A Connecticut mother has been charged with multiple motor vehicle offenses including DUI and manslaughter, following a 2023 rollover crash on Interstate 91 in Enfield that killed her 11-month-old son.
Fransheska Stuart, 32, is charged with of violation of the rear facing seat law, reckless driving, operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, failure to maintain lane, risk of injury to a minor, second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle, misconduct with a motor vehicle and first-degree reckless endangerment, according to the Connecticut State Police.
On Dec. 10, 2023, state police received 911 calls around 2 a.m. reporting a single-vehicle crash on I-91 South just north of Exit 45 in Enfield, state police said. Witnesses at the scene told troopers one of the occupants was trapped in the car. Troopers located Stuart who was pinned underneath the vehicle, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.
Troopers said Stuart was continuously yelling that she was having difficulty breathing as the vehicle was pinned to her chest area, the warrant affidavit said. Troopers asked if there was anyone else in the car to which a witness allegedly stated “she said no.” Troopers scanned the area and located an infant pinned under the front end of the vehicle that was unconscious, according to the warrant affidavit.
Troopers along with officers from the Enfield Police Department were able to lift the vehicle and extract Stuart and the infant, later identified as her son, 11-month-old Isiah Ortiz, the warrant affidavit said.
According to troopers, Ortiz was unresponsive with no pulse. Life-saving measures were performed until Enfield EMS and the Enfield Fire Department arrived at the scene and took over, according to the warrant affidavit.
Stuart was transported to Hartford Hospital with suspected serious injuries, state police said. Ortiz was taken to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, the warrant affidavit said.
Troopers learned that Stuart was driving a Honda Accord when she allegedly veered into the right shoulder and struck the metal guardrail. The car rolled over and landed in the grass to the right of the road, according to the warrant affidavit.
A witness told state police they allegedly observed the Honda driving at a high rate of speed before the crash, the warrant affidavit said.
While conducting the on-scene investigation, troopers allegedly found a black purse belonging to Stuart in the front seat of the vehicle. A plastic bag allegedly contained a crushed white substance weighing approximately five grams was found in plain view in the purse, according to the warrant affidavit.
A field test allegedly revealed the substance was positive for hallucinogens. The substance was processed into evidence and later sent to the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory for analysis, the warrant affidavit said.
While Stuart was being treated at Hartford Hospital, troopers obtained a search warrant for her blood sample. A toxicology report from the State of Connecticut Division of Scientific Services later reported that Stuart’s blood had a Blood Alcohol Content of 0.12%., according to the warrant affidavit.
State police spoke with the father of Ortiz who claimed that he had been on the phone with Stuart prior to the collision. He said that he spoke with Stuart on the phone around 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 9. He claimed that she was slurring her words and told him she was at a party in New Britain, the warrant affidavit said. He claimed that he told Stuart to not drive if she had been drinking alcohol and to just stay wherever she was with their son, according to the warrant affidavit.
He claimed that he again spoke with Stuart around midnight and she still allegedly sounded like she was slurring her words. She allegedly said she was leaving the party and was going to drop off Ortiz, the warrant affidavit said. He told state police he asked Stuart to not drive if she had been drinking, but she assured him she had not been drinking, according to the warrant affidavit.
The boy’s father said after the crash he went to the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to see his son’s body and claimed that he could smell an odor of alcoholic beverages coming from him, the warrant affidavit said.
During the on-scene investigation, a child passenger safety seat located in the rear of the Honda was examined. Investigators alleged that the safety seat was not properly installed with the lower anchor and tethers for children system or seatbelt and the chest plate and lap buckles on the seat were allegedly unlatched. “This evidence in conjunction with Ortiz being located pinned underneath the vehicle confirmed that the child passenger safety seat was not properly utilized at the time of the collision sequence,” the warrant affidavit said.
According to the medical examiner, the cause of death for Ortiz was listed as blunt Injuries of torso and head with chest compression. The manner of death was listed as accident (unrestrained passenger in car crash), the warrant affidavit said.
Following the extensive investigation, state police requested and were granted a warrant for Stuart’s arrest. She turned herself into Troop H in Hartford around 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
Stuart was being held on a $375,000 bond, which she was unable to post and was transferred to the custody of the Department of Corrections. She was scheduled to appear at Hartford Superior Court on Wednesday.
