Post by Joanna on Jul 28, 2016 18:26:26 GMT -5
Strange Smell at Death of Woman, Child Still Unidentified
ORLANDO, Fla. – Newly released records offer a glimpse into the mysterious Hazmat situation on Florida's Turnpike where a woman and her 3-year-old daughter were found dead last month. But key details – including what kind of substance was involved – remain unknown. On July 22, the Florida Highway Patrol released recordings of radio traffic and other records from the June 2 incident, which sent three law-enforcement officers to the hospital.
The incident unfolded when a Florida Highway Patrol trooper spotted a Porsche Cayenne that appeared to have bumped into a guardrail. He saw two people inside – Latifa Lincoln, 46, and daughter Maksmilla Lincoln (pictured above). At 3:14 p.m., he radioed for help "right away" after finding a woman inside the vehicle was "not breathing," radio traffic shows. "She also has a child in here. We're gonna' have to break the window, they got it locked," the trooper said.
Five minutes later, he smelled some sort of "chemical," according to the records. "There's some kind of strong smell coming out of the vehicle. We're not able – we're not sure what's coming out of there. There's one small child and a female, but, uh, they're not able to get in with the smell," he said. This is when a Hazmat team was called and troopers began shutting down the highway.
The trooper backed about 100 feet away with several civilians, but noticed a breeze in the air. Another trooper told them to get back another 100 feet and stay down. "The wind is blowing at everyone. Going to see if we can move people. We are 250 feet back," one trooper said.
A responding trooper brought a "screen to protect the area," records show. "We're just starting to feel some of the effects back here, and we're about 200 – 150, 200 feet back," another trooper relayed and another told him to try and back away. "Okay, fire rescue just got on the road here from that toll plaza. Go ahead and clear out what you can and get those people out of there and get yourselves down further," someone responded. Highway patrolman and two Osceola County deputies were taken to the hospital as a precaution and released.
The autopsies of the Lincoln mother and daughter have not been completed. "The doctor is still waiting on laboratory results and/or further investigative work to be completed before he determines manner and cause of death," said a spokeswoman for the Medical Examiner's Office.
The Osceola County Sheriff's Office has released only one completely redacted report concerning the incident and denied requests for additional reports, radio traffic and body-camera footage, citing the ongoing investigation.
The vehicle had some minor damage from hitting a guardrail but investigators do not think the deaths were caused by the crash, Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Twis Lizasuain said, adding the substance did not appear to be drug-related. It's also unclear if any other local or federal agencies are assisting the Sheriff's Office with the investigation.
Source: Christal Hayes and Gal Tziperman Lotan, The Orlando Sentinel, July 22, 2016.