Police 'cautiously optimistic' in Parisot case
Written by Jeff Yates
Updated Tuesday at 2 p.m.
Captain Michael Lombardo said Tuesday the Wilton Police Department is
"cautiously optimistic" that detectives working on the case of
Nicholas Parisot's death will come to a resolution.
"I would say that we are optimistic. Cautiously optimistic," he said
during a press briefing. "The investigators have not decided to go in
one direction," only, and are still pursuing "several avenues of
investigation," but are narrowing the focus of their work. "It's not
precluding us from going in other areas of investigation," he added.
Police have completed the GPS mapping of the site of Nick's death and
Capt. Lombardo said they had determined on which piece of property the
incident took place.
"We have determined that, yes," he said when asked if the mapping had
been concluded. "It's privately owned," he said, but would not
disclose the name of the property owner. Police had previously said
mapping was needed to determine the exact location, as several
properties intersected in the area where Nick was killed.
Capt. Lombardo said the department was awaiting results from evidence
sent to the state forensics lab, and that detectives had continued to
interview and re-interview area residents, broadening the circle
around the scene to include more homes. Last week, flyers had been
passed out or left in mailboxes by police asking those with
information to come forward.
On Tuesday, Capt. Lombardo, when asked if the flyers had resulted in
any new information being brought forward, or had helped reconfirm
other details of the case, said he could not answer the question
"directly."
"It's a case that they're constantly working on, it's a seven-day
week," he said of the detectives. "Our goal is to certainly solve it
as quickly as we can."
Nick, son of Kate Throckmorton and Rick Parisot of Nod Hill Road, was
killed while riding his off-road motorcycle on trails near his
grandparents' home on Hillbrook Lane on Friday, June 13. Since that
time, many rumors have been discussed around town about the cause and
manner of the 13-year-old's death.
Capt. Lombardo said Friday the police can not join in the speculation,
and must keep quiet about many aspects of the case, particularly when
it comes to what the "object" was that was placed across the trail.
Police recovered the object at the scene and are having it and other
evidence examined by the state's forensics lab.
"It's a valuable piece of evidence and it's something at this point
that," police need to keep undisclosed, he said. The Bulletin will not
post any of these rumors until police are ready to disclose more
information, as doing so may harm the case.
"We want the case solved," said Capt. Lombardo. "We want it solved
quickly and are doing whatever we need to do."
Stopping short of calling them leads, Captain Michael Lombardo said
Tuesday, June 17, the department was following “avenues of
investigation” as it worked to resolve the unanswered questions
surrounding Nick's death.
The department’s investigation into what they are calling the
“suspicious death” of Nick, continued last Tuesday, with local
officers and investigators from the state searching a larger swath of
woods near Hillbrook Road where the incident took place.
“The officers went back last night and canvassed the area. They’re up
there right now with state police searching the area again. A wider
area,” said Capt. Lombardo on Tuesday.
Capt. Lombardo said one of the things detectives are doing at this
time is working to map out a better picture of the scene.
“At this point right now, with some of our GPS units, we’re going back
out there to pinpoint it more accurately,” he said of the location
where police believe the incident took place.
During a press conference at headquarters on Monday, June 16, police
said the ongoing nature of the investigation made it difficult to
answer all questions and to respond to all “rumors and misinformation”
circulating around town.
What police are willing to say at this time is that Nick, who was
wearing his helmet while riding his off-road motorcycle on wooded
trails near his grandparents’ home, struck an object that had been
placed across the trail and was knocked from his bike. He was
transported by the Georgetown ambulance to Norwalk Hospital, where he
was declared dead.
Police responded to the call at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, June 13. They
said the last time Nick had been seen by someone was roughly an hour-
and-a-half before the emergency call was made.
“At this time, it looks like Nick was alone at the time of the
accident,” said Chief Edward Kulhawik. “There was an individual out
there who he normally rides with” who found his body.
According to the state medical examiner’s office in Farmington, Nick
died of neck trauma, but a determination had not been reached on the
circumstances of death.
The department’s Detective Bureau and accident investigation team have
been working on the case with the state police Major Crime Squad since
Friday, attempting to “piece together” exactly what happened, said
Chief Kulhawik.
The officers have gathered information “both in terms of hard
evidence, physical evidence from the scene, of which we have much,”
and from interviews with family, friends and area residents, said
Chief Kulhawik.
“We actually, this morning, brought them some evidence to examine,”
said Chief Kulhawik of the state forensics lab’s help in the
investigation. Chief Kulhawik said the patrol officer who arrived at
the scene first was able to identify and secure the object that had
been placed across the trail.
As for questions the police are unable, or unwilling to answer at this
time:
• Was the object, which authorities said was not a “natural” object,
placed across the trail in order to cause injury?
• Was Nick’s body moved after the collision, but before family,
friends and emergency officials arrived on the scene?
• Was off-road riding permitted on the property?
“That’s what we’re trying to ascertain,” said Chief Kulhawik when
asked if the department knew how the object had come to be placed
across the trail. “Was it placed there deliberately, as a prank? Was
it placed there as a property demarcation line?”
Asked about the scene, and whether it appeared Nick’s body had been
moved prior to the arrival of emergency responders, police would not
say.
“That’s something we’re looking into,” said Capt. Lombardo.
He said the department’s investigation team had conducted measurements
at the scene and were attempting “to piece it together right now.”
As for whether off-road biking was allowed on the property, Chief
Kulhawik said the department is looking into that aspect as well.
“It’s not that uncommon at all, particularly in your more rural
areas,” he said. “That area back there backs up to a lot of converging
trails.”
Capt. Lombardo said Nick and his friends frequently rode their dirt
bikes on the trails, and police are trying to determine exactly when
the object was placed across the trail.
“The information we have is that he was out there the day before, but
whether it was on that specific trail, we don’t know,” he said.
“We’re trying to keep an open mind and look at all possibilities,”
said Chief Kulhawik. “We’re not discounting anything.”
“One of the mistakes people make is they draw conclusions early and
close out options,” he added.
Chief Kulhawik said the department had received between 20 and 30
calls on Monday morning from people asking questions about the case.
Police are asking that only people with information that may aid the
investigation call the department at 834-6260.
“I think the thing we don’t want, we don’t want curiosity seekers
here,” said Chief Kulhawik. “That we can’t have, and we don’t have
time for that.”
XML Sitemap