State Police Take Over Investigation into Death of 4-Month-Old Infant at Norwalk Daycare Facility

NORWALK, CT — Members of the state police Western District Major Crimes unit have taken over the investigation into the untimely death of an infant at a Norwalk daycare facility, according to authorities.

"On October 6, 2016 at approximately 10:45 a.m., at the request of the State’s Attorneys Office, Connecticut State Police Western District Major Crime detectives responded to the scene and assumed the investigation," state police wrote in a statement.

"The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will conduct a post-mortem examination to determine the
cause and manner of death. The incident remains under investigation."

The facility where the incident occurred, Family Child Care Home, is located at 9 Hunters Lane and is operated in the basement of the home of Christine Limone, the daughter of Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling. Before becoming mayor, Rilling was Norwalk's Chief of Police for nearly 20 years.

Norwalk police issued a statement Thursday afternoon confirming the decision for the state police to take over investigation.

"The Norwalk Department of Police Service, in consultation with the State’s Attorney’s Office has requested the Connecticut State Police Western District Major Crime Squad assume the death investigation from 9 Hunters Lane. While Chief [Thomas] Kulhawik is confident that Special Victims Investigators would conduct an impartial review of the facts and circumstances, having an outside agency assume the investigation is in the best interests of all parties involved."

According to Norwalk police, emergency personnel were called to the scene at about 1:31 p.m. on Wednesday and performed CPR before taking the infant to Norwalk Hospital where the child was pronounced dead.

The fatality is the fourth case - in an alarming trend - in 2016 of infants dying after being at a home daycare facility in the state. Such incidents have occurred in Fairfield and Stamford, and the Hartford Courant also reports that another incident this year occurred in Sterling.