This is as weird (and sick) as it gets

dory36 · 04-10-2006, 09:22 PM

This totally blows my mind.

I know this woman slightly, as a friend of a friend.

If I had to pick 500 names of people likely to do something like this, she'd never even be considered.

Obviously guilt-ridden, as she would have never even been a suspect without the call she made to the authorities (as described below). Otherwise, they would never have any reason to even speak to her -- no one even knew she was pregnant. (Which is strange itself, as she is pretty slim.) Had she not confessed, I'd never have believed it.

http://www.theeagle.com/stories/0408...0060408004.php

DNA leads to arrest in 'Baby Joseph' slaying case
By HOLLY HUFFMAN
Eagle Staff Writer

Six months after a dead newborn was found dumped in the trash at Texas World Speedway, Brazos County sheriff's officials said Friday they had located the boy's mother and charged her with murder.

Sheriff Chris Kirk said DNA testing linked Susan Chiniewicz, a 35-year-old mother of three from North Texas, to the baby boy whose body was discovered in a trash can at the southern Brazos County racetrack Oct. 3.

Chiniewicz, who lives in The Colony, contacted investigators later that month after they put out a plea for information about the dead baby. She told them she had experienced heavy menstruation while attending a weekend race event at the track and said she might have caused a "mess" in the rest room, Kirk said.

But, after being confronted with DNA test results Thursday, she admitted to giving birth and then placing the child in a trash can, according to an investigator's affidavit.

"This investigation has had a profound effect on our officers, the staff and the investigators that worked this case," Kirk said during a midmorning press conference called to announce the arrest. "It was a startling discovery and a tragic incident."

He added: "Now that the case is finally solved, it is closure for our investigators and, I believe, closure for our community."

Chiniewicz, a former newspaper reporter in North Texas, owns a writing and graphic design firm and has served as an ambassador for The Colony Chamber of Commerce. The Colony is about 25 miles north of Dallas.

She was being held Friday in the Denton County Jail, awaiting transport to Brazos County. Kirk said he didn't know when the transfer would take place.

Brazos County Justice of the Peace Ray Truelove has recommended she be held on $1.5 million bond once she arrives, Kirk said.

A woman who answered the phone at Chiniewicz's home but would not identify herself said the family had no comment.

The child - named Baby Joseph by investigators - was found by cleaning crews the Monday after a weekend racing event put on by the Central Motorcycle Roadracing Association and Lone Star Track Days.

Joseph was in a bag filled with papers, beer bottles and other trash that lined a 55-gallon container in a women's rest room, according to a sheriff's investigator's affidavit. Blood stains were found in one of the rest room stalls.

An autopsy determined that Joseph - a 6-pound, full-term baby - had been born alive but later suffocated. The report also lists "environmental exposure and neglect after delivery complicated by beta hemolytic group B streptococcus infection." The infection is a form of strep common in newborns.

The death was ruled a homicide. Doctors said it appeared as though a piece of white trash was obstructing the infant's breathing passage.

Following the discovery, investigators worked with the two motorcycle groups that hosted the race to identify and send notices to members who attended. The case was overwhelming from the start, the sheriff said, because the race event drew more than 1,000 participants and spectators from several states.

"It was a very complicated investigation," Kirk said. "Most of the participants came to the area from not just outside our county, but from outside the state of Texas."

Chiniewicz called Brazos County sheriff's investigators to report that she had been at the race and had experienced "heavier than normal" menstruation while there. She told investigators that her doctor could confirm that she had not been pregnant but had been treated for medical issues related to her menstrual cycle.

Investigators met with Chiniewicz and her doctor in late October. The doctor told investigators that he had treated Chiniewicz, but he could not verify that she had not given birth. She agreed to give a DNA sample the following day.

Test results were returned from the Texas Department of Public Safety crime lab Thursday. That's when Chiniewicz told investigators she gave birth Oct. 1 in a rest room of the speedway, where she had gone with her husband, Michael, and three children. She said she cleaned herself and the child and then placed him in the trash.

Kirk would not say whether Michael Chiniewicz was being investigated. Sheriff's officials still were trying Friday to confirm the identity of the baby's father, he added.

Susan Chiniewicz is listed on The Colony Chamber of Commerce Web site as a captain of one of the organization's ambassador teams. She also is featured in a group photo in the winter 2005 edition of the chamber's magazine, The Colony Connection.

Jeff Meyers, chairman of the board for The Colony Chamber of Commerce, confirmed Friday that Chiniewicz had been a member of the organization for the past several years. He described her as a "very involved" member who became active through her writing firm and previous work as a reporter in the area.

Recently, he said, she had served primarily as an ambassador for the group. He declined to comment further, saying he didn't know Chiniewicz personally.

"It's news to me," Meyers said. "It just blows me away."

Others expressed similar sentiments.

A chamber volunteer who declined to give his last name, identifying himself only as Mike, said Chiniewicz had lived in The Colony for about 15 years. He said he had met Chiniewicz's husband and children at chamber events, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"I didn't even know that she was pregnant. ... Oh, my goodness," he said after learning of the arrest. "She was a very positive, upbeat woman. It's very surprising. This is all very shocking."

Coordinators of the Central Motorcycle Roadracing Association declined an interview request Friday, but they did release a statement expressing gratitude to the sheriff's investigators who worked on the case.

"A tragedy of this nature has never occurred in the 30-year history of our organization. While we are relieved that this case has been solved, it is a very sad situation and our hearts go out to everyone involved," the release states. "We hope that the cooperation of our club and its members somehow helped bring this matter to a conclusion."

**REWahoo** · 04-10-2006, 09:52 PM

If she isn't a large woman, how the heck could her husband not have suspected something?

dory36 · 04-10-2006, 10:05 PM

She's not a beanpole, but close to it.

I (usually oblivious to such stuff) never noticed anything, up to and including the last time I saw her about 2 months before this all happened. Several female friends claimed today to have noticed some weight gain back then, but never suspected she was pregnant.

A friend on the police force scoffs at the newspaper claim that the husband didn't know, but one source speculated that most husbands wouldn't question a wife's claim to have has a miscarriage.

Sad situation. Texas has a law allowing anonymous no-questions-asked drop-off of infants at any fire dept, police station, or hospital, so it's hard to understand why a clearly intelligent, seemingly level-headed woman would do such a thing.

Cool Dood · 04-10-2006, 11:54 PM

pre-partum depression?

Is it just me, or is "partum" kind of an unfortunate choice of Latin word for the expression?

cute fuzzy bunny · 04-11-2006, 09:30 AM

My wife certainly went through some mercurial emotional swings late in pregnancy through about 3-6 months after the birth.

Pretty sure none of those came anywhere near suffocating the baby and putting him in a trash can. More like getting a little cranky if I put a half full ice cube tray back in the freezer without filling the empty part back up with water.

HFWR · 04-11-2006, 09:44 AM

You ba$tard... :P

J-Lu · 04-11-2006, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dory36

Sad situation. Texas has a law allowing anonymous no-questions-asked* drop-off of infants at any fire dept, police station, or hospital, so it's hard to understand why a clearly intelligent, seemingly level-headed woman would do such a thing.

California has this law too. I really think that the law is not widely known because you hear about this happening out here too. If more people knew about the law, hopefully they would take advantage of it. There is just no excuse for this.

cute fuzzy bunny · 04-11-2006, 11:04 AM

I'm pretty sure at the point this happens, rational thought is no longer in charge. I'm not sure what is in charge, but its not rational thought.

laurence · 04-11-2006, 11:13 AM

Sad, sad, sad.

On a lighter note, CFB, dude, ice cube tray? Does a wire still connect your remote control to your VCR?

I haven't lived with a fridge sans ice machine since I was 12! What, can't find a new fridge in that lovely avocado color?

(...I am lowering my center of gravity, getting ready...

).

Nords · 04-11-2006, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laurence

I haven't lived with a fridge sans ice machine since I was 12!* What, can't find a new fridge in that lovely avocado color?*

Hey, you fix a few icemakers and you'll be a big fan of ice cube trays too.

Besides, in a few years you guys can delegate that job to your offspring. I keep telling our sweet-faced teen that if I get that look or those grumbles one more time then she gets the pots & pans job too...

laurence · 04-11-2006, 11:18 AM

LOL! Hit a nerve, eh? Rooted out another retro-fridge owner! I love you guys...

cute fuzzy bunny · 04-11-2006, 11:20 AM

Lowering your center of gravity wont help ya. I'm wearing steel toe boots right now...

Two 25 cu foot refrigerators with ice makers, neither of which is more than a couple of years old. Black.

The ice cube trays had juice in 'em. Pregnant, 110 degrees out, you want something to cool yourself off. I discovered they're also pretty dang good to put into mixed drinks...

This summer, they'll have juice in 'em again...and a baby standing in front of the fridge pointing at it and yelling at me.

You have a frickin VCR? How 1980's...is it betamax?

Nords · 04-11-2006, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cute Fuzzy Bunny

You have a frickin VCR?* How 1980's...is it betamax?

We have six, not counting one in a TV. No more Betamax, though, and I still wonder if I should've saved it in an attic along with everyone's Altairs & Apple IIs.

The 1980s submarine force invested big in Betamaxs because they used smaller videotapes (less storage volume). But they got a great deal!

laurence · 04-11-2006, 11:31 AM

No VCR, strictly a DVD household. But I don't have a DVR, so I'm slowly becoming cave man.

Is "black" French for "Avocado"?

Dude, Nords, wear that retro spirit with pride! How many rubic's cubes do you have?

cute fuzzy bunny · 04-11-2006, 11:52 AM

DVD? How gauche. DVR? So 1998. You mean you dont have a high definition laptop with Dolby Digital output plugged into an HD projector? My gawwwd man, how can you live?

I believe avocado is swahili for "Blow Me".

Actually we went 2 years without being able to hook up the ice makers. The city water was loaded with nitrates and arsenic. So we used quite a bit of bagged and cubed ice. New water supply is good now, as was the 15-20k discount I bought the house at to live with the temporary 'problem'.

laurence · 04-11-2006, 11:59 AM

HDTV threatens to shorten my life as I sit there, gaining weight as I watch IMAX movies on "INHD" and "INHD2", I've had it for 2 years now, and the magic still hasn't worn off....

cute fuzzy bunny · 04-11-2006, 12:13 PM

Sure, try and change the topic to some puny technology you pretend to have. You cant get away.

Wuss.

laurence · 04-11-2006, 12:14 PM

Avocado!

You've been drinking too much of that bad city water!

04-10-2006, 09:22 PM	#1
dory36 Early-Retirement.org Founder Developer of FIRECalc Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 1,822	This is as weird (and sick) as it gets This totally blows my mind. I know this woman slightly, as a friend of a friend. If I had to pick 500 names of people likely to do something like this, she'd never even be considered. Obviously guilt-ridden, as she would have never even been a suspect without the call she made to the authorities (as described below). Otherwise, they would never have any reason to even speak to her -- no one even knew she was pregnant. (Which is strange itself, as she is pretty slim.) Had she not confessed, I'd never have believed it. http://www.theeagle.com/stories/0408...0060408004.php DNA leads to arrest in 'Baby Joseph' slaying case By HOLLY HUFFMAN Eagle Staff Writer Six months after a dead newborn was found dumped in the trash at Texas World Speedway, Brazos County sheriff's officials said Friday they had located the boy's mother and charged her with murder. Sheriff Chris Kirk said DNA testing linked Susan Chiniewicz, a 35-year-old mother of three from North Texas, to the baby boy whose body was discovered in a trash can at the southern Brazos County racetrack Oct. 3. Chiniewicz, who lives in The Colony, contacted investigators later that month after they put out a plea for information about the dead baby. She told them she had experienced heavy menstruation while attending a weekend race event at the track and said she might have caused a "mess" in the rest room, Kirk said. But, after being confronted with DNA test results Thursday, she admitted to giving birth and then placing the child in a trash can, according to an investigator's affidavit. "This investigation has had a profound effect on our officers, the staff and the investigators that worked this case," Kirk said during a midmorning press conference called to announce the arrest. "It was a startling discovery and a tragic incident." He added: "Now that the case is finally solved, it is closure for our investigators and, I believe, closure for our community." Chiniewicz, a former newspaper reporter in North Texas, owns a writing and graphic design firm and has served as an ambassador for The Colony Chamber of Commerce. The Colony is about 25 miles north of Dallas. She was being held Friday in the Denton County Jail, awaiting transport to Brazos County. Kirk said he didn't know when the transfer would take place. Brazos County Justice of the Peace Ray Truelove has recommended she be held on $1.5 million bond once she arrives, Kirk said. A woman who answered the phone at Chiniewicz's home but would not identify herself said the family had no comment. The child - named Baby Joseph by investigators - was found by cleaning crews the Monday after a weekend racing event put on by the Central Motorcycle Roadracing Association and Lone Star Track Days. Joseph was in a bag filled with papers, beer bottles and other trash that lined a 55-gallon container in a women's rest room, according to a sheriff's investigator's affidavit. Blood stains were found in one of the rest room stalls. An autopsy determined that Joseph - a 6-pound, full-term baby - had been born alive but later suffocated. The report also lists "environmental exposure and neglect after delivery complicated by beta hemolytic group B streptococcus infection." The infection is a form of strep common in newborns. The death was ruled a homicide. Doctors said it appeared as though a piece of white trash was obstructing the infant's breathing passage. Following the discovery, investigators worked with the two motorcycle groups that hosted the race to identify and send notices to members who attended. The case was overwhelming from the start, the sheriff said, because the race event drew more than 1,000 participants and spectators from several states. "It was a very complicated investigation," Kirk said. "Most of the participants came to the area from not just outside our county, but from outside the state of Texas." Chiniewicz called Brazos County sheriff's investigators to report that she had been at the race and had experienced "heavier than normal" menstruation while there. She told investigators that her doctor could confirm that she had not been pregnant but had been treated for medical issues related to her menstrual cycle. Investigators met with Chiniewicz and her doctor in late October. The doctor told investigators that he had treated Chiniewicz, but he could not verify that she had not given birth. She agreed to give a DNA sample the following day. Test results were returned from the Texas Department of Public Safety crime lab Thursday. That's when Chiniewicz told investigators she gave birth Oct. 1 in a rest room of the speedway, where she had gone with her husband, Michael, and three children. She said she cleaned herself and the child and then placed him in the trash. Kirk would not say whether Michael Chiniewicz was being investigated. Sheriff's officials still were trying Friday to confirm the identity of the baby's father, he added. Susan Chiniewicz is listed on The Colony Chamber of Commerce Web site as a captain of one of the organization's ambassador teams. She also is featured in a group photo in the winter 2005 edition of the chamber's magazine, The Colony Connection. Jeff Meyers, chairman of the board for The Colony Chamber of Commerce, confirmed Friday that Chiniewicz had been a member of the organization for the past several years. He described her as a "very involved" member who became active through her writing firm and previous work as a reporter in the area. Recently, he said, she had served primarily as an ambassador for the group. He declined to comment further, saying he didn't know Chiniewicz personally. "It's news to me," Meyers said. "It just blows me away." Others expressed similar sentiments. A chamber volunteer who declined to give his last name, identifying himself only as Mike, said Chiniewicz had lived in The Colony for about 15 years. He said he had met Chiniewicz's husband and children at chamber events, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. "I didn't even know that she was pregnant. ... Oh, my goodness," he said after learning of the arrest. "She was a very positive, upbeat woman. It's very surprising. This is all very shocking." Coordinators of the Central Motorcycle Roadracing Association declined an interview request Friday, but they did release a statement expressing gratitude to the sheriff's investigators who worked on the case. "A tragedy of this nature has never occurred in the 30-year history of our organization. While we are relieved that this case has been solved, it is a very sad situation and our hearts go out to everyone involved," the release states. "We hope that the cooperation of our club and its members somehow helped bring this matter to a conclusion." __________________ Often uninformed, seldom undecided. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. Mark Twain

04-10-2006, 09:52 PM	#2
REWahoo Administrator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Texas Hill Country Posts: 11,628	Re: This is as weird (and sick) as it gets If she isn't a large woman, how the heck could her husband not have suspected something? __________________ [Closed for renovation]

04-10-2006, 10:05 PM	#3
dory36 Early-Retirement.org Founder Developer of FIRECalc Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 1,822	Re: This is as weird (and sick) as it gets She's not a beanpole, but close to it. I (usually oblivious to such stuff) never noticed anything, up to and including the last time I saw her about 2 months before this all happened. Several female friends claimed today to have noticed some weight gain back then, but never suspected she was pregnant. A friend on the police force scoffs at the newspaper claim that the husband didn't know, but one source speculated that most husbands wouldn't question a wife's claim to have has a miscarriage. Sad situation. Texas has a law allowing anonymous no-questions-asked drop-off of infants at any fire dept, police station, or hospital, so it's hard to understand why a clearly intelligent, seemingly level-headed woman would do such a thing. __________________ Often uninformed, seldom undecided. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. Mark Twain

04-10-2006, 11:54 PM	#4
Cool Dood Full time employment: Posting here. Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 784	Re: This is as weird (and sick) as it gets pre-partum depression? Is it just me, or is "partum" kind of an unfortunate choice of Latin word for the expression?

04-11-2006, 09:30 AM	#5
cute fuzzy bunny Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ... Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Losing my whump Posts: 22,527	Re: This is as weird (and sick) as it gets My wife certainly went through some mercurial emotional swings late in pregnancy through about 3-6 months after the birth. Pretty sure none of those came anywhere near suffocating the baby and putting him in a trash can. More like getting a little cranky if I put a half full ice cube tray back in the freezer without filling the empty part back up with water. __________________ Many an optimist has become rich by buying out a pessimist

04-11-2006, 09:44 AM	#6
HFWR Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ... Join Date: May 2005 Location: DFW Posts: 5,437	Re: This is as weird (and sick) as it gets You ba$tard... :P __________________ Have Fun When Retired Never mind the furthermore, the plea is self defense...

04-11-2006, 11:04 AM	#8
cute fuzzy bunny Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ... Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Losing my whump Posts: 22,527	Re: This is as weird (and sick) as it gets I'm pretty sure at the point this happens, rational thought is no longer in charge. I'm not sure what is in charge, but its not rational thought. __________________ Many an optimist has become rich by buying out a pessimist

04-11-2006, 11:13 AM	#9
laurence Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Diego Posts: 4,788	Re: This is as weird (and sick) as it gets Sad, sad, sad. On a lighter note, CFB, dude, ice cube tray? Does a wire still connect your remote control to your VCR? I haven't lived with a fridge sans ice machine since I was 12! What, can't find a new fridge in that lovely avocado color? (...I am lowering my center of gravity, getting ready... ).

04-11-2006, 11:18 AM	#11
laurence Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Diego Posts: 4,788	Re: This is as weird (and sick) as it gets LOL! Hit a nerve, eh? Rooted out another retro-fridge owner! I love you guys...

04-11-2006, 11:20 AM	#12
cute fuzzy bunny Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ... Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Losing my whump Posts: 22,527	Re: This is as weird (and sick) as it gets Lowering your center of gravity wont help ya. I'm wearing steel toe boots right now... Two 25 cu foot refrigerators with ice makers, neither of which is more than a couple of years old. Black. The ice cube trays had juice in 'em. Pregnant, 110 degrees out, you want something to cool yourself off. I discovered they're also pretty dang good to put into mixed drinks... This summer, they'll have juice in 'em again...and a baby standing in front of the fridge pointing at it and yelling at me. You have a frickin VCR? How 1980's...is it betamax? __________________ Many an optimist has become rich by buying out a pessimist

04-11-2006, 11:31 AM	#14
laurence Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Diego Posts: 4,788	Re: This is as weird (and sick) as it gets No VCR, strictly a DVD household. But I don't have a DVR, so I'm slowly becoming cave man. Is "black" French for "Avocado"? Dude, Nords, wear that retro spirit with pride! How many rubic's cubes do you have?

04-11-2006, 11:52 AM	#15
cute fuzzy bunny Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ... Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Losing my whump Posts: 22,527	Re: This is as weird (and sick) as it gets DVD? How gauche. DVR? So 1998. You mean you dont have a high definition laptop with Dolby Digital output plugged into an HD projector? My gawwwd man, how can you live? I believe avocado is swahili for "Blow Me". Actually we went 2 years without being able to hook up the ice makers. The city water was loaded with nitrates and arsenic. So we used quite a bit of bagged and cubed ice. New water supply is good now, as was the 15-20k discount I bought the house at to live with the temporary 'problem'. __________________ Many an optimist has become rich by buying out a pessimist

04-11-2006, 11:59 AM	#16
laurence Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Diego Posts: 4,788	Re: This is as weird (and sick) as it gets HDTV threatens to shorten my life as I sit there, gaining weight as I watch IMAX movies on "INHD" and "INHD2", I've had it for 2 years now, and the magic still hasn't worn off....

04-11-2006, 12:13 PM	#17
cute fuzzy bunny Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ... Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Losing my whump Posts: 22,527	Re: This is as weird (and sick) as it gets Sure, try and change the topic to some puny technology you pretend to have. You cant get away. Wuss. __________________ Many an optimist has become rich by buying out a pessimist

04-11-2006, 12:14 PM	#18
laurence Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Diego Posts: 4,788	Re: This is as weird (and sick) as it gets Avocado! You've been drinking too much of that bad city water!

04-11-2006, 12:16 PM	#19
cute fuzzy bunny Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...