NICHOLAS ODZE - 4 yo (2009)/ Charged: Mother; Raisa Bernabe - Coral Springs FL

Poster's Note: I am placing this story here, in the MURDERED Forum, as it would seem that at the very least the Mom is going to be charged with some type of felony. I do find it interesting that the Mom almost OD'd herself (possible suicide?) after this all went down. So sad...

Police are investigating the death of a 4-year-old boy who may have overdosed on a prescription sedative.

The child's mother told police that on Sept. 9 she gave her son a Lunesta sleeping pill because he had not been able to stay asleep the previous two nights, police said.

The mother told police that 15 minutes after giving the child the pill,
she found him in her bedroom near several open prescription pill
bottles. Police don't know whether the child opened the bottles
himself, and reports do not indicate what happened next or the child's
condition at that time.

The next morning, the child's father went to the boy's bedroom and found him not breathing, police said. Doctors at Coral Springs Medical Center pronounced the child dead soon after.

No charges have been filed in the case.

"Anytime a child is found deceased it's obviously suspicious," said
Coral Springs Police Sgt. Joe McHugh. "The concern for us, especially,
was because [the mother] did give the child a sleeping pill ... You
should never give anyone a prescription pill that is not prescribed to
them."

Nicholas Odze's parents, Raisa Bernabe, 43, and Alan Odze, 51, could not be reached for comment.

Bernabe was hospitalized Thursday night due to a severe adverse
reaction to over-the-counter pain pills and on Friday afternoon
remained in intensive care, said the couple's attorney, Spencer
Aronfeld.

His firm began examining the details of the case Friday, including the police reports.

"Had Ms. Bernabe given her son a Lunesta pill, we don't know if that
was in fact the cause of his death. But, if she had, it certainly was
not intended to harm him," Aronfeld said.

He said that his firm also is trying to determine whether the child
could have gotten into the Lunesta bottle and taken any pills on his
own.

"We're looking into the possibility the [pill] bottle was improperly designed," he said.

The Broward Medical Examiner's Office has performed an autopsy, but
investigators are awaiting toxicology results to determine exactly how
the boy died. Those results are not expected for several weeks, McHugh
said.

It was unclear how many pills the child had ingested or when, police said.

Odze told officers that the child did not have any pre-existing medical
condition and had not been taking any medication, police said.

Police searched the family's apartment on Sept. 10, after the boy died,
and collected 68 prescription pill bottles from the home, according to
a search warrant filed in Broward Circuit Court on Wednesday. Nearly
all the medications, including the Lunesta, had been prescribed to Odze.

Odze is a retired police officer from New York and Bernabe works as an assistant in the Coconut Creek city manager's office.

Lunesta, a brand name for the drug zopiclone, can lower breathing and
metabolism and be lethal if taken in too high of a dosage, according to
manufacturer Sepracor. The drug has not been tested in children and is not approved by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration for pediatric use.

REMOVE MY SON'S NAME FROM THIS WORTHLESS WEBSITE.

MY SON WAS NOT MURDERED!!!!

From Raisa To TomTerrific0420, Today at 12:57 pm

Dear xxxxing T. Tom:

My son Nicholas was NOT murdered you mother xxxxer.
Since the day my son was born, I fought for him.
I fought my job because I had to change the hours I worked because I only
wanted Nicholas to attend a farther away school because of the
curiculum and staff to kids ratio. The other schools in Coral Springs,
the pre-school had 25+ kids and he was being bitten and pushed around
and ignored by teachers. I complained to so called "decent people"
working there and they did nothing.
I fought for the best in medical care, clothes, time spent learning and exploring everything fun for him to do in Florida.
Do you know what songs he likes to sing at night, his favorite toy, his
favorite cartoons or if he preferred the beach or the park?
One night of terrible things gone wrong and I am living a lifetime of misery in this hell we call life.
Only when I am finally (and soon) able to leave this miserable life will I have some peace.

So know you, xxxxing blowJoe, and the mother xxxxing PD Coral Springs and
the public in general like vengenance. It is human nature. Humans are a
despciable race that like to see the suffering and torture of others.
Does anyone ever stop to see what is hapening to the person with the flat
tire or would they rather see misery by crashed and mangled vehicles
with a gurney.

So, remove my sons name from you xxxxing list. HE WAS NOT MURDERED.

Addressee's Note: At no point would I post something that was patently untrue. Sources have not indicated the cause of death, toxicology needed to be done. The fact remains a beautiful child is dead and it was either accidental or purposeful. If it was an accident it was due to neglect for keeping, by all accounts, dozens and dozens of medications available.

Dear Raisa,

I'm sorry for your tragic loss. I cannot imagine the pain you must be feeling. The loss of any child is so tragic, and I offer you my sincerest condolences.

That being said, I need to address your email. We are here to be a voice for those that have no voice. We report the news as we find it. Since you are Nicholas' mom, perhaps you could correct any misinformation that the mainstream media is reporting. We will listen with open hearts, Raisa.

All future communications should be directed to me, Raisa, since I am ultimately responsible for the content on this website. I will not remove this topic and I will not lock it. Your son deserves his voice to be heard.

~ Melissa

Admin wrote:Dear Raisa,

I'm sorry for your tragic loss. I cannot imagine the pain you must be feeling. The loss of any child is so tragic, and I offer you my sincerest condolences.

That being said, I need to address your email. We are here to be a voice for those that have no voice. We report the news as we find it. Since you are Nicholas' mom, perhaps you could correct any misinformation that the mainstream media is reporting. We will listen with open hearts, Raisa.

All future communications should be directed to me, Raisa, since I am ultimately responsible for the content on this website. I will not remove this topic and I will not lock it. Your son deserves his voice to be heard.

~ Melissa

---Thanks Admin! I appreciate and respect your judgment.

Thank YOU Tom! You live up to your name, you are Terrific! And you are a Trooper. I used to tell my babies to have a tee-total-terrific day, but I've come up with a new one just for you Tom. You are a Tee-Total-Terrific-Trooper, Tom. (TX5) Thank you for all your efforts on behalf of all the children that have no voice. Thank you for caring, and thank you for all your tireless efforts on behalf of the children. You so totally ROCK!

Does anyone know if the tox screen is back on Nicholas yet?

Admin wrote:Does anyone know if the tox screen is back on Nicholas yet?

---I am checking the web daily and there has been no update. I will e-mail MSM and LE today and see what I can discover.

Sent to Coral Springs Chief Foster:

Hello Chief Foster:

I am trying to follow up on a local story
on young Nicholas Odze (see story below). It
would seem that the tox screen has been completed and results would be
available.
Our Internet Blog, Justice 4 Caylee, is trying to
resolve this story and bring it to closure so that the parents can be cleared of
any involvement.
If possible could you see what you can do to
provide an update.
Thanks!

Tom



September 19, 2009|By Sofia Santana Staff Writer and Staff Researcher
Barbara Hijek and Staff Writer Bob LaMendola contributed to this report.

Police are investigating the death of a 4-year-old boy who may have
overdosed on a prescription sedative.
The child's mother told police that on Sept. 9 she gave her son a Lunesta
sleeping pill because he had not been able to stay asleep the previous two
nights, police said.
The mother told police that 15 minutes after giving the child the pill,
she found him in her bedroom near several open prescription pill bottles. Police
don't know whether the child opened the bottles himself, and reports do not
indicate what happened next or the child's condition at that
time.

This case is still under investigation we have not received a decision from
the Medical Examiner on the determination of the cause of death.
We have no further information for release.

Thank You
Capt. Kevin P. Montagna
Coral Springs Police Dept.

I've been specifically waiting for these results. I wonder what the hold-up is? Thanks for checking, Tom.

Coral Springs police haven't determined what caused Nicholas Odze, a 4-year-old boy, to die in September.Sgt.
Joe McHugh said police expect to wrap up the case next year, when
additional toxicology tests determine whether the boy overdosed on a
Lunesta sleeping pill. No charges have been filed.

CORAL SPRINGS — The death of a
4-year-old boy whose mother gave him a prescription sedative to help
him sleep has been ruled a homicide, police said Wednesday.Nicholas
Odze died Sept. 10, shortly after his father found him unconscious and
not breathing on his bed in the family's Coral Springs apartment.His
mother, Raisa Bernabe, told police she had given the boy a Lunesta pill
the night before because he'd had trouble sleeping, police said. A
short time later, Bernabe reportedly told police, she found the boy in
the bathroom with several open prescription pill bottles. She was not
sure whether he had taken any of the pills.Toxicology tests from
the Broward Medical Examiner's Office found a combination of oxycodone,
oxymorphone, ibuprofen and eszopiclone in the child's system.
Eszopiclone is the clinical name for Lunesta, a sedative that can lower
the breathing and metabolism and can be fatal if taken in too high a
dosage.No charges have been filed, and detectives are continuing
their investigation, said police spokesman Sgt. Joe McHugh. The child's
body showed no indications of physical trauma, broken bones or internal
bleeding, according to initial exams after his death.Spencer
Aronfeld, the Miami attorney representing Bernabe and the child's
father, Alan Odze, said the couple was devastated by the loss of their
son."They would just be completely incapable of intentionally
harming Nicholas," Aronfeld said.
Police had searched the family's apartment and collected 68 prescription pill
bottles, according to a search warrant filed in Broward Circuit Court.
Nearly all the medications, including the Lunesta, had been prescribed
to Odze, 51, a retired police officer from New York. Bernabe works as
an assistant in the Coconut Creek city manager's office.Odze
told police investigating the death that he had told Bernabe not to
give the Lunesta to Nicholas, but he did not know she did it anyway,
according to the search warrant.

Thank you for the update. I have heard from Raisa and am awaiting her reply until I comment. This is incredibly sad.

no justice

Raisa, thank you for posting your email from Det. Shelton. I am gathering that you believe the media has reported misinformation regarding the toxicology report on Nicholas?

This is direct copy of the ME's report on the death of young Nicholas


The examiner stated the following:



Poster's Note:
The Eszopiclone is Lunesta. It is a hypnotic sedative. Drugs.com says:

Do not take other medicines that make you sleepy (such as cold
medicine, pain medication, muscle relaxants, and medicine for
depression or anxiety).

FDA says:

Pediatric Use


Safety and effectiveness of eszopiclone in children below the age of 18 have not been established.

The Oxycodone is a Pain Killer. FDA says:

Pediatric Use


The safety and efficacy of Oxycodone in pediatric patients have not been evaluated.

The Oxymorphone is a narcotic pain killer, similar to morphine. Drugs.com says:

Oxymorphone may be habit-forming and should be used only by the person
it was prescribed for.
Oxymorphone should never be given to another
person.

The Ibuprofen is generic for Advil, Motrin etc.

Thank you, Tom.

Poster's Note: Spencer Aronfeld is a Miami attorney representing the parents of Nicholas. This is a re-post of the story, from HIS blog.

Coral Springs - The death of a 4-year-old boy whose mother gave him a
prescription sedative to help him sleep has been ruled a homicide,
police said Wednesday. Nicholas Odze died Sept. 10, shortly after his
father found him unconscious and not breathing on his bed in the
family's Coral Springs apartment.

His mother, Raisa Bernabe, told police she had given the boy a Lunesta
pill the night before because he'd had trouble sleeping, police said. A
short time later, Bernabe reportedly told police, she found the boy in
the bathroom with several open prescription pill bottles. She was not
sure whether he had taken any of the pills.

Toxicology tests from the Broward Medical Examiner's Office found a
combination of oxycodone, oxymorphone, ibuprofen and eszopiclone in the
child's system. Eszopiclone is the clinical name for Lunesta, a
sedative that can lower the breathing and metabolism and can be fatal
if taken in too high a dosage.

No charges have been filed, and detectives are continuing their
investigation, said police spokesman Sgt. Joe McHugh. The child's body
showed no indications of physical trauma, broken bones or internal
bleeding, according to initial exams after his death.

Spencer Aronfeld, the Miami
attorney representing Bernabe and the child's father, Alan Odze, said
the couple was devastated by the loss of their son.

"They would just be completely incapable of intentionally harming Nicholas," Aronfeld said.

Police had searched the family's apartment and collected 68
prescription pill bottles, according to a search warrant filed in
Broward Circuit Court. Nearly all the medications, including the
Lunesta, had been prescribed to Odze, 51, a retired police officer from
New York. Bernabe works as an assistant in the Coconut Creek city
manager's office.

Odze told police investigating the death that he had told Bernabe not
to give the Lunesta to Nicholas, but he did not know she did it anyway,
according to the search warrant.


http://aronfeld.blogspot.com/

Deleted

kiwimom wrote:Tom, Melissa, I received a PM from Raisa. I'll post it here because I don't think this should go on behind the scenes. Delete it if you don't want our Blamily to see it. I'm not sure why she felt the need to PM me because I have not done anything other than post the news item that says the death was ruled a homicide. The article also states that no charges have been laid. While I understand Raisa must be devastated and be feeling extremely guilty there's no point in getting angry with others. All these angry protests are certainly making me suspicious. Note how many times she says "I". Does she have the "all about her" Casey symdrome? At the very least she certainly chose to medicate her son for her own convenience.

Dear Wiwimom Bitch Whore:
Dont you have anything to do but ash the
floors and watch waht medicine you are kids are swallowing. Why don't
you mop the floors and wash the dishes you (insert offensive word here).

I took good
care of my my son. I gave him ONE lunesta and I WAS not aware he had
taken any more of the bitter pain killers his Father was prescribed to
because he was severely injured in the line of duty protecting your
disgusting ass and everyone else.

Alan J. Odze was usiing the drugs for severe pain to his back, neck, shoulder, and many other ogans which you don't give a f**k.

If
I was on the street with my son starving to death, you wouldn't give me
a piece of bread to feed my son from starving to death. I remember
during WILMA and how everyone became savages grabbing all the food. I
just stood to the side and waited for whatever was left to feed my son.
As
far as DET Shelton is considered the investigation is still ongoing.
And by the way, the report that took three months to come out came out
inconclusive.

So you if you have anything (in person) to say to
me. I will be happy to meet with you face to face and straighten all
this shit out.
Remembe I have lost everything, I have nothing to lose in this motherfucking hell we call life, So bring it on.
BITCH WHORE,

---I agree with you Kiwi! There is no need for this to become personal. This case has drawn Raisa's attention to our board and that is fine.
She has her opinion. LE has another. We have done nothing but report the truth. If this is something that cannot be borne by the person that committed the "crime" then so be it. Let's keep this thread going and see what else she admits to. By keeping her husbands pills readily available to a child she (and he) are both suspect of criminally negligent homicide. Would you leave a loaded gun on the kitchen table???
No, they did not mean to do it. I do not argue that. However, their lack of concern, by leaving these opiates and by last count, over 60 prescription drugs available to that child is abhorrent. Were the caps dislodged to provide easy access? All meds of this kind are plainly labeled, KEEP OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN!!!
I appreciate the fact that her husband served proudly in LE before his injury. I do not accept it as an excuse for being negligent!

deleted

deleted

Dear Raisa,

I am writing you an open letter in the hopes you will seek further professional help. The ONLY reason I have tolerated your behavior on this forum thus far, is because of your son. This is truly a unique situation for all of us, and frankly, it has become extremely uncomfortable.

This is a discussion forum, mainly devoted to seeking justice for Caylee Anthony. Over the past year, we have expanded our efforts to become a voice for all children that have been abused, neglected, kidnapped or murdered. We don't just post their names and then leave it at that, although sometimes, there just is nothing more to be said. In your situation, that isn't the case. Many of us follow these stories, and post more information as it becomes available. And when there is an unsolved mystery, we discuss it, we dig, we question and we try to find answers, for the children. Another little Florida girl was the catalyst for our expansion, you may have heard of her? Her name is Haleigh Cummings.

Raisa, we all do this without any compensation, because we love children. None of us are here to make one red cent. Trust me, it takes considerable time, energy and effort, to keep a place like this running, and the mods here do a marvelous job. And they do it as a labor of love, as do I. We are a family here, all drawn together to seek justice for one defenseless little girl, and now, to seek that same justice for other children whose voices have been silenced in the dawn of their lives. There is not a person here that would pass you by if we saw you starving on the street, and we are not passing you by right now, when you are so obviously in pain and starving for attention.

I do hope you understand a little better now about who we are and what we are about.

That being said, I am going to give you my observations, and I do hope you will respond in the same civil manner in which you have been addressed.

Normally, if you were not posting here, Raisa, I would've stated what I am about to say days ago. It is completely obvious to all us of here. I refrained from posting in deference to your pain. However, again, this is a discussion forum, where we discuss things. You cannot possibly hope to censor every media outlet or discussion forum, and you certainly are not going to censor this one. I do feel your pain, I have a tremendous amount of empathy and compassion for you, but at the same time, I am truly concerned for Nicholas' legacy.

I was waiting for the toxicology report to come back, because I had a feeling it was going to show something more than the Lunesta.

Raisa, we all make mistakes as parents, but I have to say, in my 20 years of parenting, I never, ever gave my child one of my prescription medications. Never. Let alone a sleeping pill. One bad decision does not make you a bad parent, no one is saying you were not a good mother. However, you have said some other things that are very concerning, and when those statements are combined with the tox report, well, it isn't painting a very pretty picture.

If you are going to go through with your press conference, I would suggest to you that you NOT announce your intention of getting a black label law passed in Florida. There are already laws in place to protect children from prescription meds, such as child safety caps, the warning labels, "Keep out of Reach of Children." Furthermore, to this day, even though my children are beyond the age where I have to watch their every move, I still have cabinet locks on my cabinets, and the medication cabinet is up high, out of reach. Locked.

Let me tell you a little story. One of my children once was on a very strong medication. He took it every morning, and I had to halve it in a pill splitter for him. One morning, I was in a hurry to get the kids to school, and I left the pill splitter on the kitchen counter, with the other half of the pill in it....I rushed three of my children to school that morning and then came home and got busy with my day of laundry and cleaning, etc. Meanwhile, my two year-old, unbeknownst to me, had wandered into the kitchen and somehow managed to snatch the pill splitter off the counter top. Moments later, I walked into the kitchen, saw the pill splitter on the floor, and I was immediately flooded with fear. My two year-old was now wandering merrily into the living room. I picked up the splitter and the other half of the pill was gone. Now mind you, I did not know if my baby had actually ingested the pill, but the FIRST thing I did was scoop him up and call the Poison Control Center. The number is always on my fridge. It's also in the front of any phone book. After describing what had happened, they reassured me that because of the type of medication, and the small dose, that no adverse reaction would be forthcoming. They told me he would probably, if he had in fact ingested the half pill, fall asleep. Indeed he did. And I stayed on the phone with Poison Control most of that day. They call back to check on things. They are wonderful! If it had been anything more extreme, they would've had me rush him to the ER, but again, because of the type of medication and the small dose, thankfully, it wasn't that serious. I can tell you I never left the pill splitter out again, though. And my first reaction was to get help. I'm astounded, Raisa, that you would even consider giving a small child an adult prescription medication. Astounded.

I'm also astounded that you or your husband would leave so many medications within reach of your child. I'm baffled by the toxicology report as well. Why were there only traces of the other drugs found in Nicholas' system? If Nicholas had ingested the pills just prior to his demise, wouldn't the drugs have been more prevalent in his system? It seems to me that more than just traces would have been found. I'm no rocket scientist, but the fact the tox screen took months to come back, combined with the traces of very strong narcotics found in Nicholas' system, suggests something more than what you are saying, Raisa. Frankly, to the untrained eye, such as mine, it suggests Nicholas had been given meds before. You are correct, Raisa when you say one Lunesta could not have killed Nicholas. Unfortunately, it wasn't just one Lunesta.

I'm also very curious why the police haven't made an arrest. While I admire and commend your husband's public service as a police officer, I have to wonder if it is because of his background that someone isn't sitting in jail right now? I'm pretty sure if one of my children turned up dead and I admitted to giving them a sleeping pill, and then all those other drugs were found in their system, I'd be in jail. Period.

You've said that you've been Baker-Acted 5 times in the last few
months. Evidently, you also took off at some point, too and had people
searching for you. You've said you will stop at nothing until you are
with Nicholas. This is scary, and I think you know that. I also know
you have a therapist who is helping you, and I would strongly encourage
you, again, to speak with him or her. Your threats of suicide prompted me the first time you came here, months ago, to Baker Act you myself. Evidently, four other people have seen the same thing. Your threats of harming yourself also prevented any type of discussion of your son's case. It worked last time, Raisa, but it isn't going to work this time. We are going to discuss this, and we are going to figure out what happened to Nicholas.

You can help us or you can impede us. I told you yesterday, you could be Nicholas' best advocate right now. All you have to do is tell the rest of the story. You are the only one who knows what really happened.

TomTerrific0420 wrote:

Bravo Admin! Bravo!

You're wonderful Melissa!