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Obituaries
'Talented Young Adult': Service Set For Manchester Teen Killed In Hartford Motorcycle Crash 'Talented Young Adult': Service Set For Manchester Teen Killed In Hartford Motorcycle Crash
'Talented Young Adult': Service Set For Manchester Teen Killed In Hartford Motorcycle Crash A memorial service will be held this weekend for a 17-year-old Connecticut teen who died days after a motorcycle crash in Hartford. Elijah “Eli” Santiago, of Manchester, died Saturday, May 9, at Hartford Hospital after the crash shortly before 6 p.m. May 5 on Franklin Avenue in Hartford, police said. The crash involved another vehicle near Standish Street, according to investigators. The driver of the other car remained at the scene and cooperated with Hartford police. New Horizons at Manchester Regional Academy, where Elijah attended school, called him a “kind and resilient young man who …

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by Josh Lanier
Obituaries
RI Carpenter, Father Remembered For ‘Golden Heart’ After Fatal Connecticut Crash RI Carpenter, Father Remembered For ‘Golden Heart’ After Fatal Connecticut Crash
RI Carpenter, Father Remembered For ‘Golden Heart’ After Fatal Connecticut Crash A Rhode Island father, craftsman, and outdoor adventurer is being remembered for his “golden heart” after he died in a crash that sent his pickup truck into a Connecticut home earlier this month. Friends and family are now rallying around the fiancée and the young daughter he left behind. Matthew James Sherman, 42, of Foster, Rhode Island, died May 6 after investigators said he lost control of his truck in Killingly. Connecticut State Police said Sherman was driving a 2023 GMC Sierra on Hartford Pike when he misjudged a curve. The truck went off the road, hit multiple mailboxes and a street …

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by Josh Lanier
Obituaries
CT Dad Of 3 Found Dead In State Forest Remembered As Beloved Family Therapist, Outdoorsman CT Dad Of 3 Found Dead In State Forest Remembered As Beloved Family Therapist, Outdoorsman
CT Dad Of 3 Found Dead In State Forest Remembered As Beloved Family Therapist, Outdoorsman A Connecticut father of three whose body was found in a state forest is being remembered as a compassionate therapist who loved the outdoors. Justin J. Kruger, 50, of Oxford, was found dead following a search that ended Friday morning, May 1, according to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. His vehicle was found near the Oxford Reservoir inside Naugatuck State Forest, a popular spot for hikers and outdoor visitors. Officials said there are no signs of foul play. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death. “DEEP extends our condolences to h…

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by Josh Lanier
Obituaries
Search Ends In Tragedy: Missing CT Man Found Dead In State Forest Search Ends In Tragedy: Missing CT Man Found Dead In State Forest
Search Ends In Tragedy: Missing CT Man Found Dead In State Forest An Oxford man who sparked a late-night search in a local state forest has been found dead, officials said. Justin Kruger, 50, was the focus of the search, which began just after 10 p.m. Wednesday, April 29, when Environmental Conservation Police teamed up with state police. His body was found on Friday morning, May 1, according to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Kruger’s vehicle was discovered earlier in the search near the Oxford Reservoir inside Naugatuck State Forest, a well-known area for local hikers and outdoor visitors. Authorities found his body on Thursday.&…

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by Josh Lanier
Obituaries
CT Teen, 18, Killed In Motorcycle Crash Remembered For ‘Making Every Moment Brighter' CT Teen, 18, Killed In Motorcycle Crash Remembered For ‘Making Every Moment Brighter'
CT Teen, 18, Killed In Motorcycle Crash Remembered For ‘Making Every Moment Brighter' An 18-year-old killed earlier this week after crashing into a FedEx truck will be remembered for "making every moment brighter," his family said.  Christopher Guallpa-Lema, 18, of Danbury, was killed when he crashed his motorcycle into the back of the delivery truck on Hawleyville Road in Newtown Monday evening, April 26, police said.  Along with his parents, Luis Ignacio Guallpa Lema and Zoila Mercedes Lema, he leaves behind two sisters and a host of nieces and nephews.  Loved ones created a GoFundMe to help pay for his funeral expenses.  "He was a young man…

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by Josh Lanier
Obituaries
Woman Allegedly Killed By Award-Winning Chef Remembered As Loving Mom Woman Allegedly Killed By Award-Winning Chef Remembered As Loving Mom
Woman Allegedly Killed By Award-Winning Chef Remembered As Loving Mom Friends and loved ones of a 31-year-old Massachusetts woman who police say was beaten to death by her husband in a hotel room are rallying to help her 10-year-old daughter and her beloved dogs. Jeffrey MacDonald, 36, of Wilbraham, faces murder and assault charges after police say he killed his wife, Emma MacDonald, at Hotel UMass in Amherst on Wednesday, April 22. Police responded around 7:45 p.m. to Room 413 after reports from neighboring rooms of a woman screaming and crying. When they arrived, Emma was dead, and Jeffrey MacDonald attacked one of the officers, authorities said. After poli…

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by Josh Lanier
Obituaries
CT Teen Motorcyclist Killed In Crash With FedEx Truck CT Teen Motorcyclist Killed In Crash With FedEx Truck
CT Teen Motorcyclist Killed In Crash With FedEx Truck A Connecticut teenage motorcyclist who was killed in a crash involving a FedEx truck on Monday, April 27, has been identified.  Christopher Guallpa-Lema, 18, of Danbury, died after the collision on Hawleyville Road in Newtown, according to the police. The crash happened around 5:49 p.m., near North Ridge Drive. Police said Guallpa-Lema was riding a black Kawasaki motorcycle northbound when he struck the rear of a FedEx delivery truck traveling in the same direction. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Witnesses called 911 to report the crash involving a motorcycle and a box truck. F…

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by Josh Lanier
Obituaries
Hartford Mom Of 4 Killed, Family Asks For Help: 'Her Kindness Touched Everyone' Hartford Mom Of 4 Killed, Family Asks For Help: 'Her Kindness Touched Everyone'
Hartford Mom Of 4 Killed, Family Asks For Help: 'Her Kindness Touched Everyone' A 33-year-old mother was found dead with a gunshot wound in what her family is calling a domestic violence incident, leaving behind four children and a grieving family now asking for help. Keishla Claudio, 33, was found unresponsive at her Belden Street home in Hartford on Friday night, April 24, police said. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities said Saturday the case is being investigated as a possible act of domestic violence.  A person of interest was later found dead in another state from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to police. An email to Hartford i…

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by Josh Lanier
Obituaries
New Britain Dad Of 3 Killed While Looking For Stolen Car Remembered As ‘Fighter’ With Big Heart New Britain Dad Of 3 Killed While Looking For Stolen Car Remembered As ‘Fighter’ With Big Heart
New Britain Dad Of 3 Killed While Looking For Stolen Car Remembered As ‘Fighter’ With Big Heart A 38-year-old Connecticut dad killed after being hit by a car while searching for his stolen vehicle earlier this month is being remembered for his resiliency and toughness despite health battles and setbacks, his family said. Matthew "Kook" Croskey was struck by a car just after 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 17, at the intersection of Hartford Road and Village Square Drive in New Britain, police said. The driver stayed at the scene and cooperated with investigators. Police say Croskey was in the area looking for his car, which had been stolen earlier that evening. Manchester police found the st…

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by Josh Lanier
Obituaries
Diner Owner Mourned After Death In Violent CT Motorcycle Crash Diner Owner Mourned After Death In Violent CT Motorcycle Crash
Diner Owner Mourned After Death In Violent CT Motorcycle Crash A diner owner from Connecticut was killed and his partner injured in a motorcycle crash before Easter. Nathan “Nate” Musto died on Saturday, April 4, after being thrown from his motorcycle during a crash with a pickup truck on Stone Hill Road at approximately 4:30 p.m., Connecticut State Police said. Musto was riding with his passenger, 35-year-old Erica Tefft, who was also ejected and seriously injured, police said at the time. A GoFundMe has since been launched for Tefft and her four children, whom he considered his step-children. Musto, who was born on September 25, 1990, “was a man who…

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by Cecilia Levine
Obituaries
‘True Hero’: Windsor Locks Dad ID'd As Man Who Drowned In Florida Saving Child ‘True Hero’: Windsor Locks Dad ID'd As Man Who Drowned In Florida Saving Child
‘True Hero’: Windsor Locks Dad ID'd As Man Who Drowned In Florida Saving Child Police in Florida have identified the Connecticut father of three who drowned earlier this month while trying to save a child caught in a rip current. Jason "Jay" Michael DeGray, 42, of Windsor Locks, died on April 14 after he was pulled under by waves at Cocoa Beach, authorities said. He was on vacation with his family. Reports say DeGray rushed into the ocean to save his son, who had been caught in a rip current and pulled into deeper water around 1 p.m. Ebony Mount, a 34-year-old Ohio woman, he did not know also dove in to help. Cocoa Beach responders and DeGray's daughter Bailey, who i…

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by Josh Lanier
Obituaries
Bristol Man, 23, Killed in California Motorcycle Crash: 'Our Family Is Completely Heartbroken' Bristol Man, 23, Killed in California Motorcycle Crash: 'Our Family Is Completely Heartbroken'
Bristol Man, 23, Killed in California Motorcycle Crash: 'Our Family Is Completely Heartbroken' The family of a 23-year-old Connecticut motorcyclist killed in a California crash is asking for the public’s help to bring him home so his loved ones can say goodbye.  Jamaih Fortin, of Bristol, was killed last week after losing control of his motorcycle and crashing into a parked car on the Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach, according to California police. His father, Jeremy Fortin, launched a GoFundMe campaign to help bring his son's body home. "As a father, there are no words to fully describe this kind of pain," he wrote. "Losing a child is something no parent should ever have t…

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by Josh Lanier