DARWIN COSTELLO - 4 Months (2010)/ Convicted: Father; Ryan Costello - Fort Myers FL

A neighborhood that was shocked by news of marijuana being grown next door, are now
sickened by what investigators say led to the bust.
31 year old Ryan Costello behind bars accused of beating an infant.
The Sheriff's Office tipped off to the grow house after a baby was
dropped off at Lee Memorial Health Park Hospital suffering from broken
bones and blows to the head. Investigators say the child's mother
returned Sunday from a night out when some sort of fight broke out.
That's when Costello allegedly beat her and choked her child.
The baby was rushed to a hospital in St. Petersburg and remains in
critical condition.

Whitney Simonson, mother of a baby boy in critical condition at All
Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, has been released from Lee County
Jail.The child’s father, Ryan Costello, remains in jail,
his bond revoked, on charges of battery, child abuse, child neglect,
cocaine possession and manufacturing marijuana.


Simonson
had been arrested on charges of cocaine possession, producing marijuana
and possession of narcotic equipment with intent to manufacture or
deliver. It is not clear yet how much bail she paid for her release.In
an emergency shelter hearing this afternoon in front of Judge James
Seals, detectives with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said Simonson was
still a person of interest in the case. The baby,
identified by family members as Darwin Costello, suffered severe
injuries, including massive head trauma, internal bleeding and broken
bones. Simonson and Costello took Darwin to the hospital after the pair
fought after a night out at a bar. According to sheriff’s
investigators, Costello and Simonson had gone to the bar together, but
Costello returned without Simonson. He picked up Darwin and his older
son, Kingston, from his mother’s home and returned to their Portofino
Springs Boulevard address. When Simonson returned home
with a male friend, she and Costello got into a physical fight. Simonson
said she faked being unconscious and Costello walked away. She then
looked up to see Darwin, lying on a cushion and having trouble
breathing, the sheriff’s office reported.She told
investigators she picked him up and began running to Health Park Medical
Center, which is directly adjacent to their condominium complex.
Costello then drove by and picked up Simonson and the baby and rushed
them to the hospital. Once there, Costello handed the baby boy to a
nurse and fled. Simonson stayed and told investigators her other son was
home alone.
When investigators went to check on him, they
discovered a marijuana grow house. At the shelter hearing
today, investigators with the Department of Children and Families said
they would consider placing Kingston, who is currently in foster care,
with a family member, although they stipulated that because of the
pending criminal charges and their own investigation, Simonson would not
be able to live with the child, despite her release from jail.
Darwin Costello was flown to All Children’s Hospital because of his
extensive injuries. Hospital spokeswoman Ann Miller said she had no
further information on the child’s condition.

The crime scene tape is gone, but an investigation into a disturbing
child abuse case is still evolving.

All was quiet on Tuesday at the town home where Lee deputies say a
father beat his infant son until brain dead, and where detectives say
they later discovered a marijuana grow operation. A black car was parked
in the driveway, but no one answered the door.

Both parents, Ryan Costello, 31, and girlfriend Whitney Simonsen,
remain at the Lee County jail. Their infant son is kept alive on a
ventilator at All Children’s Hospital. Their other child, a
21-month-old, was taken by child protection workers and is now in a
foster home.

“It’s been fairly quiet,” neighbor Nic Hill, 28, said of the
neighborhood.

The allegations were shocking. Detectives said Costello attacked
Simonsen inside their Portofino Springs Boulevard home on Sunday night
after she returned home from a bar. After falling to the ground,
Simonsen picked herself up to discover the infant lying on the couch,
severely injured and laboring for breath.

The couple rushed the child to HealthPark Medical Center, after which
it was flown to St. Petersburg. Simonsen remained at the hospital;
Costello took off in the couple’s car, detectives said.

Deputies questioning Simonsen learned that the other child remained
at the home alone. Upon checking on the child, they found the grow
operation, they reported. The 21-month-old was unharmed.

Monday, deputies rearrested Simonsen on additional drug charges,
seven hours after her release on the original charges. According to a
report, agents with the federal Drug Enforcement Agency tipped deputies
that the couple sold pills from the house. A crime scene technician,
working the scene from the initial reports, discovered 1,808 Oxycodone
pills in a dessert cake box, the report said.

She was charged with two counts of opiate trafficking, 4 grams to 30
kilograms, a first degree felony. She remains in jail pending $60,000
bond.

Costello, who is being held without bond, will likely face murder
charges if his child dies. According to his arrest report, he told his
girlfriend he was a murderer after she asked to speak with him in an
interrogation room.

“I killed my kid,” the report quoted Costello as telling Simonsen.
Simonsen repeatedly asked Costello what he did to the child, the report
said, but Costello provided inconsistent accounts.

He faces two battery counts and one count each of aggravated child
abuse, child neglect, marijuana manufacturing, cocaine possession and
drug paraphernalia possession. Simonsen also faces the last three
charges.

Hill, the neighbor, and a father of two, said nothing appeared
out-of-the-ordinary with the family, and that he occasionally saw
Costello and the children playing outside. The abuse allegations are
disturbing, he said.

“In my eyes, there’s nothing a kid that small can do — or any kid,”
he said. “They’re defenseless.”

Just so everyone is aware - Darwin has been visited with NO signs of strangulation (he has chaffed skin from an incoming tooth which causes him to drool and the drool gets trapped in his neck rolls), No bruising, and no visible broken bones. He does have head trauma which are from a drop/fall. "Blows to the head" never took place, and BOTH parents are at fault, not just the father. He is fighting for his life and all everyone can do is pray. Please respect the family and try not to believe what you hear and read in the news. If you knew this family, they are perfectly normal, not monsters. The father has vague memory of the entire incident and has been interrogated and repeatedly TOLD he did it. He feels responsible for all of it, and his so called "confession" was out of guilt, stress, depression, and constant accusation. it does not mean that he literally did it. Until a trial is held, do not place judgement and have respect for the family. They are not criminals, they are not monsters, people just make mistakes and horrible things happen. Just pray.

turqoise7,

"He faces two battery counts and one count each of aggravated child
abuse, child neglect, marijuana manufacturing, cocaine possession and
drug paraphernalia possession. Simonsen also faces the last three
charges."

"According to a
report, agents with the federal Drug Enforcement Agency tipped deputies
that the couple sold pills from the house. A crime scene technician,
working the scene from the initial reports, discovered 1,808 Oxycodone
pills in a dessert cake box, the report said"

(red by me) And I suppose Santa Claus put all the drugs there! I have no idea if your a family member or not, I do feel for the children-they did not deserve this. This is NOT, a "normal family", they put their children in danger by the business their involved in, drugs. We all know the types of people that life attracts.
Believe me, the doctors can tell if the head injuries were caused from a drop/fall or, if it was caused by a "blow to the head" and as far as the broken bones, you may not be able to see them but it doesn't mean they aren't there.

I think you should direct your energy into protecting the children and let the parents face the consequences of their actions on their own. If they couldn't grow up and get their acts together then being a "good parent" would be to give your children up. They are responsible for keeping those children safe, they failed miserably.

I knew Ryan when he was growing up. His brother died at the hands of drug dealers. You would have thought he would have followed a different path! He was a child that grew up with ADHD which wasn't an easy feat. Poor choices in life lead us down a path like this. I feel so sorry for his parents and this remaining sibs. No parent deserves to go through this after what they have already been through with Tyler's death.

alwaysbelieve wrote:turqoise7,

"He faces two battery counts and one count each of aggravated child
abuse, child neglect, marijuana manufacturing, cocaine possession and
drug paraphernalia possession. Simonsen also faces the last three
charges."

"According to a
report, agents with the federal Drug Enforcement Agency tipped deputies
that the couple sold pills from the house. A crime scene technician,
working the scene from the initial reports, discovered 1,808 Oxycodone
pills in a dessert cake box, the report said"

(red by me) And I suppose Santa Claus put all the drugs there! I have no idea if your a family member or not, I do feel for the children-they did not deserve this. This is NOT, a "normal family", they put their children in danger by the business their involved in, drugs. We all know the types of people that life attracts.
Believe me, the doctors can tell if the head injuries were caused from a drop/fall or, if it was caused by a "blow to the head" and as far as the broken bones, you may not be able to see them but it doesn't mean they aren't there.

I think you should direct your energy into protecting the children and let the parents face the consequences of their actions on their own. If they couldn't grow up and get their acts together then being a "good parent" would be to give your children up. They are responsible for keeping those children safe, they failed miserably.

Well said Always. Why people would waste their breath defending this deplorable behaviour I've no idea. Apart from the drugs and everything else, with a toddler and a baby 'normal' parents would have been at home not out at bars anyway. I don't understand why people have children if they want to continue with their pre children lifestyles.

IMO Ryan was upset with the girl friend and to get back at her he hurt the baby. What the hell were they doing at Groove Street? Grandma watching the kids? They should act like grown up parents for crying out loud. They weren't just selling a few pills, the 1800 plus in a cookie tin was worth $28,000. Now that's not a small operation now is it?

Does anyone know how the baby is? I can't find any info on his condition.

Face to face in an interrogation room with the mother of his two
sons, Ryan Costello confessed to beating his newborn baby. The
infant, identified as Darwin Costello, was born in February and is
still believed to be in critical condition at All Children’s Hospital in
St. Petersburg, suffering from massive brain and bodily injuries. Law
enforcement said Monday he was surviving on a respirator. Ryan
Costello, 31, was arrested on multiple abuse and drug charges Sunday
after turning himself in. Darwin’s mother, Whitney Simonsen, who also
was arrested Sunday on drug charges, was released from Lee County Jail
on Monday, but re-arrested on additional drug charges. According
to Lee sheriff’s Detective Jason Parks, Simonsen, 24, was already in
custody Sunday when Costello arrived at headquarters. Simonsen asked to
speak to him. Alone in the room together, video camera on,
Costello broke down, admitting fault for the child’s injuries, but
refusing details, Parks reported. “I killed my kid,” he
told Simonsen before labeling himself a murderer. Simonsen fired back,
repeatedly demanding answers. “At times, Costello avoided
questions and later provided inconsistent explanation for the injuries,”
Parks reported.Costello acted alone, detectives said,
although he and Simonsen were arrested after discovery of a marijuana
grow operation at their Portofino Springs condominium. Simonsen, an
Australian native, was released from jail for about one hour Monday
afternoon but was arrested again after agents with the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration notified deputies she was known to stockpile
the painkiller Oxycodone.
Authorities believed she might have as
many as 100,000 pills scattered in boxes throughout the house. In a
dessert cake box, deputies found 1,808 tablets with an estimated street
value of $27,000.
Simonsen is being held on $30,000 bond on charges of trafficking
opiates. Costello’s bond has been revoked. Darwin’s
21-month-old brother, Kingston, remained in foster care Tuesday under
supervision of the Department of Children and Families. Relatives have
applied for custody. Deputies were first alerted to
trouble around 2 a.m. Sunday, when Darwin’s parents rushed him to the
emergency room at HealthPark Medical Center in south Fort Myers with
shortness of breath, discoloration and lethargy. Costello handed his son
to a nurse and fled; Simonsen stayed and told responding deputies
Kingston was home alone. Investigators checking on Kingston, who was
asleep and unharmed, found marijuana plants and paraphernalia.Earlier that night,
Costello and Simonsen dropped off the babies with paternal grandmother
Patricia Costello, who told investigators both boys were in good health
while in her care. Simonsen and Costello went to a comedy club in south
Fort Myers, and Costello ended up leaving without Simonsen. He went to
his mother’s home to pick up his sons. Patricia Costello told deputies
her son was emotional, upset about relationship problems. He
took the boys home, and was alone with them for about two hours before
Simonsen arrived, having received a ride from a male friend. A fight
broke out. When the friend left, Costello reportedly struck Simonsen
until she pretended to be unconscious. Costello walked away, and
Simonsen saw her newborn nearby in distress. On Monday,
both parents appeared unemotional during a custody hearing for Kingston.
DCF attorneys said if Simonsen was released, she would not be able to
reside in the same home with Kingston. Patricia Costello, reached by
phone Tuesday, declined to comment. Lee sheriff’s
spokesman Tony Schall said he could not release further updates on
Darwin’s medical condition, and Ann Miller, spokeswoman for All
Children’s Hospital, said she had no information. Scott
Moorey, attorney for Ryan Costello, said he was not provided with a
medical update, and declined to comment further, saying he’s still in
the process of gathering information for the case. Upon
Simonsen’s arrest for the pills, she told detectives she had been dating
Costello four years, but had known him to be a drug dealer for the past
10 years. Court records show Costello has prior arrests for drugs and
violence.

I Checked Costello's arrest record..............nothing pertaining to drugs of any sort. Minor offenses!

I stand corrected he has drug arrest from 2005. Those kids should have been taken out of the house! Once a drug dealer always a drug dealer!

2005 is not drug charges...check closer! The famlies of the two parents in question are going thru so much right now. You cant always believe everything u read in the news. As far as Im aware its not aginst the law to go every now and again and let your parents not a babysitter watch your children. This is a young couple not like they left the kids home all night by themselves. We dont know the whole story just what mother has told and the news has reported! If the father is responsible for the injuries and did out of malice then he should be delt with but you cant always believe EVERYTHING that u read. Pray for those two little boys and the famlies that have to pick up the pieces now. With the numerous drug charges both parents have the children will be parentless for quite along time!!

Darwin is still at all childrens hospital where they will give NO info out about newborn!! Pray for the children!!

The mother of a severely injured newborn was released from Lee County
Jail on Wednesday - the second time this week.
Whitney Simonsen, 24, posted $60,000 bail and was freed after two
arrests on charges of manufacturing marijuana and trafficking opiates.Her live-in boyfriend
and father of her children, Ryan Costello, 31, remains in custody,
accused of child abuse, battery and drug manufacturing after Lee County
sheriff's deputies say he injured the baby and beat Simonsen early
Sunday morning. The couple was growing marijuana and dealing
prescription pills from their south Fort Myers condominium, according to
investigators.The
medical condition of 4-month-old Darwin Costello was not being released
by officials Wednesday, and family members have declined to comment.
The last update provided Monday by the sheriff's office was that Darwin
was in critical condition, brain dead and surviving only on life support
at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg. Ryan Costello admitted to
harming his son, according to detectives.Simonsen had been arrested in connection with the
grow operation and was released on supervision Monday. She was
re-arrested an hour later after agents with the Drug Enforcement
Administration tipped off deputies that she could be dealing hundreds of
thousands of Oxycodone pills. Detectives found 1,808 pills in a dessert
cake box in the couple's kitchen.According to Simonsen's arrest report, she told
investigators Ryan Costello would set her up with customers, and that
since August, she's dealt an average of 600 pills monthly."Whitney stated that at
every residence she and Ryan had lived, she has set up an area in the
kitchen for the purpose of storing different kinds of drugs in different
types of boxes," a narcotics detective reported. "She described this as
Ryan's workplace."In
addition to Darwin, the couple had a 21-month-old son together. He was
not harmed, and family members have requested custody.

FYI the Lee County Court of the Clerk doesn't list drug charges in 2005............check Lee County Sheriffs Department arrest! It clearly list several drug charges! By the way just wondering where these two wonderful parents are employed?! Oh they work from home growing organic weed and providing pain releive to the druggies of Lee County. Simonen's is from Autrailian, maybe she should be deported at once! This whole thing makes me sick! A poor baby clinging to life harmed at the hands of someone who should have never reproduced in the first place.

Darwin Costello, the 4-month-old boy police say was beaten and
strangled by his father earlier this week, died from his injuries at
about 8:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the Lee County Sheriff's Office.The
infant, who had been declared brain dead, spent the past four days on
life support at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg after
suffering massive head trauma, internal bleeding and broken bones. The
medical examiner will release an official cause of death in the coming
weeks, according to sheriff’s spokesman John Sheehan.As a
result of the baby’s death, Ryan Costello, 31, the child’s father, is
now charged with first-degree murder, Sheehan said in a statement.Because
of the victim’s age and nature of the crime, the charge qualifies as a
capital felony, making Costello eligible for the death sentence,
according to Sheehan.
“It was a very difficult afternoon for the family,” said Charles
Costello, Ryan’s uncle, “but the family was able to be with Darwin.“The
family members that were there, including his grandparents, were able
to kiss Darwin goodbye and hold him for a while,” he said.“Darwin
went to a better place, not quite so painful as the one he’s leaving,”
Charles Costello said.The focus now, he said, is on
getting Kingston — Ryan Costello’s oldest son — out of foster care and
with his grandparents.As for the murder charge against his
nephew, Charles Costello said, “They can have him.”“Any
human being that would raise two infants in a grow house surrounded by
drugs and chemicals and jury-rigged electrical lighting — how can you
care what happens to somebody like that?” Charles Costello said. “It’s
just unbelievable that you would raise children in that kind of
environment.”According to sheriff’s investigators, Ryan
Costello confessed to beating Darwin earlier this week during a taped
conversation in an interrogation room between him and Whitney Simonsen,
24, his live-in girlfriend and Darwin’s mother.“I killed
my kid,” he told Simonsen before calling himself a murderer.
Costello has been in jail since Sunday on charges of child abuse,
battery and drug manufacturing after deputies also found a marijuana
grow operation at the home he shared with Simonsen.Simonsen
also was arrested on charges related to the grow operation and released
Monday, but was again arrested after being charged with trafficking
opiates. She was released on those charges Wednesday after posting
$60,000 bail. The Drug Enforcement Agency told deputies
that Simonsen could have been selling hundreds of thousands of oxycodone
pills.Darwin was rushed to the hospital after a night in
which the couple fought following a night out at the bar.Costello
and Simonsen had gone to the bar together, but Costello returned
without Simonsen, according to sheriff’s investigators.When
Simonsen returned home with a male friend, she and Costello got into a
physical fight. Simonsen said she faked being unconscious and Costello
walked away. She then looked up to see Darwin, lying on a
cushion and having trouble breathing.She told
investigators she picked him up and began running to HealthPark Medical
Center, directly adjacent to their condominium complex. Costello then
drove by and picked up Simonsen and the baby and rushed them to the
hospital.Costello handed Darwin to a nurse and fled.
Simonsen stayed and told investigators her other son was home alone and,
when investigators went to check on him, they discovered the marijuana
grow house.When deputies arrived at the residence, they
found four marijuana plants in plain view, and upstairs, 25 planters of
soil, overhead lights, fans and an air conditioning duct modified to
cool the lights. Trails of soil, the disturbed pots and other evidence
indicated numerous plants had been moved recently, the sheriff’s office
reported.

I feel so sorry for Ryan's family. They lost one son to drugs and now a grandson to drugs at the hands of their oldest son. The pain must be unbarable. The death penalty will now be on the table. The family wants nothing to do with Ryan and they say let him rot in jail! Please pray for this broke family.

I don't feel sorry for this family. This is the consequence of denial. This family had their chance to wake up and accept their responsibility for the abusive legacy they handed down to their children.
Start with grandpa Murray. Start with grandma Patty.
Grandpa has had many injunctions filed against him for physical abuse. Where did Ryan learn that it's acceptable to strike women and children?
Why did grandma Patty allow her obviously and visibly, emotionally upset, not to mention intoxicated, son to remove the children from her care? Why was she willing to risk the lives of her grandchildren by letting Ryan take them home that night?
This is a family who cares more about their social status than the lives of their children and grandchildren.

You must know the family as well as I do. I asked myself today..........Patty and Murray surely knew what the hell was going on! How could they not have known that their son was growing weed in one bedroom of their house? Who is going to raise Kingston when Patty and murray didn't do such a hot job of raising their own. Also Murray was both abusive to both his then wife Patty and the kids. We model what we see. Ryan was always a troubled child growing up with ADHD. I actually feel sorry for the girl friend being so young maybe she was in a situation she couldn't get out of and now has lost an infant son. She will certainly turn states evidence in this case.

McGregor Boulevard wrote:I don't feel sorry for this family. This is the consequence of denial. This family had their chance to wake up and accept their responsibility for the abusive legacy they handed down to their children.
Start with grandpa Murray. Start with grandma Patty.
Grandpa has had many injunctions filed against him for physical abuse. Where did Ryan learn that it's acceptable to strike women and children?
Why did grandma Patty allow her obviously and visibly, emotionally upset, not to mention intoxicated, son to remove the children from her care? Why was she willing to risk the lives of her grandchildren by letting Ryan take them home that night?
This is a family who cares more about their social status than the lives of their children and grandchildren.

Thank you McGregor & knewhim, for the input and a glimpse of this families dynamics. Sounds like the kids were all born with 3 strikes against them, so sad.

alwaysbelieve, it's so wrong that this child had to die. It was completely preventable.

I do not excuse this couple for what happened. Both were more interested in their next high than the welfare of their children. The "girlfriend" knew what she was getting herself into, yet she had no qualms about exposing her children to a dangerous environment. From the News-Press article: "Upon
Simonsen’s arrest for the pills, she told detectives she had been dating
Costello four years, but had known him to be a drug dealer for the past
10 years. "

Nice choice for your babies daddy. She's no prize either.
Sadly, I don't believe that she will receive the punishment she deserves. More than likely, she'll be deported back to Australia.
Meanwhile...Starke looms large in Ryan's future.

There are new details in a case of child
abuse that claimed the life of a 3-month-old boy. The father has been
charged with murder and the rest of the family is fighting for custody
of the man's other child.

The Lee County Sheriff's Office says early
Sunday morning, 31-year-old Ryan Costello beat his three month old son
Darwin so badly he was brain dead.

In a recorded interview between Costello and
his live in girlfriend, Costello said, "I killed my kid" and later
described himself as a murderer.

Responding deputies also found a grow house operation inside Costello's home.

Both of Darwin's parents were arrested.

All the while, 20-month old Kingston slept.

"Kingston was taken from the site of a
gruesome, horrible tragedy," said Charles Costello, Ryan Costello's uncle.

Charles Costello says Kingston was
immediately taken by the Department of Children and Family Services.

"He suffered through a traumatic event and
has no one familiar around him, what's right about that?" said Charles.

That's why Charles is trying to get DCF to
put Kingston in the loving arms of his grandparents.

"Let us embrace him, we know how to rally
around our family. Just give us a chance," said Charles.

Additional injuries to the south Fort Myers infant who died last
night in a St. Petersburg hospital were detailed in an updated arrest
report of the child’s father, provided by the Lee County Sheriff’s
Office.According to Detective Michael Rauschenberger,
Darwin Costello, less than four months old, remained in critical
condition throughout his care, which began Sunday. “During
this time, and under further medical evaluation of Darwin Costello,
additional injuries were discovered to include: injuries and fractures
to the spine, a fractured elbow, a fractured rib and Darwin endured
numerous seizures throughout the duration of his care due to his massive
head/brain injuries,” Rauschenberger reported. The baby’s
father, Ryan Costello, 31, now faces first-degree capital murder
charges in connection with his son’s death. He is also charged with
battery and producing marijuana. The newborn’s mother, Whitney Simonsen,
24, was arrested and released twice this week on charges related to a
marijuana grow operation at the family’s south Fort Myers home, as well
as trafficking Oxycodone. Deputies say Simonsen returned
from a bar shortly after midnight on Sunday, and an argument among her,
Costello and a male friend ensued. The male friend left, and Costello
reportedly struck Simonsen until she feigned unconsciousness. It was at
that time she saw her son was not breathing well, and the two rushed him
to HealthPark Medical Center nearby. The couple’s other
son, 21 months-old, was left at the home, and detectives found him there
asleep and unharmed — and also uncovered the marijuana grow operation.

Darwin was later flown to All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg
due to the massive injuries he suffered, which detectives had said
included multiple skull fractures and signs of strangulation. He had
been surviving on life support, which was removed Thursday evening
around 8:30 p.m. Ryan Costello reportedly confessed to
Simonsen in an interview room after turning himself in to authorities.

Simonsen has been freed on $60,000 bail, while Costello remains in
custody without bond.

I was very good friends with Tyler in high school. He was an amazing, loving person who would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. He brightened my life just by being in it, and I was devestated when he died. Because I was with Tyler a lot, I also got to know Patty very well. She was also my math teacher for two years. I can't believe the commenters above's comments about her. You two sound like jealous busybodies, spreading lies to make make yourselves feel important. I saw first-hand how Patty parented, and she was no pushover. She didnt allow Tyler to run wild, and he respected her for that. That was a boy who would do absolutley anything for his mother and always told us how much she meant to him. The fact that people like you two above are blasting HER for the dispicable thing that Ryan did is ridiculous. What parent has the ability to control their adult child? How can you blame her for his discusting actions? Ryan is a murderer and deserves to be punished to the full extent of the law, which in Florida is death. But to bring his mother into it, and put her down for his crimes is STUPID. I watched Patty fall apart after Tyler died, she was beyond devestated. Now she just lost her 4-month old grandson, and her SON is probably going to get the death penalty. This woman has been through more tragedy then most people. So why dont you show her some compassion and prayers, instead of misguidingly pointing your finger at her in her darkest hour? I can tell from your posts that one of you is a neighbor, and one of you an aquaintance. You both should be ashamed of yourselves. I for one, am GRATEFUL that they have finally re-opened Tyler's case. Everyone that knew him KNEW it was a murder from the get-go. The police dismissed his death as an OD, which is ridiculous because we told them that Tyler had been sober in the months leading up to his death. I bet they were flabbergasted when his tox screens came back NEGATIVE. They bungled his case, and for almost ten years someone has been walking around with Tyler's blood one their hands. I pray to God that whoever is responsible will have to pay for taking sych a great guy with a very bright future ahead of him. RIP Emerson "Tyler" Costello and Darwin Costello.