Alcohol may have been a factor in 12-year-old's death
OTSELIC – Alcohol may have been a factor in the death of a local 12-year-old girl over the weekend, police investigators say.
George Ford Jr., 42, of Piscataway, N.J., was charged Sunday with first-degree felony reckless endangerment after he allegedly ran over 12-year-old Shyanne A. Somers with his 2000 Ford F-350 pick-up.
Ford and his wife, Cindy, were at a graduation party in the area Saturday. While the couple attended the party, Somers, a neighbor, was asked to baby-sit Ford’s children for the night, according to police. The Chenango County Sheriff’s Department and the New York State Police are continuing the investigation and are waiting for the results from a toxicology report on Ford’s condition at the time of the incident. Police say that the evidence collected thus far points to the girl’s death as being accidental, and that there were no immediate signs of sexual assault.
Ford, who remains at the Chenango County Correctional Facility in Norwich in lieu of $100,000 bail, is set to appear in the Town of Otselic Court tonight for a felony hearing.
An autopsy performed Sunday at Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton revealed the Otselic Valley seventh grader died of severe head trauma and massive internal injuries, said Lt. James E. Lloyd of the Sheriff’s Office. “What was indicated to us by the examiner is that her injuries were so severe, that even if this had happened just outside the hospital, it would’ve been very difficult to save her,” said Lloyd.
The investigation revealed that Ford was taking Somers home from his seasonal residence on Rt. 26 in South Otselic at approximately 11:30 p.m. Saturday. On the way to take Somers home from babysitting, Ford stopped along Will Warner Road to check on his horses. According to Ford’s statement, Somers also got out of the truck because she wanted to see the horses.
“While turning around his truck in a reckless manner, the defendant struck the victim with the front driver side bumper. The victim was standing on the south shoulder of the Will Warner Road when she was run over by the defendant’s vehicle,” said the Sheriff’s Office in a release Monday.
While the alleged accident took place Saturday night around midnight, the victim wasn’t transported to the hospital until five hours later at 5 a.m. Sunday. “He reported he got lost on the way to the hospital and stated he was traumatized by the events,” said Lloyd.
“The kind of injuries she sustained were substantial and it seems likely she died immediately, but we won’t be sure until the medical tests and examinations are complete,” said Lloyd.
Deputies are urging anyone with information to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 337-2000. “We very interested to know if anyone saw the white truck that night,” said Lloyd.
Private funeral services for Somers will be held at the convenience of the family from the R.J. Fahy Funeral Home in Norwich. Friends are welcome to call at the funeral home on Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. A complete obituary for Shyanne will be published in the Wednesday edition of The Evening Sun.
George Ford Jr., 42, of Piscataway, N.J., was charged Sunday with first-degree felony reckless endangerment after he allegedly ran over 12-year-old Shyanne A. Somers with his 2000 Ford F-350 pick-up.
Ford and his wife, Cindy, were at a graduation party in the area Saturday. While the couple attended the party, Somers, a neighbor, was asked to baby-sit Ford’s children for the night, according to police. The Chenango County Sheriff’s Department and the New York State Police are continuing the investigation and are waiting for the results from a toxicology report on Ford’s condition at the time of the incident. Police say that the evidence collected thus far points to the girl’s death as being accidental, and that there were no immediate signs of sexual assault.
Ford, who remains at the Chenango County Correctional Facility in Norwich in lieu of $100,000 bail, is set to appear in the Town of Otselic Court tonight for a felony hearing.
An autopsy performed Sunday at Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton revealed the Otselic Valley seventh grader died of severe head trauma and massive internal injuries, said Lt. James E. Lloyd of the Sheriff’s Office. “What was indicated to us by the examiner is that her injuries were so severe, that even if this had happened just outside the hospital, it would’ve been very difficult to save her,” said Lloyd.
The investigation revealed that Ford was taking Somers home from his seasonal residence on Rt. 26 in South Otselic at approximately 11:30 p.m. Saturday. On the way to take Somers home from babysitting, Ford stopped along Will Warner Road to check on his horses. According to Ford’s statement, Somers also got out of the truck because she wanted to see the horses.
“While turning around his truck in a reckless manner, the defendant struck the victim with the front driver side bumper. The victim was standing on the south shoulder of the Will Warner Road when she was run over by the defendant’s vehicle,” said the Sheriff’s Office in a release Monday.
While the alleged accident took place Saturday night around midnight, the victim wasn’t transported to the hospital until five hours later at 5 a.m. Sunday. “He reported he got lost on the way to the hospital and stated he was traumatized by the events,” said Lloyd.
“The kind of injuries she sustained were substantial and it seems likely she died immediately, but we won’t be sure until the medical tests and examinations are complete,” said Lloyd.
Deputies are urging anyone with information to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 337-2000. “We very interested to know if anyone saw the white truck that night,” said Lloyd.
Private funeral services for Somers will be held at the convenience of the family from the R.J. Fahy Funeral Home in Norwich. Friends are welcome to call at the funeral home on Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. A complete obituary for Shyanne will be published in the Wednesday edition of The Evening Sun.
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