The Bridgeport Police Department’s deputy chief was ordered to place two police detectives on administrative leave for allegedly mishandling two cases involving women found dead in their apartments.
The mayor of Bridgeport, Conn., Joe Ganim, gave the official order for Kevin Cronin and Angel Llanos to be suspended.
Both 23-year-old Lauren Smith-Fields and 53-year-old Brenda Lee Rawls died on December 12 in two separate incidents. The detectives have been accused of being insensitive and not taking the cases seriously.Â
In a video statement released on Facebook, Ganim said, “I want to express my condolences to the families of Lauren Smith-Fields and Brenda Lee Rawls. I want you to know that I am extremely disappointed with the leadership of the Bridgeport Police Department and have found the actions taken up to this point in regards to these two investigations unacceptable.”
Smith-Fields was discovered dead after a night with a man she met on Bumble. He claims that he awoke to find the woman unresponsive.
Her family insists that the police did not inform them of her death and that they learned from a note left on her apartment door by her landlord more than a day later.
When they contacted the police department, a detective told them to stop calling.
According to the medical examiner’s office, the victim died from the combined effects of alcohol, fentanyl, and antihistamines.
Rawls was found dead the same day in a similar incident. A man who woke up at her apartment said the woman was unresponsive.
Her family was never notified of her death and were told that nobody could help them with answers at the police department.
Rawls’ cause of death is still undetermined, but a spokesperson for the Bridgeport Police Department says there were no physical signs of trauma or foul play.
An investigation is ongoing for both cases.
