x
Breaking News
More () »

Coroner: starvation, dehydration were factors in death of Jarrod Tutko Jr.

Dauphin County Coroner Graham Hetrick said Tuesday that dehydration and starvation were factors in the death of nine-year-old Jarrod Tutko Jr. The boy was dead ...
New Information After Autopsy on Harrisburg Boy

Dauphin County Coroner Graham Hetrick said Tuesday that dehydration and starvation were factors in the death of nine-year-old Jarrod Tutko Jr. The boy was dead in his North Green Street home in Harrisburg for days before anyone called 911.

The cause of the boy’s death still has not been determined.

“The weight was phenomenally low in this child. He was dehydrated. He had malnutrition, starvation,” said Hetrick. “Of course, (he was) in a decomposed state, so we have some entomology reports and everything else we’re waiting to get back before we finish.”

The boy’s mother, Kimberly Tutko, called police August 1 after learning her boy was dead in the house. Police say he died three days before, and that no one had checked on him for two days before that.

Police arrested the boy’s father, Jarrod Tutko Sr. and charged him with abuse of a corpse, endangering the welfare of a child and concealment of the death of a child. Police have not charged Kimberly Tutko.

Police say the father used mothballs and bleach to try to mask the smell of decomposition.

His mother said the boy had Fragile X syndrome and required special care. According to the National Institutes of Health, “Fragile X syndrome is a genetic condition that causes a range of developmental problems including learning disabilities and cognitive impairment. Usually, males are more severely affected by this disorder than females.”

Before You Leave, Check This Out