Irene Rotondo – masslive.com
New details have been released by the Winthrop Police Department about the death of a 2-year-old on Friday after the child was found unresponsive at a home believed to belong to a former officer facing charges from a separate incident involving child rape.
Winthrop Police Chief Terence M. Delehanty held a press conference around 4 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 26 and told reporters it had been a “tragic, traumatic day here in Winthrop,” for both the first responders and family of the dead child.
Winthrop is part of a peninsula in Greater Boston in the harbor directly next to Boston Logan International Airport.
Delehanty said the 2-year-old was found alive but unresponsive at a home on Pleasant Street; MassLive has confirmed it is the residence of James Feeley, 56, a former Winthrop officer currently being held in jail for child rape and indecent assault and battery. He is next expected in court on Jan. 29.
According to the Mass. Registry of Deeds, Feeley purchased a home at 26 Pleasant St. in Winthrop in 2020.
During reporters’ subsequent questioning, though, he would not confirm Feeley’s ownership of the home. Delehanty announced the department has “severed ties” with Feeley — a change from the administrative leave he’d been placed on in December.
The police chief said first responders worked tirelessly on Friday to try and save the 2-year-old. He called the firefighters’ actions “heroic” in getting the toddler necessary medical treatment as soon as possible.
The 2-year-old was rushed in the back of the fire chief’s vehicle, escorted by troopers, to Massachusetts General Hospital, the chief said.
But despite the first responders’ and medical experts’ efforts, the child died at the hospital, the chief said. Delehanty reiterated there was no foul play indicated in the initial investigation into the child’s death.
He added, “… all unattended deaths are the jurisdiction of the district attorney’s office and State Police, and our department is assisting and coordinating with that investigation.”
“We certainly are here to continue to support the family as they go through this horrible, horrible tragedy that we find ourselves placed in today,” Delehanty said, calling the incident a “toll-taker on your emotions and psyche” for all involved, and adding there’d been far too many recent tragedies in the community.
When asked if there was something that could be done for ambulance prioritization in the town, Delehanty directed reporters’ questioning to the fire chief, asking to allow the fire chief time to “decompress” from the day’s events.
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