The University of Connecticut has removed a department head from her position after an investigation into how a professor who was dead, possibly for months, remained on the payroll without anyone realizing he was deceased.

The professor, 84-year-old Dr. Pierluigi Bigazzi, was found dead, wrapped in garbage bags and hidden under a tarp, in his Burlington home on Feb. 5 after UConn officials who had not been able to reach him contacted authorities to check on his well-being, according to police. 

Bigazzi’s 70-year-old wife, Linda L. Kosuda-Bigazzi, has been charged with his murder and police said she is claiming self-defense.

It’s not clear exactly how long Bigazzi was dead before police found his body, but neighbors said they had not seen him for around six months and investigators said he could have been killed at any time between June 13, 2017, and Feb. 5, 2018.

Bigazzi, a faculty member in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at UConn Health, worked for UConn for more than 40 years, but did not appear on campus or respond to emails or phone calls for much of 2017, according to a report the interim provost and executive vice president for health affairs and the chief human resources officer provided to the UConn President Susan Herbst and the CEO of UConn Health and executive vice president for health affairs.

In the five years before his death, Bigazzi’s work responsibilities were focused on education, overseeing lectures in the Mechanisms of Disease course, writing materials for laboratory classes and developing elective courses, according to UConn.

But when UConn revised its curriculum, it put less emphasis on the traditional lecture, according to a report UConn released Wednesday, and Bigazzi’s focus turned toward creating materials to be used online. The work was expected to take between six and eight months and did not require Bigazzi to be on campus to do the work, according to the report from UConn.

The report from UConn identifies Dr. Melinda Sanders, the head of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, as the person responsible for managing Bigazzi. 

It was not until February that Bigazzi’s department suspected something was amiss and the investigation into his whereabouts revealed that he was dead. The office of the chief medical examiner determined he died of blunt-force trauma and his death was a homicide.

The investigation into Bigazzi’s death prompted UConn to look into his work arraignments with the university and they soon learned that there was no written record of his assignment, no timetable for completion of it, nor a schedule for handing in work.

The investigation also revealed some discrepancies, including that Bigazzi had not reported vacation time in all of 2017 when he had done so in the years prior.

UConn says working remotely is an “acceptable practice, provided it is properly documented.” The school also said flexible schedules are acceptable “provided that work is being completed effectively in a timely way which requires significant management oversight during the entire work period.”

“However, no regular, full-time employee – faculty or otherwise – can simply be allowed to disappear for months at a time with no contact whatsoever with their supervisor,” the report says.

The report says the outcome of the case is the result of a management failure rather than a problem caused by a lack of appropriate policy.

NBC Connecticut reached out to UConn and Dr. Sanders declined comment.

Linda Kosuda-Bigazzi, a prior employee of UConn Health, had a “gratis” appointment at the school, which was unpaid, and frequently went to campus with her husband when he was teaching. UConn said the nature of her role was unclear and had not been reviewed in more than a decade.

The report proposes that gratis positions be reviewed yearly and have a clearly defined goal.

The UConn report Sanders' salary will be adjusted and the school will identify a successor.

‏Serious injuries are reported in a crash on Route 9 North in Chester.

Two cars were involved in the crash near exit 6 and police said there was entrapment and LifeStar was called.

The highway has reopened. 

The FBI's Office of Professional Responsibility has recommended the firing of former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, who remains on the payroll — a move that could put the veteran official's pension at risk, officials familiar with the process told NBC News.

The recommendation is now before Attorney General Jeff Sessions. OPR has already determined that McCabe should be fired and it's now up to Sessions whether to reverse that recommendation or to accept it.

McCabe is due to retire this weekend. If Sessions were to fire him before then, it would place McCabe's federal pension at risk.

The Department of Justice won't comment directly, but did issue a statement: "The Department follows a prescribed process by which an employee may be terminated. That process includes recommendations from career employees and no termination decision is final until the conclusion of that process. We have no personnel announcements at this time."

George Lucas broke ground for “The Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts” in Los Angeles on Wednesday. The museum will feature paintings and comics, along with storyboards and props from popular films. Unfortunately, no lightsabers were used in the groundbreaking.

The victim of a Norwalk home invasion has been arrested on drug charges, according to Norwalk police.

Police said 21-year-old Andre Roberts faces drug charges after police found pills, marijuana and other paraphernalia in his home while investigating a home invasion.

According to police, on Nov. 23 police responded to investigate a home invasion at 7 Midwood Road, where Roberts was living at the time. During the investigation, investigators found 700 Xanax pills, 1.5 pounds of marijuana, $9,000 in cash and Ziploc plastic bags in Roberts' room.

Over the course of the investigation, police made multiple purchases from Roberts and ultimately obtained a warrant for his arrest. 

Roberts was arrested Tuesday. Police said they found over a pound of marijuana packaged in individual bags on him during the arrest, and a stun gun in his vehicle. They also reported marijuana wax, vape pens, marijuana edibles and more cash found at Roberts' new apartment.

Roberts faces multiple charges including possession of a controlled substance, possession with intent to sell, sale of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and conspiracy charges. 

As towns continue to clean up after the nor’easter Tuesday, snow is moving through Litchfield County Wednesday morning and more snow could impact a larger part of the state later today. 

This afternoon, snow squalls could bring another coating to an inch of snow for many areas of the state, including in Windham County, where many towns are still digging from more than a foot of snow that fell yesterday. 

The timing of the squalls could lead to some issues for the evening commute.

There are several school delays and Voluntown public schools are closed today after the snow yesterday. See the full list. 

A Waterbury man is accused of collecting thousands of dollars in unemployment benefits while he was serving time in prison.

According to the state Division of Criminal Justice, 35-year-old Donald Dyer collected $10,553 in unemployment compensation benefits while in prison. Investigators allege that Dyer and his ex-wife conspired to continue collecting benefits even though he was unable to work.

Officials say Dyer and his ex-wife discussed their plans during multiple recorded phone conversations while he was incarcerated. 

Dyer was charged with Larceny in the first degree by defrauding a public community, conspiracy to commit larceny in the first degree by defrauding a public community, and felony unemployment compensation fraud.

He was issued a $10,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in New Britain Superior Court on April 10.

David Ribnicky wanted to save some cash on his cable bill and thought he found a less expensive television provider service, but then learned it could cost him hundreds of dollars to cancel if he was not satisfied with his plan.

When the Middletown man and his wife stopped at an AT&T store last month to buy a new cell phone an employee offered a special promotion that swayed the Ribnickys to switch over to DIRECTV.

“We got all of these incentives -- there were gift cards, bill credits,” Ribnicky said.

Ribnicky said the sales associate informed him it was a two-year contract, but said he could cancel the service if he didn’t like it.

“We tried it that night and, immediately, my kids didn’t like the way it worked. They couldn’t use the voice remote that they were used to,” Ribnicky said. “But we kept telling them, it’s a new thing and they have to give it a chance.”

And the family did.

“So, after about two or so weeks, we just about had it,“ Ribnicky said.

He didn’t think the savings were worth the hassle, so Ribnicky said he got on the phone with a customer service representative to cancel his plan and found out he would be charged a $460 early termination fee.

Ribnicky said the representative told him DIRECTV gives customers a 24-hour grace period in which to cancel without penalty.

“I said, ‘How am I supposed to evaluate something brand new in 24 hours?,’“ he said.

Ribnicky then spoke to a supervisor who offered to cut the termination fee in half, or Ribnicky could write a letter to AT&T and the dispute would be settled through binding arbitration.

“So, I came home and started looking through the documents. Of course, I couldn’t find any reference to this 24-hour evaluation period,” Ribnicky said.

The Ribnickys wrote a letter to AT&T and then contacted NBC Connecticut Responds.

DIRECTV’s early cancellation policy states, “If you decide to cancel before you complete your term commitment, you are responsible for paying an Early Termination Fee, which starts at $480 and decreases by $20 per month for each month completed.”

We didn’t find any mention of a 24-hour timeframe.

A spokesperson for AT&T and DIRECTV told NBC Connecticut, “DIRECTV customers have a 24-hour return window. As a show of good faith, we have credited this customer’s account and apologize for the inconvenience.”

Crews responded to a mobile home fire in Sterling Wednesday, according to Quinebaug Valley Emergency Communications.

Dispatches confirmed a fire at 501 Pine Hill Road Wednesday afternoon. Multiple departments were requested, as tankers are needed in the area.

There was no immediate word on injuries.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Technology, consulting and IT company Infosys has plans to open a new location in Hartford and hire for 1,000 positions by 2022.

The Connecticut Technology and Innovation hub will focus on healthcare, insurance and manufacturing and offer data security and data-sharing services to its clients. 

The project is estimated to cost $20.6 million. The state Department of Economic and Community Development will provide $12 million in grants after certain job creation milestones are reached, according to the governor's office.

“Today marks yet another landmark day in Connecticut’s economic development efforts, at a time when our investments are bringing new life and vigor to our Capital City,” Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said in a statement. “I am thrilled to welcome Infosys to Connecticut and congratulate them on their decision to establish a Technology and Innovation Hub in Hartford. Connecticut’s tremendous assets and talent pipeline continue to attract high caliber companies to the state, and I look forward to the value that Infosys will bring to our business community.”

Company officials said they picked the Hartford location to work more closely with New England clients and to seek out local talent.

“This investment will further strengthen our ability to serve clients’ needs throughout the New England region and expand the local workforce to help our clients compete in the rapidly digitizing insurance, healthcare and manufacturing sectors,” wrote Infosys President Ravi Kumar in a statement. “Hartford’s position as the Insurance Capital of the World, paired with Connecticut’s world-renowned academic institutions, will place Infosys in close proximity to valued clients and accelerate the recruitment of highly-skilled local talent.”

The company also has plans to expand with locations in Raleigh, North Carolina and Providence, Rhode Island.

It may seem irrational to some, but we celebrate the number pi (π) every year on March 14, since 3/14 represent the first three digits of pi's decimal expansion.

NBC News reports that pi is more than just a good excuse to eat pie in the middle of March. It characterizes the perfect circle in a Platonic world, because it represents the constant ratio of the circumference to the diameter.

But it does more than that, too. Pi is part of Heisenberg's uncertainty principle and a formula that prices risk.

It's captured the popular imagination with its irrationality, which means it can't be represented as a fraction. A computer calculated pi down to the 22,459,157,718,361st decimal place, while Rajveer Meena from India has a Guinness Book world record for reciting 70,000 of those decimal places.

There may finally be progress in sight for neighbors frustrated by a blighted building on Milford’s Naugatuck Avenue.

A new permit has been granted for construction of a split commercial and residential building.

NBC Connecticut first investigated the building at 257 Naugatuck Avenue in October. Neighbors and nearby business owners were sick of looking at it, and expressed concerns about the roofless, boarded-up building attracting graffiti, crime, and possibly affecting their property values and overall neighborhood perception.

The property is well-known to the city. Blight complaints on record with the city's health department date back more than 10 years. The health department is responsible for the enforcement of Milford’s anti-blight ordinance.

But every time it’s come close to accruing fines or being demolished, the property has either been sold or promises to fix its various issues have been made, according to City Health Department director Deepa Joseph.

NBC Connecticut spoke to the current owner in October. Christopher Saley is a local real estate developer who bought the property in 2013 before he became Public Works Director for the City of Milford in 2014.

At the time, he detailed plans for a split commercial and residential building.

“We’ve had a few hiccups with it, a few starts and faults, right now we plan on starting construction in the next month and a half, that’s my goal,” Saley said.

But neighbors recently contacted NBC Connecticut once again to complain that more than four months later, nothing has changed.

New records obtained from the health department show Saley explored selling the property, but that didn’t work out. A blight violation extension was granted through mid-December based on a promise to either sell or develop the property. Failing that, the city would begin charging fines of $100 per day.

Saley notified the Health Department in mid-December that he was no longer pursuing sale of the property, that an application was pending for a new building permit, and construction would begin upon its approval.

Milford’s Building Official, Joseph D. Griffith, confirmed to NBC Connecticut that permit was approved and issued on February 13 for the same plans Saley showed in October -- a new three story building with apartments and commercial space.

When reached for comment this week, Saley told NBC Connecticut that personal family matters also played a role in the delay.

His new timeline for the project is to break ground in the next three weeks. He hopes to have the new building framed in four months and have it open to residential and retail tenants within six to eight months.

Saley said he is hopeful the 3,000 square feet of first-floor retail space could be used as a market or butcher shop for the neighborhood and said he welcomes interested tenants.

Do you have a question or concern about an issue where you live? Contact NBC Connecticut with your story at news@nbcconnecticut.com.

A Bristol mother had a special delivery when she gave birth to her second son during Tuesday's snowstorm. 

Shannon McKee gave birth to her first son, Shawn, three years ago during another snowstorm in January 2015. At that time, Mckee said the state was shut down.

“I was induced at the hospital but they ended up shutting down the entire state, so there was a driving ban,” Shannon McKee said. “The pediatrician couldn’t get to the hospital and my doctor couldn’t get to the hospital so we had the same staff and they were good but it was a long two days.”

This was not the only time that this mother would have an eventful labor and delivery.

Her second son, Cayden McKee, was born during Tuesday's nor'easter. At 8 pounds, 9 ounces and 21 inches, their newborn baby boy is said to be doing well, but it was no surprise he came during the snowstorm.

“We were actually waiting for him to be born last Wednesday during the last snowstorm just because it was going to snow,” Shannon McKee said. “I’m meant to have snow kids.”

Father Desmond McKee said they were prepared as soon as they heard of snow in the forecast.

Even though they knew what to expect, both parents agreed it was a good but tiring experience.

As for her first-born snow baby, he's been looking forward to becoming a big brother.

"My son is really excited,” Shannon McKee said. 

There were plenty of hugs and kisses Wednesday to welcome home the 132 officers and sailors of the USS Minnesota at the Naval Submarine Base New London after the submarine’s first successful deployment.

“It’s the little moments that they miss that you’re just like I wish they were here to share with us,” Sara Burton, a Navy spouse, told NBC Connecticut.

After being separated since September and relying on technology to keep in touch, Burton was ready for her husband to return home.

“His eyes are brown, his boots are black, out of my way, my sailor’s back,” she said, reading her sign, “and I made one for my daughters that says out of our way our daddy comes home today.”

Just before 2 p.m., the USS Minnesota arrived at its homeport after a six-month deployment with visits to ports in France, Norway and Spain.

After a first kiss and a first hug, a father held his baby girl for the first time.

“I’m probably going to hit the hay, probably going to get some rest and stay up with this one here,” LSI Lewis Williams said.

Williams and his wife Brooke have four sons. Three-week-old Lailani is their first daughter.

“Oh it’s awesome, I’m glad for him to be back and to be home and do his part as a father,” Brooke said.

This was the second time Sailor Miles Burton reunited with his family after a deployment.

“It was tiring at points, but it was really enjoyable,” Burton said. “It was hard missing all three of them.”

While they have sacrificed for six months not having him home, Burton’s wife and two daughters are proud of his service to the country.

“When Kenzie is having a really hard time with him being gone, I’m always like he’s out there keeping us and our country safe and she’s like, yeah he keeps everyone safe and I’m like yes he does, so that’s how I explain it to her,” Sara said.

It is a big week for the Naval Submarine Base. The new USS Colorado will be commissioned at a ceremony on Saturday.

Supporters and opponents of putting tolls on Connecticut’s highways are retreating to their corners for what could be a prolonged debate on the issue as the regular session marches toward its conclusion.

The General Assembly’s Transportation Committee held a public hearing on a number of proposals but the marquee issues were those establishing tolls and an authority for transportation management.

Republicans appear to be putting on a united message against tolls in what’s poised to be a critical election year.

“Yes, Senate Republicans are united against tolls,” said Sen. Len Suzio, (R – Meriden).

Suzio said he would prefer that lawmakers pursue a GOP plan that spent $65 billion over several decades all through using the state’s bonding structure, in essence, the state’s credit card, paid for by taxpayers.

He said using bonding is the most prudent way forward rather than asking Connecticut drivers to pay for road improvements.

“It’s just another burden on Connecticut taxpayers and unlike the proponents we know that you can’t put border tolls in so the idea that a huge amount of money is going to come in from out-of-staters totally false and it will not happen,” Suzio said.

Democrats, including Gov. Dannel Malloy, are pushing ahead with a plan that would put tolls at least on Connecticut’s interstate highways: I-84, I-91, and I-95.

Rep. Tony Guerrera, (D – Rocky Hill), has been the loudest supporter of tolls for past few years.

“It’s some type of sustainable revenue that we need,” Guerrera said of monetizing out of state drivers.

The Democrats’ plan is limited on detail on how the tolling system would work. The only elements that have been discussed openly would the use of electronic tolls in lieu of traditional toll takers and booths, and an authority that would manage the tolls program and have the ability to take on debt to finance new projects.

Gov. Malloy also proposed a new surcharge on tire purchases and increasing the state’s gas tax as ways to pay for infrastructure.

Guerrera says he sees no other way to come up with new money to pay for possibly $100 billion in improvements statewide.

“We travel throughout the whole northeast corridor and no one has a problem paying for those tolls but then you come to Connecticut and it’s just a pass-through and you don’t have to pay,” Guerrera said. “I don’t understand that logic.”

Middle school students in Middletown took the helm on leading a school-wide assembly all aimed at discussing school safety.

Morghan James, an eighth-grader at Woodrow Wilson Elementary, organized a forum that included Middletown’s mayor, police chief, a state representative, and system administrators.

“I want to see changes to everything like gun laws. I want to see better security in school and just make sure everyone is safer and feels safe. Because I know half of the kids don’t feel safe," she said.

Woodrow Wilson’s Principal Cheryl Gonzalez said the entire event, which spanned two, one hour long events, was entirely the brainchild of students. They decided the format and who would be invited. She said the students put the adults to work.

“They quite frankly said, ‘we’re scared. We’re scared and we don’t know what to do about it.’ And we need to do something so with the conversations with students, this is how this came about,” said Gonzalez.

In Farmington, the high school held an assembly rather than a walkout. Ashley Dummitt, a supporter of gun rights, found herself in the extreme minority among her peers. She says she felt obligated to provide a unifying voice instead of criticizing her friends and classmates over their stances aimed at changing gun laws.

Dummitt, who made a speech during the assembly, said she wants more people to be involved in conversations about school safety.

“It needs to happen not just in my school but in Connecticut and all of the nation in general because right now we’re being plagued by polarization and that does need to be able to be stopped if we want to get anywhere in protecting our students,” she said.

The protests and walkout have spread quickly since the Parkland shooting. Students have connected with their counterparts in schools around the country.

Adam Chiara, an Assistant Communications Professor at the University of Hartford, says students are using social media in organized ways never seen before.

“If you look at the way students are using it in Parkland, they talk the language of social media,” Chiara said. “They use memes, they use jokes, they use videos. That’s the culture of social media, so they’re doing it really well, it’s authentic. They’re using social media in the way that it was meant to be made.”

A top lawyer for the Trump Organization was involved in trying to enforce a secrecy agreement that adult film star Stormy Daniels signed in exchange for $130,000 before the 2016 election, new documents show.

Jill A. Martin, whose LinkedIn profile says she is assistant general counsel for the company, last month signed two legal papers linked to a temporary restraining order against the actress, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, NBC News reported.

It’s the latest link between the Trump organization and efforts to silence Clifford, who says in a lawsuit that she had an "intimate" relationship with Donald Trump a decade before he became president.

Trump denies her allegations, and White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said last week that as far as she knows, the president was not aware his personal attorney, Michael Cohen, paid off Clifford through a company called EC.

A Danbury police officer was injured and three police cars damaged when a suspected drug dealer fled police Wednesday afternoon, according to Danbury police.

Police said that two officers were patrolling on Steven Street around 3 p.m. when they spotted what they believed was a drug deal. When officers attempted to approach the suspected dealer, the suspect tried to flee in a gray Acura RL.

Other officers responded to assist and tried to block the Acura from leaving. Police allege that the driver then intentionally struck three police cars and one of the officers as she tried to step out of her vehicle.

The officer was hit when the suspect drove into the officer’s car door as she was trying to get out. She was hit by the door, but not seriously hurt and refused treatment.

The suspect, who has been identified as Abdulwali “Tamel” Peterson, remains at large. The car was last seen traveling on Interstate 84 in Newtown. Anyone with information should contact Danbury police.

One day after the mother of Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill publicly asked District Attorney Larry Krasner to help free her son from jail, prosecutors answered the call.

“The office is not opposed to him being out on bail,” Krasner spokesman Ben Waxman told NBC10.

In a motion filed Wednesday in Common Pleas Court, prosecutors said "there is a strong likelihood of [Mill's] conviction being reversed" as a result of allegedly false testimony provided more than 10 years ago. 

That questionable testimony was provided by Philadelphia police officer Reginald Graham, who was among 29 so-called corrupt cops identified by the district attorney's office.

Graham was the only government witness called at the 2007 trial, putting into question whether the court had an accurate understanding of what happened more than 10 years ago when Mill was first arrested, prosecutors said.

Last month, Mill's legal team submitted two affidavits from other Philadelphia police officers alleging that Graham “repeatedly engaged in misconduct, including lying,” according to court documents.

Ultimately, Mill’s fate rests in the hands of Judge Genece Brinkley, who has been accused having an “infatuation” with the rapper. She originally sentenced the rapper to time in prison plus 10 years probation.

“I would like to thank the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office for carefully evaluating my son’s matter and not opposing the request for bail,” Mill’s mother, Kathy Williams, said.

“The fact that [his] entire conviction could be overturned is a blessing and I pray that God gives Judge Brinkley the wisdom to make the right decision and allow my son to return home to his family. I truly believe justice will prevail.”

Mill’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, also thanked Krasner’s office.

“We look forward to his immediate release by the court on bail in light of this development,” he said in a statement.

Mill was arrested in 2007 on gun charges and sentenced to 10 years probation. In 2017, Brinkley sentenced Mill to an additional two to four years in prison for a probation violation. Since then, Mill’s legal team has filed a series of unsuccessful motions to release the rapper while he sits behind bars in Chester County.

Despite his legal drama, the 30-year-old has skyrocketed to national fame after one of his songs, “Dreams and Nightmare,” became the unofficial anthem of the Eagles’ road to victory.

Supporters gathered at New Britain City Hall Wednesday to rally for a New Britain mother and father facing deportation to Pakistan later this month.

Zahida Altaf and Malik Rehman have lived in the US for nearly 20 years and have a 5-year-old daughter.

“I keep trying to hold myself because of my daughter. I want she have a better future here. So that's why I keep trying to hold myself,” Altaf said.

NBC Connecticut reached out to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for details on the couple’s case, but has yet to hear back.