We all fear that sudden call in the middle of the night, a tragedy, a death. The truth is it can happen to anyone at any moment. Thank goodness, for most of us, that call will never come. But what if the tragedy came and the call never did. What if you and your family were forced to investigate the terrible death of someone you love with no help from those that are supposed to serve and protect. What if the truth you find is more horrible than you can even believe. My name is m William Phelps. I'm an investigative journalist and true crime author. I've dedicated the past twenty years of my life to helping families of the missing and murdered. Join me for part two, the conclusion of the special episode of Crossing the Line. Before we get started, I want to tell you that if you haven't listened to last week's episode, that's a good place to start. In today's shocking conclusion, you'll hear the truth behind some of the mysteries we uncovered in our previous episode, but you'll need to have listened to that for contexts. Go check it out first. Last week, you met Chantel Fields, Chantell had recently lost her twenty three year old daughter, Lauren, a bright, beautiful, full of life TikTok influencer who was studying to be a physical therapist. Her death took place on December twelve, twenty twenty one, the morning after Lauren had a bumbled date at her Bridgeport, Connecticut apartment. Her date, who we're calling Tom, is our primary source of information about that night. She was found lifeless on the floor of her bedroom. Blood was found on the bedsheet, and in one Nostril a beat cop showed up and took a statement from Lauren's date, but that's as far as the investigation went. Lauren's family was never contacted by authorities informing them she had passed, and when they pressed Bridgeport, Connecticut police for information, they were brushed off. Chantelle was told by someone at Lauren's apartment building that on the morning of her death, a single police officer showed up at her daughter's apartment hours before first responders arrived, leading Chantelle to believe that something suspicious had occurred. The incident report of her daughter's death reflects that Lauren's bumble date found her unresponsive early in the morning after they both fell asleep, and he subsequently called nine to one. Here's Chantelle, one police officer shows up before everybody else shows up. Yeah, it was like hours earlier. I just wanted to find out who was the first person this man called exactly, and it seemed like everybody is trying to evade that, like almost like they don't want to pull the records on who he called first. To be clear, Chantelle is not accusing anyone of anything nefarious. She only wants to know the truth about what happened to her daughter and why a single police officer arrived before all others, what he did, and who called him out to the scene. These are all fair questions. I believe the Bridgeport Police Department must have taken Tom's phone. They must know who he called when, and presumably why. They must also have a record of who went to Lauren's apartment that morning after the nine call came in. I asked Shantell what she could tell me about the bumble day if she knew anything about him. Well, as I know that he's from and I know you have ties and friends and family members at police department that works in a police department, I want to say I could not independently confirm this. I bleep the town. She mentions to protect the privacy of the bumble date, but for the record, it is not Bridgeport, So I just want to be clear about that. I also wondered something else, and so I asked Shantell about it. Did the medical examiner ever do a sexual assault kit or anything like that on her body? But I'm pretty sure he did not, because it isn't like everything was just so messy about this case. Everything was just trying to be hidden, you know, hidden. I mean every time I think, wow, this makes me sick. Lauren smith Field's family is confused, frustrated, and the impact of her death is made significantly more tragic by the silent blue wall they have been up against. They want facts and information. They are not trying to say that there is some sort of conspiracy going on here, only that they don't know what happened, and I think they deserve answers. So pholps, do we know the cause of death or the manner of death or anything like that? We do, And that's Catherine Law, my producer. Hi. It came in on January twenty second, two twenty two, a month after Lauren died. The Connecticut Chief Medical Examiner's Office put out its official cause of death for Lauren. I'm having trouble with the words, so I'm gonna have Catherine read them for me. Quote acute intoxication due to the combined effects of fentonel, promethazine, hydroxyzine, and alcohol. I knew she'd nail it. So with that being said, they deem the manner of death to be accidental. How did they determine Lauren's death as accidental? What evidence supports this finding? A toxicology report certainly cannot determine manner of death. Manner of death refers to the way a death is categorized natural, accident, suicide, homicide, undetermined pending. Okay, as far as I know, police never questioned Lauren's date, who we've been calling Tom. They never detained him or asked him any follow up questions to the initial narrative he offered in that incident report. Why it feels like they're just treating this like, oh, that's another Fentinel death case closed when there's a little more here. I think that needs to be unpacked. Well, we don't know, so we need to know, you know, that's the rightful point of this that Lauren's family is making is what the f happened? Right? And you know, it also begs the question, if the police were so flippant about not even telling the family that she had died, what else are they missing. That's a really great point in the cutting corners and leaving things out. It's just it's messy, and looking at Lauren's busy lifestyle and what her family members reported about her movements and state of mind, it's clear that Lauren was not a chronic user of hardcore drugs. It's unlikely she could maintain the lifestyle she did daily jim routine, college, running her own business TikTok, and be a habitual user of a drug like fentanyl. I think that's a good thing to note and it makes total sense. And you know, fentanyl is this thing that's an It's in everything these days. You know, everybody's been doing coverage on this because it is an epidemic. It's killing not just drug users, but like people who get a pain pill on TikTok and then it comes and it kills I mean it's like twelve year old kids, whatever. It's everywhere. It's killed multiple celebrities like that's what killed Prince, That's what killed Tom Petty, Like all these people are dying from this. And just a PSA. You can get fentanyl strips. You can order them online. I think you can get them from a drug store. But if you are a recreational drug user or you do get some drugs from a like which we don't condone, We don't condone, but you know what, if you're gonna do it, do it safely, and you can use these fentanyl strips and they are supposed to tell you if there's fentanyl in whatever you have purchased. So phelps what about those other drugs that were in her system? So pro mathazine is basically an antihistamine combating inflammation. Hydroxyzine is also an antihistamine used to treat nausea, anxiety, vomiting, allergy, skin, rash, hives, and itching. Doesn't sound like such an exciting drug, Like this is not a party drug, right, And as Catherine talked about, I think most of us know that fentanyl is a controlled substance and a synthetic opioid, extremely addictive and acutely dangerous fifty to one hundred times stronger than morphine, so it is not a more casual recreational drug like cocaine. Yeah, although a lot of recreational drugs are laced with fentanyl these days. That said, it's not about what toxins were in Lauren's body. That's all irrelevant. It's about how those toxins got into her body. Okay, it doesn't matter what Lauren did, what she took, none of that matters. As of the recording, there is no answer from the police department, the same police department who did not even notify the family that Lauren was dead. I contacted the Bridgeport Chief of Police and asked to speak with her a public information officer, or any officer investigator involved in Lauren's death. I also asked to speak with someone about Brenda Rawls's death, right, and we touched on Brenda's death briefly in our last episode. She was another black woman who died down the road on the same night, also under mysterious circumstances. She was also a man, and the Bridgeport Police Department never contacted her family, and we're going to get to that soon. I'm going to give you all the details about Brenda Rawls after the cause and manner of death is revealed, Lauren's family stages a protest. They rally with hundreds of people and marched from the Bridgeport Police Department down to the Margaret Morton Government Center and call out for justice. At this time, Bridgeport's Mayor, Joe Gannem has not said a word. Gannem, it should be noted, was Bridgeport mayor from nineteen ninety one to two thousand and three and then convicted on federal felony corruption charges before being sent to prison. Upon his release, he ran for mayor again and he won the election. So that's what we are working with here. That's wild. Chantelle and Lauren's father then hire an attorney, Darnell Crossland, and they demand answers. Mayor Joe Gannem finally says something through his offices spokesperson Catherine, give me your best mayoral voice. I would be happy to. First, I would like to restate the city's condolences to the family and friends of Lauren Smithfields and to the many carrying individuals who ever reached out seeking answers for Lauren. I recognize that the family and the community is experiencing a lot of pain because of the loss of a young woman, in addition to unanswered questions and concerns about the way the matter has been handled. There's another name for that statement that I'd like to just point out here, and that's called political bullshit. That's what that is. Ganham then says that the city will conduct an internal affairs investigation. Catherine, there is no tolerance for anything less than respect and sensitivity for family members and their loss. I will work with the Chief Police to make appropriate changes here in Bridgeport to our department's policies and practices regarding notifying family members of a death. And here is Chantell again talking about what it means to her and her family, how we was treated, how Majoria was treated. You know, if we was the family that they care about our child, she would be where they buried the un name. Imagine if the Fields family never spoke up, if they never started looking for Lauren, she would have become a Jane Doe. Think about that for one minute. How many missing people are out there sitting in city and state morgues as Jane Doe's that police failed to contact the family about It infuriates me to think about this as someone who in my day job searches for missing people. I mean, that's basically what I'm doing now for my other podcast, Paper Ghosts, Right, So that sort of stuff infuriates me. It's so simple. It's just common courtesy, it's love, it's care. In June twenty twenty two, the Mayor's office, my bet, feeling a bit of pressure mounting, releases yet another statement. Catherine, I want you to know that I am extremely disappointed with the leadership of the Bridgeport Police Department and found the actions taken up until this point with regards to these two cases unacceptable. You know, being disappointed and saying the word unacceptable means nothing. They're just words. Mayor Ganham is referring to the Brenda Rawls case, by the way, as well. Here in that statement, so Ganham goes on and he says this, I want to be clear to members of the public and the department that insensitivity, disrespect, in action, or deviation from policy will not be tolerated by me or others in this administration. Of course it won't. You know, like you've been saying, you got to actually like put action behind Matt. You know, making amends is not saying I'm sorry, Making amends is changing your behavior, That's what it is. Yeah, he never mentions race in his statement, but considering both women are black, you can't help but put two and two together. The police department didn't care about these women, and there is one really big reason why. I mean, considering both women are black, you have to take it in mind. It could have been a major factor. Okay. Both detectives from the Bridgeport Police Department, Kevin Cronin and Angelianos, were suspended from duty. About the man who Lauren met on bumble the same guy who found her dead and called nine one one, The field's attorney says this quote. The fact that the police failed to investigate the man she was found with as a person of interest leaves us with more questions than answers. End quote. The Bridgeport Police Department says that a criminal investigation has been opened in laurence case, but I don't believe him. When we come back, we'll dive into the mysteries surrounding the death of Brenda Lee Rawls, who died just down the road under similar circumstances on the same day of Lauren's death. Be right back at fifty three. Brenda Lee Rawls was working as a customer service rep and pretty much breezing through life. She's happy, content. She was a good hearted person. She was a funny person. She was a kind of person that liked to laugh. She liked to have a good time, even in bad times. She would always find the funny and the bad times to make everybody laugh. That is Dorothy Washington, Brenda Rawls's sister. Brenda was one of nine siblings. Dorothy says Brenda had always wanted to get married and have children. When that didn't happen, she focused on the life she had. She wanted a better life for herself. She was looking forward to her future. Brenda was born and raised in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and stayed in town throughout her life. Dorothy and Brenda texted and talked every day. Living close to each other, they often saw each other. Brenda lived in the downtown area, as I have said, not too far from where Lorne Fields lived. On December eleven, twenty one, Brenda told Dorothy and other siblings that she was heading down to a neighbor's house just up the road to hang out with a man she knew. I might add here that Dorothy said Brenda had health issues, but all of them were under control and being managed by her primary care physician. On December twelve and into the thirteenth, several family members try to get hold of Brenda, but no one can find her. Well. I was at work and one of my sisters called me and said that they couldn't find Brenda. But but before then, we were texting each other and acts you know, where was Brenda? Because we were texting her the day after and we noticed that she was an answer in our text and that was odd for her because we usually, like I said, if we don't talk verbally, we at least text each other every day to see what everybody's doing and stuff like that. With that, two of Brenda's other sisters, her niece, and the niece's boyfriend head down to the neighbor's house to find out what is going on. Brenda said the guy was someone in the neighborhood she visited with and talked to. She never really said much about him, however, once she told Dorothy this one time, she was saying that sometimes he made her feel uncomfortable, just like when she first met him, like she would catch him looking at her in a weird way. He would laugh like in a funny way. They knock on his door. Here's Dorothy explaining what happens. Next, he opens the door and my sister asks him, is Brenda dere? Do you know where she is? He said, oh, Brenda died, and the coroners came and got her. And my sister said when he said that, he had a little smirk on his face, like a little laugh or something like we were supposed to know that she passed away. This was on December thirteenth, nearly two entire days after Brenda had gone over to the guy's house and died into her sleep. Apparently, so we didn't know that she had passed away. It was like the second day. Nobody notified us or anything. Brenda's family never got a call from the Bridgeport Police Department about her death. They have no idea where Brenda's body is. This is the same situation that happened to Lauren Fields's family. The only way we found out where she was is that my sister started just calling around. They called funeral homes, and one of the funeral homes suggested that my sister called the medical examiner up in Farmington, Connecticut, and eventually that's where we found her. Before then, we had called the Bridgeport Police Department and they knew nothing about it. They knew absolutely nothing about her. This is despecable. I'm sorry, it's just outrageous. You know. It's the sort of thing that in fury yates me truly because it's so easy. There's nothing hard about this. Yeah, it's just people who need to care about other people, and it's so obvious to me what is going on here. My heart goes out to these two families. Some public servants you count on the most don't give a shit about you, and they need to be called out right here period. That neighbor by the way said Brenda fell asleep and that he couldn't wake her up the following morning, and he realized she was dead while the family was there at his house asking about her. This happens when my sisters went there. He gave my sisters the clothing that she was wearing, and we were trying to figure out if he's given her her clothing, what does she have on when the corners came and got her right, you know, we don't understand that, And why didn't the police take the clothing? Well, my opinion is that they didn't take the clothing because there was never ever an investigation. Why in the world wouldn't the police take those items with her body, and why were her clothes stripped from her body to begin with? And again, why didn't anyone contact Brenda's family. The police never notified the family of her death. I want to make that clear. The police never notified the family of her death. It was as if Brenda never existed. The neighbor said that when Brenda died, he called nine to one one and one officer and the coroner came. That was it. They took her away. Then they learned that Bridgeport Police Department Detective Angel Janos is assigned to Brenda's case. They call him four times and never get a return phone call. Remember, Janos was the supervisor overseeing not only Brenda's death, but also Lawrence smith Fields his death as well. Brenda's family inquires about a police report, trying to find out any information about her death. Quote it's under instigation, Dorothy says. The Bridgeport Police Department tells them, we can't give it to you. By April twenty twenty two, the family still does not have an answer as to how Brenda died. They pressed the Bridgeport Police and are told she died of heart disease. The Bridgeport Police claims that foul play has been ruled out, though they do not say how that conclusion was reached. And to be clear, Brenda's family is not accusing anyone to foul play either. All they want are clear answers, which they have not gotten and they have a right to. The Bridgeport police claimed Brenda's case is closed. Okay, that's important. Brenda died of natural causes period. Dorothy has continually tried to get a police report, remember, because the case is closed now, but they keep telling her a different story as to why they cannot provide one. My guess says they don't have one. They never had one, That's just my guess. Dorothy told me that the Bridgeport police treated her sister like she was a Jane Doe, like they found her on the side of the road with no identification. After that rally Laurence Family Stage in Town which members of Brenda's family attended, City councilmember Maria Pereira came out and said that this is the first time she's heard of either case. Okay, wow. Then says she is mystified that both women's deaths share quote an awful lot of similarities end quote. She publicly states that both women were black, they died unexpectedly at young ages, and they were on dates with men who reported that they had awakened in the morning to find them dead. But the biggest, most alarming factor is that neither of their families were notified of their deaths by police, and that both quote scenes of the deaths were not secured or processed for forensic evidence, and both families said Bridgeport police treated them without any compassion or humanity. So now what I see here is a pattern with the Bridgeport Police department end quote. As both of the cases heat up within the local media, gathering steam in the New York Times, Rolling Stone, Daily Mail, NBCCN, and the Internet, on and on and with a few cybersleuthing sites speculating about the deaths, the Medical Examiner's Office comes out and says that Brenda's death was caused by cardiovascular disease with diabetes. Brenda's family questions that finding Here's Dorothy Washington Day didn't do an investigation. An investigation never occurred. How difficult is it? To contact these families to tell them their loved ones had died. The rest could be sorted out after they have the right to know. There is no excuse in either case. Here is Chantel Fields, Lauren's mother once again. You know that whole time time that she was dead, she has a face recognition phone. When you've seen us calling her or whatever, you could have opened up her phone with her face. Another major discussion that needs to be had is evidence collection practices. The famous forensic scientist, doctor Henry Lee told me once as I sat in his office across from him, the most important person at a crime scene is the very first person to arrive. Here's Shantell again talking about the evidence collected at her daughter's apartment. When I asked what the Bridgeport Police Department reported it had done, I mean, as far as we know, the police that came earlier, that guy's friend probably help him removeself. I don't know. I have no idea. The other question is what did the medical examiner actually tell Lauren's family regarding the cause of her death. They said that she had drugs in her system. She had and all in her system, And I'm like, this is a girl that worked out every day. She worked out every day. She was on a plant base dice. She worked out at La Fitness every single day, every single day. Sometimes like Laura, I mean in my car, she go have to work out and then she was ordering all this like she always doay on the plant based diet. She always kept her body together. Chantel also says that the guy who reported Lauren's death told police that she asked him for money. That does not juxtapose with the fact that over a thousand dollars cash was reported to be found inside her apartment. That's just my opinion. The man's attorney spoke to the local media about four days after Lauren's death and he said this, I think it's the media that's made him the main focus of this investigation. Although Bridgeport Police did investigate the matter, he did fully cooperate and he's not the main focus of the investigation anymore. As we know, the DA is involved now and they will help local authorities investigate the matter and get to the bottom of what happened to Lauren. Wow, d ea, that is like out of left field. The d a kind of yeah. This guy Lauren was with was attacked on social media and many of the so called facts shared about him were wrong. I just need to point that out. He has not been arrested or charged with any crime. The police contend he is not a suspect in Lauren's death. I asked Dorothy Brenda Rawls, a sister, what she thought about Brenda's and Lauren's death happening on the same night in the same basic neighborhood. That it was very, very suspicious and is weird that in the same district, with similar circumstances, two black women with men involved were found deceased and the first Port police never did their due diligence define the next of kin. I think we need to say that it's twenty two for Cripe's sakes. How in the world is this possible unless there is bias, racism, stereotyping, or plane damn incompetence involved. Here's Dorothy again. My opinion is that it's in a low economic area. There were two black women, period. We'll be right back. In September twenty twenty two, a new law went into effect in Connecticut stating that police officers are now required by law to notify next of kin within twenty four hours of a person's death. That law was inspired by both Brenda and Lawrence cases. At least something came out of it. As I said earlier in the episode, I contacted the Bridgeport Police Department's acting chief, Rebecca Garcia, and let her know I was producing an episode about the deaths of Brenda Rawles and Lauren smith Fields, hoping to speak with a public information officer or an officer who worked on both or either case. And this is what I wrote. Several questions have come up that only the department can answer. If the department will not allow it, can I get a statement from the department regarding why and also where these cases currently stand. The chief never responded to me. Brenda's family never heard from Chief Garcia, no apology, no regret, zilch. Where's Gloria all right when you need her? Bridgeport Mayor Joseph Ganham finally said something himself, not through a spokesperson, and this is what Joe Ganham said quote. I want to restate my condolences to the families mother sisters of Lauren smith Fields and Brenda Rawls. I have heard the deep sadness, loss and frustration from both families. I am reaffirming my continued commitment to get the answers that they deserve and so that they may each properly grieve the loss of their valued family member and loved one. See, even the crook knows he needs to express remorse. Yeah, I bet he didn't write that. Oh, I'm sure he did not. Dorothy and her family met with Mayor Ganem. We met with Mayor Gannum, and I don't know that was useless. What did he say? He said that we were continue to keep in contact with us and find out what happened. And he claimed that the case was still open. But it wasn't I expected rightly. So a big civil case to commence in the years to come. The City of Bridgeport needs to pay a hefty price for this. Those officers should be fired, their pensions stripped. There needs to be accountability. This is beyond unacceptable. Here's Dorothy one last time. They did not do their job. And even if she did die by natural causes or heart disease, why weren't the families respected? Why didn't they notify us? Why? I mean, what were they thinking? It was like she was treated like a Jane Doe, like she had no family or anything, and they just pushed it to the side and said, forget about her. There's nobody out there that would know her. She probably don't have any family. Why did they do that? You know, why did they do that to two families? Like treat the victims like like nothing? Literally, like did you humanize them? Catherine? Any final words? You know, I don't totally know what to make of Brenda's death, but obviously more investigation needs to be done there. Lauren's death, to me feels like just a really terrible accident that was handled extremely poorly. This whole story is really awful. It is. And you know, to feed off of what you're saying, I mean, it doesn't even matter how why when they died. That's a whole separate thing. That's a whole separate case. You know. It's the fact that they weren't treated like human beings. No, these families were ignored. And you even think about, you know, the people who lived at Lauren's apartment building who then had to take on the mantle of informing her family that she was dead. It just it's so much mistreatment of people who did not on every level, on every level, Yes, and to that, I'll say there were major crimes committed here in both of these case, but you know what it was by the Bridgeport Police Department. So I might say we're going to take a little bit of a hiatus with the show. I will continue to follow these cases, and I want to thank all of you for listening to Crossing the Line. I'm forever grateful for every single listener. And don't forget to check out my other podcast, Paper Ghosts wherever you get your shows. Katherine, Katherine, one last word from you. I can't take it from you. Can be safe, be aware. Sources for today's episode come from Lauren smith Fields was found dead. Her family had to beg for answers. By Lola Fadulu, New York Times, January twenty seven, twenty two. Connectiquett police probe death of Lauren smith Fields found dead after a date in December. By Trisman January twenty seven, twenty two. MPR second Black family says Bridgeport police didn't notify them of death. By Lola Fadulu January thirty one, twenty twenty two, New York Times Phelps interview with the Fields and Rawls families. Crossing the Line is production of iHeartRadio. It's executive produced by me M William Phelps, an iHeart executive producer Katherine Law. Special thanks to producer Rose Bacci and EP Christina Everett. Audio engineering, original music and sound designed by Matt Russell. Additional thanks to Will Pearson at iHeartRadio. The series theme number four four four is written and performed by Thomas Phelps and Tom Mooney. From more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows

We all fear that sudden call in the middle of the night, a tragedy, a death. The truth is it can happen to anyone at any moment. Thank goodness, for most of us, that call will never come. But what if the tragedy came and the call never did. What if you and your family were forced to investigate the terrible death of someone you love with no help from those that are supposed to serve and protect. What if the truth you find is more horrible than you can even believe. My name is m William Phelps. I'm an investigative journalist and true crime author. I've dedicated the past twenty years of my life to helping families of the missing and murdered. Join me for part two, the conclusion of the special episode of Crossing the Line. Before we get started, I want to tell you that if you haven't listened to last week's episode, that's a good place to start. In today's shocking conclusion, you'll hear the truth behind some of the mysteries we uncovered in our previous episode, but you'll need to have listened to that for contexts. Go check it out first. Last week, you met Chantel Fields, Chantell had recently lost her twenty three year old daughter, Lauren, a bright, beautiful, full of life TikTok influencer who was studying to be a physical therapist. Her death took place on December twelve, twenty twenty one, the morning after Lauren had a bumbled date at her Bridgeport, Connecticut apartment. Her date, who we're calling Tom, is our primary source of information about that night. She was found lifeless on the floor of her bedroom. Blood was found on the bedsheet, and in one Nostril a beat cop showed up and took a statement from Lauren's date, but that's as far as the investigation went. Lauren's family was never contacted by authorities informing them she had passed, and when they pressed Bridgeport, Connecticut police for information, they were brushed off. Chantelle was told by someone at Lauren's apartment building that on the morning of her death, a single police officer showed up at her daughter's apartment hours before first responders arrived, leading Chantelle to believe that something suspicious had occurred. The incident report of her daughter's death reflects that Lauren's bumble date found her unresponsive early in the morning after they both fell asleep, and he subsequently called nine to one. Here's Chantelle, one police officer shows up before everybody else shows up. Yeah, it was like hours earlier. I just wanted to find out who was the first person this man called exactly, and it seemed like everybody is trying to evade that, like almost like they don't want to pull the records on who he called first. To be clear, Chantelle is not accusing anyone of anything nefarious. She only wants to know the truth about what happened to her daughter and why a single police officer arrived before all others, what he did, and who called him out to the scene. These are all fair questions. I believe the Bridgeport Police Department must have taken Tom's phone. They must know who he called when, and presumably why. They must also have a record of who went to Lauren's apartment that morning after the nine call came in. I asked Shantell what she could tell me about the bumble day if she knew anything about him. Well, as I know that he's from and I know you have ties and friends and family members at police department that works in a police department, I want to say I could not independently confirm this. I bleep the town. She mentions to protect the privacy of the bumble date, but for the record, it is not Bridgeport, So I just want to be clear about that. I also wondered something else, and so I asked Shantell about it. Did the medical examiner ever do a sexual assault kit or anything like that on her body? But I'm pretty sure he did not, because it isn't like everything was just so messy about this case. Everything was just trying to be hidden, you know, hidden. I mean every time I think, wow, this makes me sick. Lauren smith Field's family is confused, frustrated, and the impact of her death is made significantly more tragic by the silent blue wall they have been up against. They want facts and information. They are not trying to say that there is some sort of conspiracy going on here, only that they don't know what happened, and I think they deserve answers. So pholps, do we know the cause of death or the manner of death or anything like that? We do, And that's Catherine Law, my producer. Hi. It came in on January twenty second, two twenty two, a month after Lauren died. The Connecticut Chief Medical Examiner's Office put out its official cause of death for Lauren. I'm having trouble with the words, so I'm gonna have Catherine read them for me. Quote acute intoxication due to the combined effects of fentonel, promethazine, hydroxyzine, and alcohol. I knew she'd nail it. So with that being said, they deem the manner of death to be accidental. How did they determine Lauren's death as accidental? What evidence supports this finding? A toxicology report certainly cannot determine manner of death. Manner of death refers to the way a death is categorized natural, accident, suicide, homicide, undetermined pending. Okay, as far as I know, police never questioned Lauren's date, who we've been calling Tom. They never detained him or asked him any follow up questions to the initial narrative he offered in that incident report. Why it feels like they're just treating this like, oh, that's another Fentinel death case closed when there's a little more here. I think that needs to be unpacked. Well, we don't know, so we need to know, you know, that's the rightful point of this that Lauren's family is making is what the f happened? Right? And you know, it also begs the question, if the police were so flippant about not even telling the family that she had died, what else are they missing. That's a really great point in the cutting corners and leaving things out. It's just it's messy, and looking at Lauren's busy lifestyle and what her family members reported about her movements and state of mind, it's clear that Lauren was not a chronic user of hardcore drugs. It's unlikely she could maintain the lifestyle she did daily jim routine, college, running her own business TikTok, and be a habitual user of a drug like fentanyl. I think that's a good thing to note and it makes total sense. And you know, fentanyl is this thing that's an It's in everything these days. You know, everybody's been doing coverage on this because it is an epidemic. It's killing not just drug users, but like people who get a pain pill on TikTok and then it comes and it kills I mean it's like twelve year old kids, whatever. It's everywhere. It's killed multiple celebrities like that's what killed Prince, That's what killed Tom Petty, Like all these people are dying from this. And just a PSA. You can get fentanyl strips. You can order them online. I think you can get them from a drug store. But if you are a recreational drug user or you do get some drugs from a like which we don't condone, We don't condone, but you know what, if you're gonna do it, do it safely, and you can use these fentanyl strips and they are supposed to tell you if there's fentanyl in whatever you have purchased. So phelps what about those other drugs that were in her system? So pro mathazine is basically an antihistamine combating inflammation. Hydroxyzine is also an antihistamine used to treat nausea, anxiety, vomiting, allergy, skin, rash, hives, and itching. Doesn't sound like such an exciting drug, Like this is not a party drug, right, And as Catherine talked about, I think most of us know that fentanyl is a controlled substance and a synthetic opioid, extremely addictive and acutely dangerous fifty to one hundred times stronger than morphine, so it is not a more casual recreational drug like cocaine. Yeah, although a lot of recreational drugs are laced with fentanyl these days. That said, it's not about what toxins were in Lauren's body. That's all irrelevant. It's about how those toxins got into her body. Okay, it doesn't matter what Lauren did, what she took, none of that matters. As of the recording, there is no answer from the police department, the same police department who did not even notify the family that Lauren was dead. I contacted the Bridgeport Chief of Police and asked to speak with her a public information officer, or any officer investigator involved in Lauren's death. I also asked to speak with someone about Brenda Rawls's death, right, and we touched on Brenda's death briefly in our last episode. She was another black woman who died down the road on the same night, also under mysterious circumstances. She was also a man, and the Bridgeport Police Department never contacted her family, and we're going to get to that soon. I'm going to give you all the details about Brenda Rawls after the cause and manner of death is revealed, Lauren's family stages a protest. They rally with hundreds of people and marched from the Bridgeport Police Department down to the Margaret Morton Government Center and call out for justice. At this time, Bridgeport's Mayor, Joe Gannem has not said a word. Gannem, it should be noted, was Bridgeport mayor from nineteen ninety one to two thousand and three and then convicted on federal felony corruption charges before being sent to prison. Upon his release, he ran for mayor again and he won the election. So that's what we are working with here. That's wild. Chantelle and Lauren's father then hire an attorney, Darnell Crossland, and they demand answers. Mayor Joe Gannem finally says something through his offices spokesperson Catherine, give me your best mayoral voice. I would be happy to. First, I would like to restate the city's condolences to the family and friends of Lauren Smithfields and to the many carrying individuals who ever reached out seeking answers for Lauren. I recognize that the family and the community is experiencing a lot of pain because of the loss of a young woman, in addition to unanswered questions and concerns about the way the matter has been handled. There's another name for that statement that I'd like to just point out here, and that's called political bullshit. That's what that is. Ganham then says that the city will conduct an internal affairs investigation. Catherine, there is no tolerance for anything less than respect and sensitivity for family members and their loss. I will work with the Chief Police to make appropriate changes here in Bridgeport to our department's policies and practices regarding notifying family members of a death. And here is Chantell again talking about what it means to her and her family, how we was treated, how Majoria was treated. You know, if we was the family that they care about our child, she would be where they buried the un name. Imagine if the Fields family never spoke up, if they never started looking for Lauren, she would have become a Jane Doe. Think about that for one minute. How many missing people are out there sitting in city and state morgues as Jane Doe's that police failed to contact the family about It infuriates me to think about this as someone who in my day job searches for missing people. I mean, that's basically what I'm doing now for my other podcast, Paper Ghosts, Right, So that sort of stuff infuriates me. It's so simple. It's just common courtesy, it's love, it's care. In June twenty twenty two, the Mayor's office, my bet, feeling a bit of pressure mounting, releases yet another statement. Catherine, I want you to know that I am extremely disappointed with the leadership of the Bridgeport Police Department and found the actions taken up until this point with regards to these two cases unacceptable. You know, being disappointed and saying the word unacceptable means nothing. They're just words. Mayor Ganham is referring to the Brenda Rawls case, by the way, as well. Here in that statement, so Ganham goes on and he says this, I want to be clear to members of the public and the department that insensitivity, disrespect, in action, or deviation from policy will not be tolerated by me or others in this administration. Of course it won't. You know, like you've been saying, you got to actually like put action behind Matt. You know, making amends is not saying I'm sorry, Making amends is changing your behavior, That's what it is. Yeah, he never mentions race in his statement, but considering both women are black, you can't help but put two and two together. The police department didn't care about these women, and there is one really big reason why. I mean, considering both women are black, you have to take it in mind. It could have been a major factor. Okay. Both detectives from the Bridgeport Police Department, Kevin Cronin and Angelianos, were suspended from duty. About the man who Lauren met on bumble the same guy who found her dead and called nine one one, The field's attorney says this quote. The fact that the police failed to investigate the man she was found with as a person of interest leaves us with more questions than answers. End quote. The Bridgeport Police Department says that a criminal investigation has been opened in laurence case, but I don't believe him. When we come back, we'll dive into the mysteries surrounding the death of Brenda Lee Rawls, who died just down the road under similar circumstances on the same day of Lauren's death. Be right back at fifty three. Brenda Lee Rawls was working as a customer service rep and pretty much breezing through life. She's happy, content. She was a good hearted person. She was a funny person. She was a kind of person that liked to laugh. She liked to have a good time, even in bad times. She would always find the funny and the bad times to make everybody laugh. That is Dorothy Washington, Brenda Rawls's sister. Brenda was one of nine siblings. Dorothy says Brenda had always wanted to get married and have children. When that didn't happen, she focused on the life she had. She wanted a better life for herself. She was looking forward to her future. Brenda was born and raised in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and stayed in town throughout her life. Dorothy and Brenda texted and talked every day. Living close to each other, they often saw each other. Brenda lived in the downtown area, as I have said, not too far from where Lorne Fields lived. On December eleven, twenty one, Brenda told Dorothy and other siblings that she was heading down to a neighbor's house just up the road to hang out with a man she knew. I might add here that Dorothy said Brenda had health issues, but all of them were under control and being managed by her primary care physician. On December twelve and into the thirteenth, several family members try to get hold of Brenda, but no one can find her. Well. I was at work and one of my sisters called me and said that they couldn't find Brenda. But but before then, we were texting each other and acts you know, where was Brenda? Because we were texting her the day after and we noticed that she was an answer in our text and that was odd for her because we usually, like I said, if we don't talk verbally, we at least text each other every day to see what everybody's doing and stuff like that. With that, two of Brenda's other sisters, her niece, and the niece's boyfriend head down to the neighbor's house to find out what is going on. Brenda said the guy was someone in the neighborhood she visited with and talked to. She never really said much about him, however, once she told Dorothy this one time, she was saying that sometimes he made her feel uncomfortable, just like when she first met him, like she would catch him looking at her in a weird way. He would laugh like in a funny way. They knock on his door. Here's Dorothy explaining what happens. Next, he opens the door and my sister asks him, is Brenda dere? Do you know where she is? He said, oh, Brenda died, and the coroners came and got her. And my sister said when he said that, he had a little smirk on his face, like a little laugh or something like we were supposed to know that she passed away. This was on December thirteenth, nearly two entire days after Brenda had gone over to the guy's house and died into her sleep. Apparently, so we didn't know that she had passed away. It was like the second day. Nobody notified us or anything. Brenda's family never got a call from the Bridgeport Police Department about her death. They have no idea where Brenda's body is. This is the same situation that happened to Lauren Fields's family. The only way we found out where she was is that my sister started just calling around. They called funeral homes, and one of the funeral homes suggested that my sister called the medical examiner up in Farmington, Connecticut, and eventually that's where we found her. Before then, we had called the Bridgeport Police Department and they knew nothing about it. They knew absolutely nothing about her. This is despecable. I'm sorry, it's just outrageous. You know. It's the sort of thing that in fury yates me truly because it's so easy. There's nothing hard about this. Yeah, it's just people who need to care about other people, and it's so obvious to me what is going on here. My heart goes out to these two families. Some public servants you count on the most don't give a shit about you, and they need to be called out right here period. That neighbor by the way said Brenda fell asleep and that he couldn't wake her up the following morning, and he realized she was dead while the family was there at his house asking about her. This happens when my sisters went there. He gave my sisters the clothing that she was wearing, and we were trying to figure out if he's given her her clothing, what does she have on when the corners came and got her right, you know, we don't understand that, And why didn't the police take the clothing? Well, my opinion is that they didn't take the clothing because there was never ever an investigation. Why in the world wouldn't the police take those items with her body, and why were her clothes stripped from her body to begin with? And again, why didn't anyone contact Brenda's family. The police never notified the family of her death. I want to make that clear. The police never notified the family of her death. It was as if Brenda never existed. The neighbor said that when Brenda died, he called nine to one one and one officer and the coroner came. That was it. They took her away. Then they learned that Bridgeport Police Department Detective Angel Janos is assigned to Brenda's case. They call him four times and never get a return phone call. Remember, Janos was the supervisor overseeing not only Brenda's death, but also Lawrence smith Fields his death as well. Brenda's family inquires about a police report, trying to find out any information about her death. Quote it's under instigation, Dorothy says. The Bridgeport Police Department tells them, we can't give it to you. By April twenty twenty two, the family still does not have an answer as to how Brenda died. They pressed the Bridgeport Police and are told she died of heart disease. The Bridgeport Police claims that foul play has been ruled out, though they do not say how that conclusion was reached. And to be clear, Brenda's family is not accusing anyone to foul play either. All they want are clear answers, which they have not gotten and they have a right to. The Bridgeport police claimed Brenda's case is closed. Okay, that's important. Brenda died of natural causes period. Dorothy has continually tried to get a police report, remember, because the case is closed now, but they keep telling her a different story as to why they cannot provide one. My guess says they don't have one. They never had one, That's just my guess. Dorothy told me that the Bridgeport police treated her sister like she was a Jane Doe, like they found her on the side of the road with no identification. After that rally Laurence Family Stage in Town which members of Brenda's family attended, City councilmember Maria Pereira came out and said that this is the first time she's heard of either case. Okay, wow. Then says she is mystified that both women's deaths share quote an awful lot of similarities end quote. She publicly states that both women were black, they died unexpectedly at young ages, and they were on dates with men who reported that they had awakened in the morning to find them dead. But the biggest, most alarming factor is that neither of their families were notified of their deaths by police, and that both quote scenes of the deaths were not secured or processed for forensic evidence, and both families said Bridgeport police treated them without any compassion or humanity. So now what I see here is a pattern with the Bridgeport Police department end quote. As both of the cases heat up within the local media, gathering steam in the New York Times, Rolling Stone, Daily Mail, NBCCN, and the Internet, on and on and with a few cybersleuthing sites speculating about the deaths, the Medical Examiner's Office comes out and says that Brenda's death was caused by cardiovascular disease with diabetes. Brenda's family questions that finding Here's Dorothy Washington Day didn't do an investigation. An investigation never occurred. How difficult is it? To contact these families to tell them their loved ones had died. The rest could be sorted out after they have the right to know. There is no excuse in either case. Here is Chantel Fields, Lauren's mother once again. You know that whole time time that she was dead, she has a face recognition phone. When you've seen us calling her or whatever, you could have opened up her phone with her face. Another major discussion that needs to be had is evidence collection practices. The famous forensic scientist, doctor Henry Lee told me once as I sat in his office across from him, the most important person at a crime scene is the very first person to arrive. Here's Shantell again talking about the evidence collected at her daughter's apartment. When I asked what the Bridgeport Police Department reported it had done, I mean, as far as we know, the police that came earlier, that guy's friend probably help him removeself. I don't know. I have no idea. The other question is what did the medical examiner actually tell Lauren's family regarding the cause of her death. They said that she had drugs in her system. She had and all in her system, And I'm like, this is a girl that worked out every day. She worked out every day. She was on a plant base dice. She worked out at La Fitness every single day, every single day. Sometimes like Laura, I mean in my car, she go have to work out and then she was ordering all this like she always doay on the plant based diet. She always kept her body together. Chantel also says that the guy who reported Lauren's death told police that she asked him for money. That does not juxtapose with the fact that over a thousand dollars cash was reported to be found inside her apartment. That's just my opinion. The man's attorney spoke to the local media about four days after Lauren's death and he said this, I think it's the media that's made him the main focus of this investigation. Although Bridgeport Police did investigate the matter, he did fully cooperate and he's not the main focus of the investigation anymore. As we know, the DA is involved now and they will help local authorities investigate the matter and get to the bottom of what happened to Lauren. Wow, d ea, that is like out of left field. The d a kind of yeah. This guy Lauren was with was attacked on social media and many of the so called facts shared about him were wrong. I just need to point that out. He has not been arrested or charged with any crime. The police contend he is not a suspect in Lauren's death. I asked Dorothy Brenda Rawls, a sister, what she thought about Brenda's and Lauren's death happening on the same night in the same basic neighborhood. That it was very, very suspicious and is weird that in the same district, with similar circumstances, two black women with men involved were found deceased and the first Port police never did their due diligence define the next of kin. I think we need to say that it's twenty two for Cripe's sakes. How in the world is this possible unless there is bias, racism, stereotyping, or plane damn incompetence involved. Here's Dorothy again. My opinion is that it's in a low economic area. There were two black women, period. We'll be right back. In September twenty twenty two, a new law went into effect in Connecticut stating that police officers are now required by law to notify next of kin within twenty four hours of a person's death. That law was inspired by both Brenda and Lawrence cases. At least something came out of it. As I said earlier in the episode, I contacted the Bridgeport Police Department's acting chief, Rebecca Garcia, and let her know I was producing an episode about the deaths of Brenda Rawles and Lauren smith Fields, hoping to speak with a public information officer or an officer who worked on both or either case. And this is what I wrote. Several questions have come up that only the department can answer. If the department will not allow it, can I get a statement from the department regarding why and also where these cases currently stand. The chief never responded to me. Brenda's family never heard from Chief Garcia, no apology, no regret, zilch. Where's Gloria all right when you need her? Bridgeport Mayor Joseph Ganham finally said something himself, not through a spokesperson, and this is what Joe Ganham said quote. I want to restate my condolences to the families mother sisters of Lauren smith Fields and Brenda Rawls. I have heard the deep sadness, loss and frustration from both families. I am reaffirming my continued commitment to get the answers that they deserve and so that they may each properly grieve the loss of their valued family member and loved one. See, even the crook knows he needs to express remorse. Yeah, I bet he didn't write that. Oh, I'm sure he did not. Dorothy and her family met with Mayor Ganem. We met with Mayor Gannum, and I don't know that was useless. What did he say? He said that we were continue to keep in contact with us and find out what happened. And he claimed that the case was still open. But it wasn't I expected rightly. So a big civil case to commence in the years to come. The City of Bridgeport needs to pay a hefty price for this. Those officers should be fired, their pensions stripped. There needs to be accountability. This is beyond unacceptable. Here's Dorothy one last time. They did not do their job. And even if she did die by natural causes or heart disease, why weren't the families respected? Why didn't they notify us? Why? I mean, what were they thinking? It was like she was treated like a Jane Doe, like she had no family or anything, and they just pushed it to the side and said, forget about her. There's nobody out there that would know her. She probably don't have any family. Why did they do that? You know, why did they do that to two families? Like treat the victims like like nothing? Literally, like did you humanize them? Catherine? Any final words? You know, I don't totally know what to make of Brenda's death, but obviously more investigation needs to be done there. Lauren's death, to me feels like just a really terrible accident that was handled extremely poorly. This whole story is really awful. It is. And you know, to feed off of what you're saying, I mean, it doesn't even matter how why when they died. That's a whole separate thing. That's a whole separate case. You know. It's the fact that they weren't treated like human beings. No, these families were ignored. And you even think about, you know, the people who lived at Lauren's apartment building who then had to take on the mantle of informing her family that she was dead. It just it's so much mistreatment of people who did not on every level, on every level, Yes, and to that, I'll say there were major crimes committed here in both of these case, but you know what it was by the Bridgeport Police Department. So I might say we're going to take a little bit of a hiatus with the show. I will continue to follow these cases, and I want to thank all of you for listening to Crossing the Line. I'm forever grateful for every single listener. And don't forget to check out my other podcast, Paper Ghosts wherever you get your shows. Katherine, Katherine, one last word from you. I can't take it from you. Can be safe, be aware. Sources for today's episode come from Lauren smith Fields was found dead. Her family had to beg for answers. By Lola Fadulu, New York Times, January twenty seven, twenty two. Connectiquett police probe death of Lauren smith Fields found dead after a date in December. By Trisman January twenty seven, twenty two. MPR second Black family says Bridgeport police didn't notify them of death. By Lola Fadulu January thirty one, twenty twenty two, New York Times Phelps interview with the Fields and Rawls families. Crossing the Line is production of iHeartRadio. It's executive produced by me M William Phelps, an iHeart executive producer Katherine Law. Special thanks to producer Rose Bacci and EP Christina Everett. Audio engineering, original music and sound designed by Matt Russell. Additional thanks to Will Pearson at iHeartRadio. The series theme number four four four is written and performed by Thomas Phelps and Tom Mooney. From more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows