Home Scandal and Gossip Why? Karin Ziolkowski CT mom murders 8 year old son, sets house...
Why? Karin Ziolkowski CT mom murders 8 year old son, sets house on fire
Christopher Koulouris: About author bio at bottom of article.
Pictured, Meriden, Connecticut 8 year old boy, Elijah Ziolkowsi who was killed at the hands of his mother, Karin Ziolkowski.
Karin Ziolkowski a Connecticut mother in the process of divorce and financial ruin, murders her 8 year old son and sets the family home on fire.
Karin Ziolkowski a 40 year old Meriden, Connecticut mother has been charged with suffocating her eight year old son to death and setting the family home on fire following a November, 2016 episode.
Following an eleven month investigation, authorities booked the woman with murder and second degree arson.
A report via The Gaston Gazette told of emergency personnel responding to the house fire around 7.20am, November 4, 2016.
Despite pulling the boy and his mother from a bedroom at the rear of the house, the 8 year old son, Elijah Ziolkowsi, was later declared dead.
The boy's father, Marc Ziolkowski, was not home at the time of the fire. At the time, the boy's parents were in the process of divorcing.
Of note, at the time of the arson, Ziolkowski had been facing eviction for failure to pay rent.
Pictured Meriden, Connecticut mother, Karin Ziolkowski. Police bookings.
Pictured the Connecticut family home on fire, November 4, 2016.
Karin Ziolkowski had used accelerant to set the home fire determined authorities:
Investigators said it wasn't immediately clear if Ziolkowski's son, had died of smoke inhalation or from some other cause.
Investigators have now determined Elijah was killed prior to the fire being set and his death ruled homicidal asphyxia, according to a press release from the Meriden Police Department.
The Hartford Courant citing the state medical examiners office on Monday said Elijah's death was the result of homicidal asphyxia and a lethal amount of the antihistamine diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl.
Upon the boy's death, the Meriden fire marshal's report stated two fires being set in the home with tiki torch fuel used as an accelerant.
While the mother had also been taken to hospital, she was released a few days after 'recovering'.
Authorities say Ziolkowski soon after moved to North Carolina following the fire where she was arrested on Friday.
The mother is currently in the Gaston County Jail awaiting extradition back to Connecticut.
Family and child services had been called in for Elijah Ziolkowsi prior to the arson:
WVIT reported the son being a third grader at the Israel Putnam School where he was well-liked by both staff and his classmates.
Told school principal, Enza Adamcewicz, 'Bubbly kid. You know, loves Star Wars, Legos. … You know, a normal 8-year-old boy,'
'He was very social. … Everybody knew him, knew of him. Big personality and he will be greatly missed.'
To date authorities have yet to say what motivated the mother setting out to kill her eight year old son.
Offered Linda Siegler, Meriden, next door neighbor, upon news of Ziolkowski's charges, 'I thought, 'that's impossible,'
Adding, 'She was friendly, personable and soft-spoken. She was really close to the boy so something must've caused her to snap. They were a pea in a pod.'
Prior to the fire, the Meriden Record Journal reported Ziolkowski having filed for divorce from her husband, only to have her motion dismissed for a lack of diligence. According to court records, the wife had asked for sole custody of Elijah.
Of note, prior to the arson, a caller reported concerns about the estranged couple's son's well being. At the time, the Department of Children and Families opened a child-protection case. It was reported the son had been experiencing trauma relating to his parent's impending divorce.
Ziolkowski's bond has been set at $1 million.
Elijah Ziolkowsi
Christopher Koulouris
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