True Crime News Roundup: Texas Doctor Arrested For Contaminating IV Bags After His Colleague Died

Plus: Prosecutors move to overturn Adnan Syed’s murder conviction; human remains of missing woman found; suspect in Eliza Fletcher case indicted on separate rape case; Cincinatti woman arrested after her baby dies from ‘co-sleeping’.

September 16, 2022
Dr. Melanie Kaspar [main] died after using a tainted IV bag. Dr. Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz [inset] was arrested in connection with the contaminated IV bags.

Texas doctor, Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz, was arrested for contaminating IV bags after his colleague, Dr. Melanie Kaspar, died.

Photo by: Grove Hill Funeral Home [main]; Dallas County Sheriff's Office [inset]

Grove Hill Funeral Home [main]; Dallas County Sheriff's Office [inset]

Texas doctor arrested in connection to contaminated IV bags that killed a physician

On Sept. 14, Dr. Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz, Jr. was arrested for allegedly tampering with IV bags at Baylor Scott and White Surgicare in North Dallas, Texas. Ortiz was allegedly seen on surveillance video placing IV bags in a warmer outside operating rooms where patients later suffered unexpected medical issues during surgery. On June 21, Ortiz’s colleague, Dr. Melanie Kaspar, took an IV bag home to hydrate during an illness. Kasper later fell ill, had a heart attack, and died. Ortiz is accused of poking tiny holes in the IV bags, and tainting them with bupivacaine, a drug used to treat localized pain. Medical examiners determined that Kaspar's death was caused by accidental bupivacaine toxicity.

Read more on People.

Prosecutors work to overturn ‘Serial’ Adnan Syed’s murder conviction

Adnan Syed, whose murder conviction was profiled in the popular podcast “Serial,” has always maintained his innocence in the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee. Now, more than 20 years later, the Baltimore state’s attorney said she no longer has confidence in the conviction of Adnan Syed, who has been serving a life sentence since 2000. He was convicted of first-degree murder, robbery, kidnapping, and false imprisonment. After a yearlong investigation with Syed’s lawyer, prosecutors now believe his conviction should be vacated “in the interests of justice and fairness,” and that, “at a minimum,” he be given a new trial.


Read more on The New York Times.

A dog owner looking for her missing dog found remains of woman missing since 2017

On Sept. 13, authorities announced that a woman looking for her dog in Youngstown, Ohio stumbled upon the human remains of Amy Hambrick, a woman who vanished in November 2017 at 29 years old. Hambrick left Youngstown on Nov. 11, 2017 to visit a friend's house in North Jackson, but reportedly didn't make it to that location and was never seen or heard from again. It is unknown how long her remains were in the area or how long she has been dead but police are asking the public to come forward if they have any information related to the case.

Read more on People.

Suspect arrested in the murder of Eliza Fletcher has been indicted in a separate kidnapping and sexual assault case from 2021

Cleotha Henderson, 38, was arrested for the abduction and murder of jogger Eliza Fletcher on Sept. 2, 2022. DNA from Fletcher’s murder tied Henderson to a 2021 rape case. On Sept. 8, Henderson was indicted on charges of aggravated rape, kidnapping, and unlawful possession of a weapon for the incident, which took place on Sept. 21, 2021. On Sept. 15, he pleaded not guilty to the charges. The judge issued Henderson a total bond of $1,425,000 for the charges in this case, though he is being held on no bond for the charges related to Fletcher.

Read more on CNN.

A Cincinnati woman has been arrested for involuntary manslaughter after her second child dies while ‘co-sleeping’

According to the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office in Ohio, on June 22, Brook Hunter's 6-week-old baby died. Hunter had allegedly been co-sleeping with the baby, a practice described as when a parent sleeps in close physical contact with their child, typically in a bed or a couch/chair. She had previously been warned that co-sleeping with infants is dangerous after the death of her first child — who died one year prior as a result of the practice. Because Hunter had previously received a warning about this, the June death was deemed a homicide. A warrant was issued for Hunter's arrest on Sept. 14.

Read more on People.

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