Saturday, July 24, 2010

Salem police, coroner probe infant’s death


By KEVIN HOWELL
POSTED: July 24, 2010

SALEM- The Salem Police Department and Columbiana County Coroner's Office are investigating the death of a 7-month-old infant.
Salem police responded to the Salem Community Hospital Emergency Room at 12:38 a.m. Friday where the child, identified as Derek A. Dennison, had been declared dead.
The child was reportedly taken to the hospital in an unresponsive state by his mother, Miranda Todd, 22, of 264 N. Ellsworth Ave. Apt. 4, Salem. Efforts to revive the child at that time failed.
The coroner's office has yet to determine the cause of death.
According to Police Chief Bob Floor, the events leading up to the death of the child remain unclear and are being investigated as suspicious out of protocol.
"We're investigating it as suspicious," he said. "It hasn't been declared suspicious but that's the way we go until we get the word otherwise."
Floor also noted that there are currently no suspects in the case, but there are multiple individuals being interviewed in an attempt to gather information about the incident.
The Columbiana County Sheriff's Office originally responded to the report, but immediate investigation determined it likely happened within the city.
Kevin Howell can be reached at khowell@salemnews.net

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