ANDREW CIANFRINI - 21 months (2009) - Elmira/Batavia NY

Elmira police have made an arrest in the November 10, 2009 death of a
21 month old child.



Police said they arrested Melissa S. Engelhardt Thursday for her direct involvement in the death of her step
child.

Police said the child was found dead in their home on the eastside of Elmira.

They say the arrest of Engelhardt was the result of a four month long death investigation.

The twenty-four year old Elmira woman was arraigned in Elmira City Court and charged
with Manslaughter.

Engelhardt was sent to the Chemung County Jailwithout bail and is directed to re-appear in Elmira City Court Friday morning.

The name of the child is not being released

* * * *

A step mother is charged with manslaughter for her role in the death
of her toddler step-daughter.

Elmira Police arrested 24 year-old Melissa Engelhardt of Elmira on Thursday.
In November, Elmira Police say her twenty-one month old step
daughter was found dead in their home.
The arrest was the result of a 4 month collaborative investigation.
Engelhardt was charged with Manslaughter 1st degree, in
Elmira City Court and taken to the Chemung county jail.
She is due to reappear in court Friday morning.

After a four-month investigation, police on Thursday charged an
Elmira woman in the poisoning death of her 21-month-old stepson.
Melissa S. Engelhardt, 24, of Elm Street, faces a charge of
first-degree manslaughter, a felony, in the Nov. 10 death of Andrew
Cianfrini of Batavia.
Court documents state Engelhardt gave the child a juice drink that
had been laced with a toxin that caused his death.
Police were called to 1301 Lake St. about 8 a.m. Nov. 10 for an
unresponsive infant. Police officers found the child dead.
The boy lived with his mother in Batavia and was at the Lake Street
home visiting his father, George Engelhardt, 26, who lived there with
Melissa Engelhardt, Chemung County Chief Assistant District Attorney
John Thweatt said Friday.
Both have since moved to the Elm Street address, Thweatt said.

A judge in Elmira Friday set bail at $20,000 for a woman accused
of lacing her 21-month-old stepson's juice with antifreeze.

Melissa S. Englehardt, 24, appeared in Elmira City Court for hearing the day
after she was charged with first-degree manslaughter in the Nov. 10,
2009, poisoning of Andrew John Cianfrini of Batavia.

Englehardt is accused of mixing antifreeze with juice and giving it to Andrew
sometime before Nov. 10. Andrew was found the morning of the 10th at his
father's house in Elmira.

An autopsy revealed he died of methanol poisoning.

The revelation touched off an intensive four-month investigation
by Elmira and city of Batavia police, eventually leading to Englehardt.

Elmira Captain Joseph Kain would not comment on a motive, though he did say
Englehardt gave police a statement that led to the manslaughter, rather
than murder, charge against her.

Andrew was the son of Kristen Cianfrini and grandson of John and Jean Cianfrini of Batavia. The family
was in Elmira Friday for the hearing.

The case will likely go to a grand jury in Chemung County Court.

It's a difficult and disturbing crime to understand when you look at
these pictures.



Who would poison 2-year-old Andrew Cianfrini?
Police in Elmira say his step-mother did. Melissa Englehart
is 24-years-old and she is now charged with manslaughter. Captain
Joseph Kain of the Elmira Police Department said "Mister Englehardt was
very forthcoming, very cooperative, and obviously very distraught over
the situation. Even further distraught when he realized that his wife
was directly involved in killing his child." The Medical
Examiner's office determined that Andrew was poisoned with methanol, a
common ingredient in anti-freeze. Investigators think Melissa
mixed it in with Andrew's juice. "We were contacted on November
10, 2009 when the child was found deceased, and contacted by Elmira
Police Department," explained Sgt. Patrick Corona. Andrew was
visiting his father George Englehardt when he died.

Most of
Andrew's family lives in Batavia, including his mother. Andrew's
parents had scheduled visitations for Andrew and his father. Sgt.
Corona also stated, "At that time, there was alot of talk about swine
flu. Talk that it could be swine flu but the medical examiner did a
great job and in a week's time, advised us that that wasn't the case
here." Andrew's mother spoke out about the death of her son on
her MySpace account. She exclaimed, "I feel like a huge weight
has been lifted off my life. Let's just say justice will always come,
you might just have to wait a little while." Police are still
gathering evidence and Andrew's step-mother could face additional
charges.

A New York woman was found guilty of manslaughter Thursday in the poisoning of her 21-month-old stepson by pouring windshield-washer fluid into his juice.Melissa Engelhardt, 24, of Elmira, N.Y., had faced a second-degree murder charge too, but Chemung County Court Judge Peter Buckley convicted her only on the first-degree manslaughter charge in the non-jury trial.She is to be sentenced Dec. 6.She allegedly confessed to killing Andrew Cianfrini of Batavia, N.Y., by combining an ounce of windshield-washer fluid with the boy's juice in his cup the night of Nov. 8.Andrew was found dead in Engelhardt's car the morning of Nov. 10. Engelhardt was arrested March 11.An autopsy found methanol in the child's body. Methanol lowers the temperature of water to prevent it from freezing. It can be fatal if ingested. Methanol was also found in the child's cup.Elmira Police Department Investigator Patrick Fernan testified Wednesday Engelhardt told him she poisoned the boy to make him sick in the hope of blaming the illness on the boy's biological mother, Kristen Cianfrini of Batavia, the Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle reported.She said she hoped the boy being sick would help her and her husband, George Engelhardt, gain custody of Andrew, Fernan testified.

Andrew J. Cianfrini
Engelhardt convicted of manslaughter in stepson's death
Boy's grandfather disappointed with verdict
The grandfather of the boy poisoned by an Elmira woman criticized the verdict following a bench trial in Chemung County Court this week.
Chemung County Judge Peter C. Buckley on Thursday afternoon ruled Melissa Engelhardt, 24, was guilty of first-degree manslaughter and not guilty of second-degree murder in the Nov. 10, 2009, death of her stepson, 21-month-old Andrew J. Cianfrini of Batavia.

"Obviously, it's not what we wanted," John Cianfrini of Batavia, Andrew's grandfather, said after the trial. "We were forewarned that this could be a possibility.

"I'm really disappointed that (Buckley) didn't really look at everything," he said.

"He just looked at the law pertaining to her confession. And there's just mountains and mountains of evidence. It's baffling."

More than a dozen witnesses testified during the two-day trial, including a toxicologist, a computer forensics expert and the child's biological parents.

Buckley spent about an hour discussing the law and evidence in the case before giving his verdict to the more than 40 people assembled in the courtroom.

The two charges were similar, he said.

Both required proof that Engelhardt recklessly created a serious risk of Andrew's death when she poured windshield washer fluid mixed with a sweet beverage into his sippy cup.

The boy died of methanol poisoning; methanol is a component in some windshield washer fluids as well as antifreeze. Conviction on the murder charge would require more evidence, Buckley said.

"The crux of this case is whether or not the (prosecution) proved that the defendant acted with depraved indifference to human life," he said.

He said Engelhardt's statement given March 11 to Elmira Police Investigator Patrick Fernan was "extremely important," in determining whether she acted with depraved indifference.

He compared it with testimony given by her husband, George Engelhardt, and others in the trial to determine whether the statement was "the whole truth."

"I have to determine whether or not the confession ... is the whole story, or is there more?" Buckley said. "Is there depraved indifference to human life?"

Facebook page for updates:

https://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_102595383143448

Light a blue candle on November 10,2010 Light a blue candle for Andrew or if you can join the memorial (please see link and additional information below) on November 10th. You can let the family know that you support them and justice for Andrew at the link at the bottom of this post. It will have been one year since An...drew was poisoned by Windshield Wiper fluid by his stepmother.
Thank you in advance!
http://thedailynewsonline.com/obitua...cc4c03286.html

Andrew Cianfrini
BATAVIA — The family is having a candle lighting for Andrew Cianfrini at 6 p.m. Wednesday at St. Joseph’s Mausoleum on Ellicott Street, Batavia. This is for anyone that would like to support the family.

As a request from the family, they are asking everyone to bring a blue candle. The family would like to thank everyone in advance for participating.
Facebook Group~Justice for Baby Andrew.
Link to visit group https://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=...02595383143448

Thanks for letting us know Say What. I will light my blue candle tomorrow here in in New Zealand.

Thank you so much. I am sure that all the outpouring of love and support is healing and moving to all that love and miss Andrew.

What a beautiful angel is he.

My candle is lit for Andrew and his family.

It has been reported that around 150 people attended the candle lighting memorial, it was beautiful. I know that I wished that I could of went. The family facebook group has over 1,000 members and many have committed to lighting candles at home.

Thank you Kiwigal for your support all the way from New Zealand! And thank you to all that have offered prayers, lit candles and hoped for justice for little Andrew today and always.

Bless all who care for all children that are abused, missing or taken from this world too soon!

Rest in Peace Andrew you will always be remembered.

To join family and friends of Justice for Baby Andrew please check out the open group by clicking link below:
https://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_102595383143448

Updated article for those following the story of little Andrew Cianfrini. Snip of article below and the link available at bottom of post.

Snip:

Genesee County residents banding together to seek justice for Baby Andrew
A growing number of people in Genesee County have a message for Chemung County Judge Peter C. Buckley: Do right by Baby Andrew.

They already think Buckley's served justice poorly by not finding Andrew Cianfrini's killer, his own step-mother, 24-year-old Melissa Engelhardt, guilty of murder. Instead, Buckley found Engelhardt guilty of only manslaughter in a non-jury trial where Buckley was the sole fact finder in the case.

More than 1,200 people have joined a Facebook group, Justice for Baby Andrew, and about 100 of them gathered Wednesday evening for a candlelight vigil at St. Joseph's Mausoleum, where Baby Andrew was laid to rest.

The vigil came on the one year anniversary of Andrew's death and 26 days before Engelhardt is scheduled to be sentenced in Elmira.

Link:

http://thebatavian.com/blogs/howard-owens/genesee-county-residents-banding-together-seek-justice-baby-andrew/22074

Newest article:

http://thebatavian.com/blogs/howard-owens/family-baby-andrew-still-shocked-manslaughter-rather-murder-verdict/22178

snip:
When the verdict was pronounced, all Kristen Cianfrini could do was cry.

Melissa Engelhardt, who in her mind, had murdered her son, 21-month-old Andrew Cianfrini, was getting away with it.

Even though experts had told Kristen a manslaughter rather than a murder verdict was possible, especially from a reportedly liberal Chumung County judge who would render the decision in a non-jury trial, she didn't want to believe it.

"I just pushed it out of my mind," Kristen said. "I just thought the evidence was there."

And according to Ed Minardo, director of Genesee Justice, who sat with Kristen through the entire trial of the 24-year-old Engelhardt, of Elmira, it was.

"How can somebody put poison in a sippy cup and over the next 24 hours watch a baby get sicker and not take him to the hospital and that not be depraved indifference?" said Minardo.

This is so wrong, that beotch should have been charged with murder, because that is what she did, she murdered that precious child.
Our laws are so in need of fixing, especially when it involves a child.
RIP Sweet Andrew!

The father of the boy fatally poisoned by an Elmira woman was not satisfied with the prison sentence handed down to her Monday in Chemung County Court.



Judge Peter C. Buckley sentenced Melissa Engelhardt, 24, to 20 years in state prison followed by five years of post-release supervision. In a bench trial in October, Buckley ruled Engelhardt was guilty of first-degree manslaughter and not guilty of second-degree murder in the Nov. 10, 2009, death of her stepson, 21-month-old Andrew J. Cianfrini of Batavia."I still don't think 20 years is long enough. I'm just glad she'll never see my children again," George Engelhardt, Melissa's husband, remarked after the sentencing.The toddler was on a custodial visit to his father in Elmira when Melissa Engelhardt poured windshield washer fluid mixed with a sweet beverage into the boy's sippy cup. The boy died of methanol poisoning; methanol is a component in some windshield washer fluids, as well as antifreeze.Melissa and George Engelhardt have one natural child, born before the October trial.A girl younger than age 5 also was removed from the Engelhardt home by Child Protective Services when Melissa Engelhardt was initially charged.Melissa Engelhardt cried in the courtroom as Andrew's mother, Kristen Cianfrini, and grandparents read statements to the court.Outside the courthouse, Cianfrini said of the sentence:"It's better than I figured it was going to be on the way that he sentenced her to only manslaughter. It's not 25 (years); it's not life, but at least her kids will be old enough to know why she wasn't there and what she did," Cianfrini said.In deciding the sentence, Buckley told the courtroom he factored in Engelhardt's history of mental health issues and the fact that she did not take her medication at the time the crime was committed.She told Elmira police investigators she didn't intend to kill the child."I didn't want him to die," Engelhardt said in the statement. "I just wanted to make him sick."Engelhardt said she wanted to blame Andrew's mother for the poisoning to help her and George Engelhardt gain custody of the child.More than a dozen witnesses testified during the two-day trial, including a toxicologist, a computer forensics expert and the child's biological parents.Engelhardt faced a maximum sentence of 25 years.