All Articles from The Gainesville Sun
Saturday, May 13, 2000
Authorities on Friday identified a woman found dead Thursday at her southwest Gainesville apartment, but they still seek clues that might determine the cause - and circumstances - of her death.
Caroline Annette Cody, 22, a first-year medical student at the University of Florida, was found at Grantwood Apartments, 2508 SW 35th Place, after friends reported they hadn't seen her since Monday.
An autopsy Friday didn't reveal the cause of death, said Alachua County Sheriff's spokeswoman Linda White.
The medical examiner is waiting for toxicology reports, which could take weeks.
"It's a puzzling situation at this point," White said.
"It would have been a crucial piece of information to know what the cause of death was, but since that's not going to be available for some time, detectives have to go in different ways."
Residents say Cody's car and some personal belongings, including a computer, are missing, but sheriff's officials wouldn't comment, citing the ongoing investigation.
Some residents fear foul play was involved.
"We're worried," said one resident who didn't want to be named.
The resident said he and others in the complex wonder if the death is related to an incident in which an Asian man exposed himself to a resident. Grantwood's apartment management company, Contemporary Management Concepts, sent residents a letter about the incident Monday - the last day Cody was seen.
Others just want more information from officials.
"I just want to know what happened. . . . if it was a robbery gone bad or a jealous boyfriend," said resident Terri Selman.
Anyone with information about Cody's death or her whereabouts after Monday evening should call the Sheriff's Office at 955-2660.
Thursday, May 18, 2000
A man was charged Wednesday in the theft of a car that belonged to a woman who was found dead May 11 at her southwest Gainesville apartment.
No cause of death has been determined for Caroline Annette Cody, 22, a first-year University of Florida medical student.
Alachua County Sheriff's deputies arrested Donald G. Fair, 2621 SW 33rd Place, Apt. A, for grand theft auto of Cody's car, which is still missing.
Cody was found dead at her Grantwood apartment at 2508 SW 35th Place. Investigators found no obvious signs of foul play, and autopsy results Friday didn't reveal a cause of death. Toxicology results may take weeks.
Authorities were led to Fair, 28, when his sister called deputies and told them she had some of Cody's personal belongings in her house.
Dorothy Lee Fair, who lives with her brother, told detectives she saw Donald Fair on May 10 driving a car matching the description of Cody's car. But Dorothy Fair told detectives her brother doesn't own a car, according to the arrest report.
Later that day, Dorothy Fair found a checkbook, photo IDs and a credit card in Cody's name tucked into her couch at home, as well as spotting in a closet a sorority car tag bearing the Greek symbols for Delta Sigma Theta.
Cody's car had an identical tag on the front bumper.
Dorothy Fair confronted her brother about the items, and he said he was holding them for Cody, according to the arrest report.
Cody and Fair knew each other, said Alachua County Sheriff's Bureau Chief Linda White.
Fair, who has an arrest warrant out on him for burglary in New Jersey, was taken to the Alachua County jail.
Officials are not saying if they believe foul play was involved in Cody's death and are waiting for outcomes of the toxicology tests.
Friends of Cody are still in shock over her death.
"Everyone's just crushed," said Patricia Hilliard-Nunn, president of the Gainesville chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, Cody's sorority. "We're all devastated. She was just a very nice, happy, smart, classy young lady; someone any parent would be proud of."
Cody was a graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans, Hilliard-Nunn said.
Although Hilliard-Nunn said she and Cody's other sorority sisters will wait for toxicology reports before making a judgment, many of her friends fear she was harmed.
A funeral will be held Friday in Jacksonville, where Cody's parents live.
Anyone with information on the missing four-door, 1998 S-70 Volvo with a tag reading F5UEF should call the Alachua County Sheriff's Office at 955-2660.
Sunday, May 21, 2000
As the mystery surrounding the death of University of Florida student Caroline Cody grows, friends awaiting final autopsy results to find out what killed the woman they describe as classy and compassionate will say goodbye to her tonight.
A 7:30 p.m. memorial service at the outdoor fountain area of UF's Health Science Center may offer comfort but little resolution to friends, instructors and police, all of whom remain baffled by the untimely end of a promising life.
Medical examiners say the initial inconclusive results of Cody's May 12 autopsy were just the first steps in their search for what caused the death of the first-year medical student, found dead in her Gainesville apartment May 11. More specialized tests will likely reveal answers, investigators said.
A no cause of death finding often happens in the first autopsy, called a "gross exam," said Pete Zeller, chief investigator at the Medical Examiner's Office in Gainesville.
Only fairly obvious causes of death that are visible to the naked eye, such as a shooting, stabbing or car accident, usually are found in the gross exam. Usually, more tests are required for the answers.
"There's a lot to an autopsy," Zeller said. "It's not just bang, bang, bang, you see a cause of death."
Few cases - between 2 percent and 5 percent - go unsolved once forensics experts begin their battery of tests, Zeller said.
Because no obvious signs of foul play were present in Cody's autopsy, medical examiners have ordered toxicology and microscopic tests, which reveal the cause of death in most cases, Zeller said. The tests, which take several weeks, show details invisible to the naked eye, such as cancer, viruses or other minute trauma.
But some causes of death, such as suffocation or asphyxiation, are difficult to find in any stage of an autopsy, Zeller said.
Complicated cases can take months to complete, Zeller said, and involve thorough investigations.
"It's a complete cooperation between many agencies: families, police officers, friends, citizens," Zeller said.
Often, investigators must rule out causes to try to narrow down the field of possibilities. And in a very few cases, investigators eliminate every cause they can - and still can't find a cause of death.
In those cases - about 15 out of the 450 cases investigated each year by Gainesville's medical examiner office - the cause of death is ruled as undetermined.
But those who knew Cody remain optimistic that they will get answers to the unexpected death that has shocked her friends, family and fellow students.
Cody, 22, was found dead May 11 at her Grantwood apartment, 2508 SW 35th Place, three days after friends said they last saw her and her car.
Friends became worried when she didn't show up for a test at school, saying she was always punctual and too dedicated of a student to miss a test.
Donald Fair of Gainesville was charged with grand theft auto and theft May 17 for stealing personal items of Cody's as well as her 1998 black Volvo S70, which is still missing. However, Fair, 28, has not been charged with her death. Investigators have determined Fair and Cody did not know each other, said Alachua County Sheriff's spokeswoman Linda White.
Officials have not ruled Cody's death as a homicide because no obvious signs of foul play were apparent, another puzzling aspect of the case that has yielded few answers for those who knew her.
Although there are still many threads to unravel in Cody's case, officials and friends are perplexed because there are no ready answers. Police have not speculated on a cause or motive for Cody's death. Friends say suicide is not a possible cause of death for the happy, optimistic Cody. Many suspect foul play, but are waiting for the autopsy results to tell them what robbed the world of a unique and special person.
Cody's death took away an unusually compassionate future doctor, said Dr. Rhondda Waddell, one of Cody's instructors in the College of Medicine.
Every year, staff members informally picked a student from the first year's class as the student to follow, Waddell said. Cody was this year's choice.
"She really was like a shooting star. She just had some light about her that was different from the other students," Waddell said. "She was a very kind, compassionate and caring person."
Each medical class has its own personality, Waddell said, and this year's class has an exceptionally high level of compassion.
"Caroline has been the epitome of that. She has been kind of a Jesus figure for the class in that she held that ideal so high."
Although she was especially interested in working with children, Cody also was part of a team that offered medical services to the elderly people. Her role in helping the family she was assigned to helped her grow this year personally and professionally, Waddell said.
"She had seen herself move from playing at being a doctor to really learning about the human condition," Waddell said.
Cody came from a life of privilege, with a physician father who by his own admission spoiled his little girl, Waddell said, but somehow that translated into a deep concern for the underprivileged and downtrodden.
Cody, part of a military family, lived in numerous states and also in Japan.
"She's had an action-packed life," Waddell said. "She's done more in 22 years than most people do in their life."
Cody was elected to several honor societies in college at Xavier University in New Orleans, where she served as class president her sophomore year and graduated in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in biology.
A classical pianist, she won first place in a music competition and also played the French horn, trumpet and baritone.
She was active in her church and was a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, but her talents weren't confined indoors. Cody ran track and played basketball in school.
Yet she still found time to make friends and touch lives across all ages and races, Waddell said. Cody's funeral on Friday in Jacksonville was packed with hundreds of people, Waddell said.
Anyone with information about Cody's death or her missing car is asked to call detectives at 955-2660.
Monday, May 22, 2000
The black Volvo stolen from a college student recently found dead in her Gainesville apartment was discovered abandoned in Marion County on Saturday night.
A Gainesville man already had been charged Wednesday with the theft of the car, which was owned by Caroline Cody, 22, a first-year University of Florida medical student. Cody was found dead on May 11; the cause has not been determined. Friends have praised Cody as an intelligent, compassionate woman headed for a successful medical career. A memorial was held at the UF Health Science Center on Sunday evening.
A Marion County deputy went to 4770 SE 98th Lane about 9:45 p.m. to answer a call about a suspicious vehicle. Residents told the deputy that the car was parked near an oak tree in a vacant lot near an abandoned house in the 5700 block of SE 98 Lane, outside of Belleview.
The car was dusty and the driver's side window was down, according to the sheriff's report.
It was turned over to the Alachua County Sheriff's Office, which is examining it for evidence. It had not been set on fire, as had several other stolen cars recently discovered stripped of valuable rims and stereos in Alachua and Marion counties, spokeswoman Linda White said.
"I don't know if anything had been taken from the car, but I know that it wasn't torched," White said. "The car will be processed, and we'll see what they come up with." Deputies Wednesday arrested Donald G. Fair, 2621 SW 33rd Place, and charged him with theft and grand theft auto. Authorities were led to Fair, 28, when his sister called deputies and told them she had some of Cody's personal belongings in her house. Cody was found dead at her Grantwood apartment at 2508 SW 35th Place after friends told police they had not seen her in three days. Investigators found no obvious signs of foul play, and initial autopsy results didn't reveal a cause of death. Toxicology results may take weeks.
Thursday, June 15, 2000
A University of Florida student found dead May 11 in her southwest Gainesville apartment was killed, according to autopsy results released Wednesday.
Those findings indicate Caroline Cody, 22, was the victim of a homicide, Alachua County Sheriff's spokesman Linda White said. Officials will not release the cause of death.
Autopsy results don't have to be made public unless charges are filed against a defendant and the information is released to the attorney, if the case is closed, or if there is no more expectation that charges ever will be filed in a case, Chief Assistant State Attorney Bill Cervone said.
Cody, a first-year medical student, was found dead at her Grantwood apartment, 2508 SW 35th Place, three days after friends said they last saw her. Cody's 1998 black Volvo S70 was missing and was found later in Marion County.
Donald Fair of Gainesville was charged with grand theft auto and theft May 17 for stealing Cody's car and some personal items.
Fair, 28, is a subject in the criminal investigation of Cody's death although he had not been charged in her death, White said.
"We're looking at Fair because of the connection with the stolen car," White said. But the investigation now is extensive and not focusing exclusively on Fair, White said.
Authorities were led to Fair when his sister called deputies and told them she had some of Cody's personal belongings in her house, including Cody's checkbook, photo IDs and a credit card.
Dorothy Lee Fair, who lives with her brother, told detectives she saw Donald Fair on May 10 driving a car matching the description of Cody's car.
Fair and Cody did not know each other, White said.
Friends describe Cody as a compassionate person who already had made a mark on the world.
Most people who knew Cody already believed her death was a homicide, said her former UF instructor Rhondda Waddell.
"People won't be surprised," Waddell said. "Everyone says it's a mystery, but that it looks like it was a murder. Someone has taken her car and personal belongings; it seemed like it would be foul play."
But not knowing the cause of death has made some students anxious, Waddell said.
"I think people do want to know what happened," Waddell said.
"By not knowing, they feel uncomfortable and frightened in their own homes. But I don't think it should come out if it's going to compromise the investigation."
Anyone with information on Cody's death should call the Alachua County Sheriff's Office at 955-2660.
Saturday, June 17, 2000
A jailed Gainesville man previously accused of stealing the car of slain University of Florida medical student Carolyn Cody was charged Friday with her slaying.
Donald G. Fair, 28, was charged with first-degree murder after an autopsy discovered what police say is Fair's DNA on Cody's body.
Officials are not releasing the cause of death or whether Fair's DNA was found in skin, hair or other substances, citing the ongoing investigation.
"We're still holding the cause of death close to us and we would consider it inappropriate to be released at this time," said Alachua County Sheriff's Sgt. Jim Troiano. "We have several strings that are untied."
Police believe Fair entered Cody's southwest Gainesville apartment through an unlocked window, Troiano said. Fair told deputies he had never been in Cody's apartment, but DNA evidence shows otherwise, Troiano said.
"With that DNA evidence, it proved positive Fair was inside Cody's apartment," Troiano said.
Officials have said Cody and Fair did not know each other.
Cody was discovered dead May 11 in an upstairs bedroom at her Grantwood apartment at 2508 SW 35th Place, No. 60, after friends called police and said they hadn't seen her for three days. Investigators believe she was killed in the early hours of May 9.
Fair, of Phoenix Apartments, 2621 SW 33rd Place, Apt. A, was already in the Alachua County Jail, arrested on charges of stealing Cody's 1998 Volvo and other personal items. Her car was later found in Marion County.
Authorities were led to Fair when his sister called deputies and told them she saw Donald Fair on May 9 driving a car matching the description of Cody's car.
Dorothy Fair also found a checkbook, photo IDs and a credit card in Cody's name tucked into her couch at home, and more of Cody's possessions were found on Fair when he was arrested and charged with stealing Cody's car, Troiano said.
"We got a great break in the case when we received information from family members," Troiano said. "It's quite common for family members to turn a loved one in. Most people are good at heart and they know a serious crime has been committed. It's a matter of shocking the conscience."
No additional charges against Fair are expected, but investigators are not ruling out charges against others, Troiano said.
Fair is being held at the Alachua County Jail with no bond.
None in the Phoenix Apartments complex who were asked said they knew Fair well, though one woman said she was surprised to hear of his arrest because he seemed nice.
"If you just look at him, he seemed nice," said the woman, who didn't want to be identified. "You'd see him playing all the time with a little boy out there."
The woman said she believed Fair was not holding a job at the time of his arrest.
Fair's apartment was within a few blocks of Cody's. Several fences around Phoenix Apartments are broken and trampled, with trails through the woods leading to nearby apartment complexes that back up to Phoenix.
Investigators have not determined a motive for the slaying, nor did they reveal why they believe Fair chose Cody's apartment to break into.
"It's saddening to the heart," Troiano said. "The parents have lost a daughter, a promising career was whisked away, and for what? We may never know why Donald Fair did what he did. ...It's senseless."
But there are tips everyone can follow to help keep safe, Troiano said.
"Make sure your windows are locked and every door has a dead bolt," Troiano said. Using an alarm system or having a sticker for an alarm system is also a good idea, Troiano said, as is having good lighting around your home. "When a criminal sees that, do you think he's going to want to break in that home, or go to one that's less prepared?"
Saturday, July 1, 2000
UF student was suffocated
By KATHY CIOTOLA
Sun staff writer
The State Attorney's Office released information Friday listing suffocation as the cause of death for University of Florida medical student Caroline Cody.
The information was included in a paper filed by the State Attorney's Office charging Donald Fair with second-degree murder in Cody's death.
Fair, 28, originally was charged with first-degree murder by the Alachua County Sheriff's Office on June 16 after an autopsy showedrevealed what investigators say is Fair's DNA on Cody's body.
The difference between first- and second-degree murder is that first-degree murder is premeditated - or planned.
Nobody at the State Attorney's Office was available Friday to explain the significance of the change in Fair's charges, and officials at the Alachua County Sheriff's Office deferred all questions to the State Attorney's Office.
The charges read, "Rod Smith, State Attorney . . . alleges . . . that Donald Fair . . . unlawfully and by an act imminently dangerous to another, and evincing a depraved mind regardless of human life, but without a premeditated design to effect the death of any particular person, did kill and murder Caroline Cody, by suffocating her. . . ."
Cody, 22, was found dead May 11 in an upstairs bedroom at her Grantwood apartment, 2508 SW 35th Place, No. 60, after friends called police and said they hadn't seen her for three days. Friends also reported Cody's car as missing.
Fair, of Phoenix Apartments, 2621 SW 33rd Place, was arrested May 17 on charges of stealing Cody's 1998 Volvo and some personal items.
Investigators believe Fair entered Cody's southwest Gainesville apartment through an unlocked back window. Directly Behind Cody's end-unit apartment is a trampled-down fence and a path leading to the adjacent Phoenix Apartments.
Authorities were led to Fair when his sister called deputies and told them she saw Fair on May 9 driving a car matching the description of Cody's car. She also found a checkbook, photo identification and a credit card in Cody's name tucked into her couch at the home she and Fair shared. Cody's car was later found abandoned in Marion County.
Fair is being held at the Alachua County jail with no bond.
Thursday, September 28, 2000
Evidence detailed in report
By LISE FISHER
Sun staff writer
While friends and family wondered and worried about missing medical student Caroline Cody, other people -- including her alleged killer -- were using her credit card, pawning her jewelry and driving her stolen Volvo, officers on the case learned.
Records released by the State Attorney's Office show Caroline Cody was killed May 9. But sales receipts bearing her name and, supposedly, her signature turned up days later.
Cody's credit card was used at Rhino Video on Archer Road to buy a Sega game system. At Big Lots on Main Street, store video showed a man and woman buying cleaning products with her card. Other buys included sub sandwiches at Publix, brakes from Auto Zone, candy and drinks from gas stations, all after Cody's death. Bank records show 21 purchases up to eight days after she died.
Court records also document a trail of Cody's possessions, including a calculator, computer and car, that were given away or abandoned. That trail led around Gainesville and as far south as Tampa. Ultimately, those missing items, and DNA evidence, would be used to support a first-degree murder indictment against Donald G. Fair of Gainesville.
The only connection between the two was that their apartment complexes were close to each other, records indicate.
Friends concerned
Fellow medical students last saw Cody, 22, on May 8. After she missed lectures at UF two days in a row, some began to worry. One called Cody at her apartment at 1:30 a.m., hoping to catch her at home. Cody's mother, who lives in Jacksonville, also tried to reach her.
On May 11, Dr. Donna Parker of the University of Florida College of Medicine called the Alachua County Sheriff's Office about Cody.
Deputy Richard Rooney checked on Cody's apartment and discovered the body of the first-year medical student lying on the floor of her upstairs bedroom. She was undressed. On her chest officers found a gold charm. Her family later said she had worn that pendant, an Asian design representing happiness and long life, on a gold chain that was missing.
Other items, including jewelry and a computer, also were missing. But officers had little else to explain what had happened. A back window was unlocked. The gate into the complex, which required a code, showed Cody last entered on May 8 at 11:39 p.m.
Investigators noted there were no obvious signs of a struggle or injury. Cody, however, did have some small scrapes on her right elbow and two punctures in her left upper lip.
It wasn't until June that Cody's cause of death -- suffocation -- became public through court documents.
Officials have since said they believe Fair broke into Cody's home through the unlocked back window.
The burglary occurred during summer vacation, when students' apartments are often the targets for thieves, officials said. But the med student hadn't left. She arrived home late on May 8 after visiting her boyfriend, third-year medical student Michael Murphy.
Parisa Hamzetash, a friend of Cody's, would tell officers she had told Cody to close the blinds in her computer room to prevent a possible break-in. Cody, however, liked the sunlight and didn't seem concerned about keeping them open.
Witness reports
Later, Fair told his sister, Dorothy Fair of Gainesville, that he was holding a Visa Gold card, a checkbook, two photo IDs, two wallets and a Texas Instruments calculator for a woman. His sister discovered the items inside her couch May 10.
"She told Donald to get all of the items out of her house because she did not feel at ease about his explanation about how he had gotten them," reports showed.
Donald Fair, 28, enjoyed writing music and hoped to get into a music studio, a friend told officers. Fair also had a criminal history involving burglary, robbery and theft, his relatives said.
Court records don't show any connection between Cody and Fair, other
than the proximity of their apartments. Until his arrest, Fair stayed with
his sister Dorothy at Phoenix Apartments, a complex next to Cody's Grantwood
apartment on SW 35th
Place.
Officers arrested Fair on May 16 on charges of stealing Cody's car. He denied ever being in the student's apartment or knowing her, arrest reports show.
But neighbors, as well as Fair's sister, reported seeing Fair in a car matching the description of Cody's car soon after it disappeared from Cody's home. Deputies received a tip that they should contact Dorothy Fair about the case, and she told investigators about the car and other items connected to Cody.
Detrick Gainey, Dorothy Fair's boyfriend, told investigators he traveled with Donald Fair to Tampa on May 9 and tried to get rid of the car. He said Fair also got rid of a computer. They went to Tampa again May 12 and pawned a gold chain and Gucci watch, items reported as missing.
Cody's car was found abandoned in Marion County, outside Belleview, on May 20.
Dorothy Fair also identified her sister and brother-in-law, Tyrone and Elainna Trower, as the couple who used Cody's credit card at Big Lots, court records show. Elainna Trower said she found the card in a pile of trash in a convenience store parking lot in the Phoenix area.
Prosecutors have not said if they will pursue the death penalty if they convict Donald Fair in Cody's death.
Their case against Fair may include physical evidence, including a bite on his finger and DNA testing done on samples taken from Cody with a sexual assault kit, court records show.