provide interesting reading. His letter states, in a general sense, sometimes autopsies can't find cause of death. So is this an official confirmation that the physical and toxicological examinations found nothing? Why is it being said in a public letter to a news station? Or is Dr Speth not serving as an official consultant and is relying on chatter among colleagues and is inserting himself?

In any case, LE sure is not being very talkative to the media.

 

[cattlekate]

Time of death should be reasonably clear. The poor child's body was fresh. I cannot think of a case where a child eats chips from around 9:30 to 10:00, goes to bed, and then is found less than 12 hours later, and yet there is no time of death released after over a month. LE knows a pretty accurate time and yet they are silent.

Plus, they should have a good idea about if the landlord re-did the locks before dad started renting the place. And who had keys.

And who knew Brendan was in the apartment that night.

Crazy that LE is so mum and there is not an arrest or much of anything even about the littlest, most identifiable thing - time of death!

 

[curioser]

Time of death should be reasonably clear. The poor child's body was fresh. I cannot think of a case where a child eats chips from around 9:30 to 10:00, goes to bed, and then is found less than 12 hours later, and yet there is no time of death released after over a month. LE knows a pretty accurate time and yet they are silent.

Plus, they should have a good idea about if the landlord re-did the locks before dad started renting the place. And who had keys.

And who knew Brendan was in the apartment that night.

Crazy that LE is so mum and there is not an arrest or much of anything even about the littlest, most identifiable thing - time of death!

BBM.

Unless the time of death is not within that time frame, and they are trying to figure out how that could be.

 

[Lynnsey]

LE didn't confirm he read 3 books and ate chips before bed....that is from the father's side of the family's lawyer.

 

[Woodland]

Chips would have to be in the digestive tract.

 

[amanda4374]

The fact that LE is preparing to meet with DJ's sister four weeks after this happened is strange. It means that they have either done a thorough investigation and she has some critical knowledge they need or that they are four weeks into their investigation and have gotten nowhere, and are potentially grabbing at anyone with anything they can go on. Anyone else feeling disheartened by that?

 

[white rabbit]

totally agree, cattlekate. folks if it's against TOS don't post it but no one ever said don't sleuth it.

every ME in this case (involved, consulted, otherwise) has IMO a dirty past...

the lawyers representing the grandparents (LC and DCSr), the father (DJC) and the girlfriend (JS) are very high profile. do a little digging...

question...one phillyvoice article quoted JS as being employed by the grandfather (DCSr) and living with the father DJC. the article clearly pointed out that she was at the apartment for the weekend but not there on Monday. also stating that she was a resident of new York.

her lawyer is a very, very prominent staten island/Brooklyn mob attorney. she stated (in MSM, I'm not violating TOS) that she was perhaps a target of a homicide investigation with no one to turn to. if she wasn't there, how could she possibly be investigated? and with this high-profile attorney, to state that she's "all alone" whilst DJC has all the "support" of those surrounding him? if she wasn't there, she obviously has the "support" of her local family (and attorney). and if she's living with DJC, why would it be stated she wasn't there?

IMO she's last on my list (if I had one) of potential persons of interest. I'm just curious what y'all think...

http://articles.philly.com/2015-10-31/news/67883035_1_pumpkin-haddon-township-cooper-river
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20151108_Answers_still_elusive_in_Haddon_Twp__boy_s_death.html

WOW. half the articles I was going to link are now gone. hm.

 

[NJmom]

The fact that LE is preparing to meet with DJ's sister four weeks after this happened is strange. It means that they have either done a thorough investigation and she has some critical knowledge they need or that they are four weeks into their investigation and have gotten nowhere, and are potentially grabbing at anyone with anything they can go on. Anyone else feeling disheartened by that?

My feeling is that they're grabbing at straws. I don't know, I haven't followed a case like this, this closely before. I followed the Erica Crippen/Kyle Crosby case, which was a missing persons case, too. That one took some time too, but it felt different. The reports were more forthcoming albeit not too detailed bc it was ongoing. This poor child, not sure anyone has any idea what happened at all..

 

[goodbunny]

Another new article from Philly Voice: http://www.phillyvoice.com/subpoena-issued-probe-tots-unexplained-death/

So the aunt was subpoenaed by a grand jury for testimony, not willingly speaking to authorities.

Also interesting new info about the witness who claimed to have seen the man pushing the baby carriage. According to the article, his niece has been telling friends that he's not allowed to talk about the matter.

I wonder what business has the security camera with a view of Cooper Street, and what angle it shows- maybe Rita's Water Ice or Express It?

 

[observation]

"The college student from New York had spent the weekend at the apartment with Brendan and DJ Creato, he said."
From goodbunnys link. Very interesting new information. I also wonder if DJ's sister might be friends with DJ's girlfriend. Things that make you go hmmmm.....


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[ptandj]

Every new piece of info just raises even more questions! I tend to think they (LE) have a pretty good working idea of what happened and are getting all their info together before filing charges, especially with the grand jury brought into things.

 

[cattlekate]

Wow. Thank you, good bunny, for the post. Carriage-man witness clams up and bolts? Grand Jury is already hearing testimony? A camera was recording? Add to this, the tenant who asserted he heard a "no don't" argument wasn't answering his door.

LE and phillyvoice seem to be on top of this. But what the heck - witnesses usually are so forth-coming. What are these people afraid of?

 

[hellinor]

Finding out there were more people there and the fact he slept on the couch just caused s scenario to come into my mind: on an old episode of the sopranos, a guy fell asleep on the couch and smothered his girlfriends chihuahua. He was under the influence of something, I can't recall what. Mind you, a child is MUCH larger but maybe something along those lines? Just speculating randomly


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[Dal Gal]

Wow. Thank you, good bunny, for the post. Carriage-man witness clams up and bolts? Grand Jury is already hearing testimony? A camera was recording? Add to this, the tenant who asserted he heard a "no don't" argument wasn't answering his door.

LE and phillyvoice seem to be on top of this. But what the heck - witnesses usually are so forth-coming. What are these people afraid of?

Long time Websleuths member here, but it's been a few years for a post. I just moved from this boy's neighborhood a year ago (to a few miles away), and don't know any of the parties involved, but I do belong to the township's community Facebook closed-group page. The carriage witness is on the up and up...his niece has tried to comment on the page that his story shouldn't be dismissed. It is clear that she has heard his story firsthand. But the township page doesn't want to dissolve into anything but a support group. There is a lot of attorney advice, it would seem, for any witnesses. And I don't mean to suggest that the carriage lawn man has sought his own.

The aunt testified today. I think that is a huge red herring, but here is that link: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news...-346395562.html?_osource=SocialFlowFB_PHBrand

 

[101010]

Hmmm. White rabbit's observation is intriguing - only the lawyers for the dad and grandparents have stated the toxicology tests didn't find anything. The media articles don't quote LE directly.

It's also interesting that Dr Pete Speth (retired, consultant) felt compelled to write a public letter. He states he had access to privileged information. Yet in what capacity is he serving? His name comes up on an Internet search, and the results provide interesting reading. His letter states, in a general sense, sometimes autopsies can't find cause of death. So is this an official confirmation that the physical and toxicological examinations found nothing? Why is it being said in a public letter to a news station? Or is Dr Speth not serving as an official consultant and is relying on chatter among colleagues and is inserting himself?

In any case, LE sure is not being very talkative to the media.

Now that it's mentioned here I don't recall ever seeing/hearing LE mentioning/being quoted in the media that the tox results were negative. I do seem to recall, if I remember correctly, that whatever attorney said they were negative said the info came from the DAs or prosecutor's office though. Could the DA/prosecutor's office outright lie about the tox results to a defense attorney, maybe if they didn't want that info disclosed because it might jeopardize the case? Not saying that the DA/prosecutor's office would do such a thing, just wondering if it's legal.

 

[Lynnsey]

Thanks for all the updates! I have a feeling there is going to be a break in the case very soon (if not already) and an arrest or two might be made.

Justice for Brendan!!!!!

 

[ptandj]

The overall article has nothing new but I thought this bit from one of the lawyers was interesting:

Brennan says with an inconclusive autopsy and a negative toxicology report, it's beginning to look like Brendan may have wandered away from home on his own and died of exposure.

"It appears that this is just a terrible, tragic, accidental death," said Brennan.

That conflicts with the little we have heard from LE (that he seemed to be placed where he was found) and makes me even more leery of trusting anything from the lawyers mouths at this point.

From http://6abc.com/news/aunt-questioned-amid-brendan-creato-death-mystery/1081518/

 

[oak1raid]

I heard the same thing. That Brendans feet were clean. And these lawyers are a joke. Its all about the money! Come on now. Who would've ever defended Casey Anthony?

 

[JerseyGirl]

The aunt testified today. I think that is a huge red herring, but here is that link: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news...-346395562.html?_osource=SocialFlowFB_PHBrand

Here's another article from today about this: http://patch.com/new-jersey/haddon/...y-boy-found-dead-testifies-grand-jury-reports

 

[oak1raid]

It really is Just a crying shame for this little boy! And it is a very strange case especially how both families have been sooo quite thru this entire thing. The mother in the beginning has one post saying how sad they are and only state's they don't know what occurred. I'm sorry but i would have been out in public and all over the news begging for help to find my sons killer. They would have had me in restraints going crazy to figure out what happened to my 3yr old beautiful son!!! All are just too calm. Very weird