On 09/11/2023, at approximately 5:20 p.m., personnel from Troop H in Hartford responded to a report of a collision on Route 9 Southbound, in the area of Exit 25 in Cromwell. Troopers arrived and discovered one of the vehicles involved in the collision was unoccupied. It was later determined that following the collision, the adult female operator of the unoccupied vehicle had exited the vehicle with a young child and proceeded to walk down an embankment adjacent to Route 9 North. An extensive search was initiated in an attempt to locate the unidentified female and small child.
As of the time of this writing, it is not known whether the adult female and child descended down the embankment intentionally or inadvertently.
Approximately two hours later, an adult female, consistent in appearance with the description of the evading operator provided by witnesses, was located by first responders walking along Route 9 North and was subsequently transported by ambulance to an area hospital for evaluation.
Shortly thereafter, an unresponsive child was discovered in a rocky area of the nearby Connecticut River. Lifesaving measures were initiated at the scene and the child was transported to an area hospital by ambulance. At approximately 9:23 p.m., the child was pronounced deceased at the hospital and CT DCF was notified of the incident. The deceased child was subsequently transferred to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Farmington for examination.
Members of the CSP Central District Major Crime Squad responded and have assumed the investigation. The identities of the adult female and child will not be released at this time, due to the active and ongoing nature of this investigation.
As additional information becomes available for release, it will be disseminated accordingly.