State police are investigating after someone broke into a Connecticut Department of Transportation vehicle parking in a commuter lot in Shelton and stole a wallet.

Police responded to the commuter lot at exit 13 on Route 8 south around 2:45 p.m. on Monday to investigate a larceny and the person they met with said his wallet was had been taken removed from his lunch cooler and a debit card and cash were missing.

Police said they found the wallet on the ground, but a Wells Fargo Visa debit card was gone and had been used at a gas station on Bridgeport Avenue.

Police check surveillance video, which showed someone leaving the gas station in an older model gray or tan Oldsmobile, traveling south on Bridgeport Avenue.

The upper half of the vehicle's front passenger side door is painted black and the vehicle has damage to the front right fender.

Anyone with any information about the theft is asked to call Trooper Donis at Troop I-Bethany 203-393-4200 or text “TIP711” with information to 236748.

Pentagon spokesperson Capt. Jeff Davis denied Russian media reports that the U.S. and Russia conducted a joint training exercise over Syria today, saying that they did do a communications test but there was no exercise, NBC News reported.

Davis said that at roughly noon Qatar time one U.S. fighter aircraft conducted a three-minute planned communications test with one Russian fighter aircraft in the skies of south central Syria —as part of the provisions of a flight safety memorandum of understanding agreed to by both nations.

"The test was conducted. This test was a prudent measure solely to ensure that, in the event coalition aircraft encounter a Russian aircraft during operations in Syria, one of the established and agreed upon modes of communication in the agreement functioned," Davis said in a statement.

The first glimpse into Spike Lee's film "Chiraq" was revealed to the public Tuesday as the official trailer was released.

Punctuated by the sound of gunshots, the trailer confirms the film's focus on gun violence in Chicago. It opens with a narrator saying, "Homicides in Chicago, Illinois, have surpassed the death toll of American Special Forces in Iraq," followed by the proclamation, "Welcome to Chiraq." 

The film is set to be released on Dec. 4 in select theaters, according to an Instagram post from Lee on Friday.

During the filming and the days leading up to the film's release, Lee offered few details about the plot or nature of the film. A May report from Screen Daily, however, claimed "Chiraq" would be a reimagined production of the ancient Greek comedy "Lysistrata," a story in women withhold sexual privileges to try to stop the Peloponnesian War. Clips in the "Chiraq" trailer appear to confirm this report. 

The movie was filmed in Chicago over the summer with many Chicagoans standing in as extras. It features several stars, including Nick Cannon, Wesley Snipes, Jennifer Hudson, Teyonah Parris, Samuel L. Jackson and John Cusack, who appears to be a priest and activist, according to a shot in the trailer.

"Chiraq" is a slang term some use to compare America's third largest city to a war zone because of its violent crime. Its use as the name of the film was criticized heavily by some politicians, including Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who said it denigrates residents of Englewood and surrounding areas, where much of the movie was filmed.

Lee tried to quell the onslaught of criticism in May by telling Chicagoans to "see it first" before they offer negative comments.

"A lot of things have been said about this film, by people who know nothing about the film" Lee said in a past news conference. "A lot of people have opinions about the so-called title of the film. Again, they know nothing about the film." 

The film, released by Amazon Studios, is the first-ever Amazon Original Movie. The company said the movie could be Lee's "greatest, and definitely his boldest, film yet." 

Disturbing surveillance video shows an MTA bus hit and kill a 70-year-old woman as she tried to cross a Brooklyn street Tuesday, then drive away.

The video obtained by NBC 4 New York shows the woman in a green sweatshirt standing on the side of the road at Fulton and Sackman streets in the Ocean Hill section of Brooklyn, waiting for cars to go by.

As she starts to use her walker to move across the street, the bus, which is not in service, pulls into the intersection from across the street and moves to make a left turn in her direction.

The bus plows into her just as she crosses the double yellow line, sending both the woman and her walker flying. The bus stops briefly, the video shows, then pulls around the victim and drives off down the street.

"He stopped and then started going on so I don't know if he was nervous or he didn't realize," said Eli Fulton, who owns a lumber shop in the area.

The woman, identified by sources and neighbors as Carol Bell, was pronounced dead at the scene. A crumpled, broken walker sat in the roadway as authorities cordoned off the area with police tape.

The MTA said the bus was returning to the East New York depot after finishing a B15 run at the time of the crash. The MTA said the bus driver, who the agency identified as Paul Roper, has been suspended without pay pending the outcome of the investigation.

Roper was charged Tuesday with leaving the scene of an accident, a felony, failure to yield and other traffic offenses. He said nothing as he was led from the police precinct. It wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney.

Roper's mother and brother said he has been driving for at least 15 years. They said they didn't believe he saw the victim, and declined to comment further. 

Those who knew the victim, including Jennifer Gonzalez, described her as a "very sweet lady." Gonzalez said the woman lived at a women's shelter a block and a half from where she was killed.

The Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering (CASE) has released the results of a winter highway maintenance study done on behalf of the state Department of Transportation.

The study is a product of the Section 6 Public Act 14-199, which called for the transportation commissioner to "conduct an analysist of the corrosive effects of chemical road treatements" on "state snow and ice equipment vehicles," state bridges, highways and infrastructure and the environment, according to a press release from CASE. 

The study recomments that the DOT use "sodium chloride" as the chemical for de-icing the roads and "found that chloride-based deicing chemicals should be expected to be the standard for the
foreseeable future," according to a release from CASE officials. Corrosion inhibitors aren't necessary in treating the roads, according to the study.

"It is important to note that vehicle washing is the best defense to reduce/prevent corrosion and the public should be educated on the need to wash vehicles, including the undercarriage," CASE officials said.

Ensuring road safety and smooth traveling on the state's roads are dependent on "the most effective winter highway maintenance practices possible," CASE officials said.

"Accomplishing this is a shared responsibility among stakeholders. To achieve comprehensive and sustainable success competing factors must be considered including: safety, cost, corrosion, operating practices, materials and equipment, environmental and economic impacts, and communication with the general public, stakeholders, and government leaders," according to the study. "Balancing these factors presents a challenge that can be met through ongoing monitoring and continuous improvement based on evolving best practices."

CASE officials noted the DOT does consistently evaluate its practices and look for ways to improve.

You can read the full report on CASE's website or click on this PDF version.

Americans are angry and dissatisfied with politics and the nation’s direction, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

Only 27 percent of Americans feel the country is headed in the right direction. Fifty-four percent of Americans are critical of the economy and the political system, NBC News reported.

The dissatisfaction carries over to both political parties and their 2016 candidates, NBC News reported.

The most unpopular political figures were Donald Trump and Jeb Bush, while the most popular were Ben Carson and Bernie Sanders. The poll showed Americans believe the economy is still the number one issue affecting the country.

Voters were split, 45 percent to 45 percent, over the party they want to control Congress after next year's elections.

A round of layoffs is coming to one of Wallingford's largest employers. Drug research company Bristol-Myers Squibb filed a warn notice with the state's Department of Labor after announcing plans to close its Wallingford site in early 2018, according to a statement from the company.

The company made the announcement about the closure back in June as it builds a research site in Cambridge, Massachusetts, but the community could feel the impact of layoffs before 2018.

About 100 jobs are being eliminated, but many employees are also being offered the choice of relocating to taking advantage of severance benefits if they don't want to do so, according to Bristol-Meyers Squibb.

"Employees who do not wish to relocate to a work location may be eligible for severance benefits in accordance with the terms of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Severance Plan," Sarah Koenig, a spokesperson for Bristol Myers said in a written statement released to NBC Connecticut. "Additionally, we also indicated that approximately 100 jobs would be eliminated as a result of the company exiting our virology discovery efforts."

One woman NBC Connecticut spoke to, Elaine Mcdunnah, said that her best friend has worked for Bristol-Myers Squibb for more than 10 years.

With news about layoffs, Mcdunnah is concerned her friend could lose her job as a senior administrator.

"I’m also concerned for the town of Wallingford Bristol-Myers Squibb is not the largest one of the top taxpayers for the town I’m also concerned about all the jobs that will be lost," Mcdunnah said.

In June, company officials said they would relocate up to 200 employees from Wallingford and Waltham, Massachusetts sites, as well as a limited number from its central New Jersey locations.

Up to 500 employees will also be relocating to a new location in Connecticut, a news release from the company in June said.

The Wallingford facility has been dedicated to drug discovery and drug development activities within the Research and Development. It included applied biotechnology, applied genomics, chemistry, clinical research, metabolism & pharmacokinetics, neuroscience and virology departments.

In the June announcement, the company also said it plans to discontinue “discovery research efforts in virology,” but this does not impact the “company’s promising ongoing clinical development program in virology, nor does it impact the company’s marketed products in virology.”

“In addition to investments in central New Jersey, our new location in Cambridge and our expanding presence in the San Francisco Bay area positions the company and our scientists in the heart of vibrant ecosystems of world class science, innovation and business opportunities, which offer ideal environments for fostering external collaboration,” Francis Cuss, executive vice president and chief scientific officer for Bristol-Myers Squibb, said in a statement in June. “Ultimately, our goal is to continue to accelerate the translation of scientific knowledge and insights into the next wave of potentially transformational medicines for patients with serious diseases.”

Students and faculty at the Northwest Village School in Plainville were evacuated late morning Tuesday and Northwest Drive was shut down after a bomb threat was made to the school.

Someone called in a bomb threat to the day school for special education students at 91 Northwest Drive in Plainville at about 11 a.m., Plainville police said. The day school is part of the Wheeler Clinic.

People inside the building were evacuated to a nearby location. Northwest Drive was shut down temporarily  from Route 177 to Camp Street.

A State Police bomb squad responded to search the property. Investigators didn't find anything suspicious.

People were permitted back in the building at about 1:15 p.m. and normal activities resumed.

Plainvile detectives continue to investigate the incident. The person who called in the threat hasn't been identified at this time.

The mother of a 9-year-old boy who was fatally shot in Chicago this week gave an emotional plea Tuesday asking for someone to come forward and help find her son's killer.

"Please come forward and find whoever did this to my baby," Karla Lee said as tears rolled down her face. "Oh my god I love my son. I'm going to miss him."

The 9-year-old boy was fatally shot in an alley in Chicago while still in his school uniform late Monday afternoon, and sources say the young boy may have been targeted.

Fourth-grader Tyshawn Lee was in a Gresham neighborhood alleyway near his grandmother’s home around 4:15 p.m. when he was shot multiple times in the head and back, police said.

"He was supposed to play ball. That's all he do, all he liked to do is play ball and play video games," Karla Lee said. "He didn't hurt nobody. I don't know why this happened."

Dawn Valenti, a crisis responder who assists families in the aftermath of a homicide, called the shooting "another hard blow for our city."

"We just ask that the city stand up, get rid of the code of silence," she said. 

The shooting came less than two hours before a young model was shot blocks away, just weeks after she was crowned the winner of a renowned modeling contest. 

Last week, President Barack Obama addressed the gun violence afflicting his hometown and urged cooperation between police officers and communities.

"I live on the South Side of Chicago, so my house is pretty close to some places where shootings take place," Obama said. "Because that's real, we have to get on top of it before it becomes an accelerating trend."

In September, the city saw one of its most violent months in years, with two consecutive weekends of more than 50 people shot. In a single day, on Sept. 2, nine people were killed and at least 12 others were wounded in shootings across the city, making it the deadliest day in the city in over a decade.

"Please put the guns down, please," Karla Lee pleaded. "They're taking too many young lives, please. I'm only 26, this is my only baby, my only baby and now he's gone."

Chief of Detectives Constantine "Dean" Andrews said at a Monday night press conference they don’t know if Lee was hit by stray bullets or if he was targeted, but they do know a group of people had previously been in the alley where his body was found when an argument broke out and someone started shooting. After the murder the group fled the scene. 

Sources said authorities are working on two theories surrounding the boy’s killing.

One theory is that the young boy was walking through the alley when he became caught in the middle of an argument. A second theory is the boy was the intended target in the shooting.

“Somebody executed a baby,” Father Michael Pfleger from Saint Sabina Church said during a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

Pfleger revealed Tuesday afternoon that a reward for information leading to an arrest in the case had climbed to $20,000.

Lee was a student at Scott Joplin School, where his teachers say he was a "delight" to have in class.

Anyone who may have information about the incident is being asked to call (312) 747-8271.
 

Police have arrested a man after a bloody brawl at a Hamden restaurant in June nearly resulted in the death of his ex-girlfriend's boyfriend, police said.

Dillon Ryan is facing multiple charges including assault after he got into a physical altercation June 6 at Eli's on Whitney in Hamden with his 22-year-old ex-girlfriend's 25-year-old boyfriend, police said. The restaurant is located at 2392 Whitney Avenue.

Ryan headbutted his ex's boyfriend, breaking his nose, police said. He also threw a heavy glass at his head and the glass cut his girlfriend's shoulder when it shattered, according to police.

The male victim was minutes from death due to loss of massive amounts of blood, medical personnel told police. Hamden Fire Rescue treated him on scene for a large head wound and he also suffered from a broken nose, fractured skull and concussion, police said. A major artery in his head was also severed in the fight, police said. He was rushed to Yale-New Haven hospital. His condition is unknown and his identity hasn't been released.

Police obtained a warrant for Ryan and he turned himself into police on Oct. 29. Officers charged Ryan with first-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, third-degree assault and disorderly conduct.

Ryan was held in custody on a $75,-000 bond. He was arraigned in Meriden Superior Court on Oct. 29.

First it’s the impact. Then comes the damage assessment. Everyone is okay including your child.
The car could cost thousands to fix, thankfully your insurance company is footing the bill, but what about your child’s car seat?

“The integrity of the seat might be compromised and you could put your child in danger,” said Luis Rivera, program coordinator and technician with Safe Kids Connecticut in Hartford.

Now that $300 car seat needs to be replaced and you don't have the cash to do it.

“Most customers don't know and most insurance companies aren't going out of their way to tell you,” said Tony Cavallaro, office manager at Airport Road Auto Body in Hartford.

NBC Connecticut's own Alyana Gomez was recently involved in a minor accident and her insurance company wasn’t forthcoming about the possibility of replacing her child's car seat, but when she asked about it, they agreed to reimburse the full amount.

“I guess I never read the fine print in my insurance policy for one thing so if it was accessible to me I’ve never taken advantage of it,” said Ed Caputo of Canton.

Some consumers aren’t sure exactly when to replace their child’s car seat.

“If it wasn’t damaged I think I would have continued using it,” said Olga Burgos.

Luis Rivera is a car seat technician with Safe Kids Connecticut.

“On a car crash you will see stresses here where the belt is holding onto the base,” said Rivera.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says a car seat doesn’t have to be replaced after a minor crash.

Here’s how they classify a minor crash: If the vehicle was driven away from the crash site, if there were no injuries, if the air bags didn't deploy and if there is no visible damage to the safety seat.

Rivera said the damage won’t always be visible though.

“It might be microscopic, it might be inside the seat,” he said.

Best advice is to ask your insurance company first. If they’ll replace it no matter the condition, take the free seat and drive with peace of mind.

NBC Connecticut contacted several well-known insurance companies. Progressive Insurance told us they do not cover car seat replacement. Geico says they do. Allstate and State Farm says they cover it, in accordance with the NHTSA.

A former Taco Bell executive was charged with assault and battery Tuesday in an attack on an Uber driver in Southern California that was caught on camera, prosecutors said.

Newport Beach resident Benjamin Allen Golden, 32, faces four misdemeanor counts, including battery on a public transit employee with injury, assault on a public transportation property, assault and battery, according to the Orange County District Attorney's office.

If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of a year in jail and a $10,000 fine, prosecutors said.

The Costa Mesa Police Department said Golden had been arrested on charges including public intoxication, but prosecutors declined to pursue that charge.

Golden was not in custody as of Tuesday afternoon. Prosecutors planned to request Golden be held on $20,000 bail at his arraignment Nov. 17.

Video captured on the Uber car's dashboard camera shows a passenger identified as Golden striking the driver in the head and pulling his hair.

"He was grabbing my head and was trying to smash it against the window," said the driver, Edward Caban.

Caban then sprayed the passenger in the face with Mace.

Caban said the incident began when he went to pick up an "incredibly intoxicated" man near Baja Sharkeez on the Balboa Peninsula.

Taco Bell on Monday said it had fired Golden, who served as the chain's mobile experience and innovation lead, according to an online bio discovered by CNBC.

Two firefighters were injured after a fire significantly damaged a multi-family Bridgeport home Tuesday night.

It took firefighters about 45 minutes to put the fire out at the Bradley Street home, according to Bridgeport Battalion Chief James Cook.

One person was home and met with firefighters outside when they arrived on scene.

Two firefighters were treated for minor injuries due to the heavy smoke, Cook said. No one else was inside the home and no one else was injured.

The home sustained the heaviest damage toward the front of the building on the second floor.

There is no word on the cause of the fire.

While many Americans may be focused on the 2016 presidential race - still 371 days away - there are plenty of other heated elections and issues being voted on today, NBC News reported.

From legalizing marijuana to gay rights and to gun control, to heated gubernatorial and state races across the country, here are six state storylines to keep a close eye on during Tuesday's off-year election: Ohio could legalize marijuana, a race for the governor in Kentucky, control of the Virginia Senate, gay rights in Houston, short-term rentals in San Franscico, and a comeback in Michigan's House of representatives.

Scandal-plagued pols attempt a comeback in Michigan

Republicans Todd Courser and Cindy Gamrat are attempting to win back their seats in Michigan's House of Representatives after Courser resigned and Gamrat was expelled earlier this year following their extramarital affair.

It wasn't your typical dalliance. Courser faked a gay sex scandal to cover up his romantic relationship with Gamrat, a fellow tea partier. A probe into whether the two broke any laws in attempting to cover up their affair continues.

The former maintenance director accused of sexually assaulting two residents of a Farmington facility that caters to people with Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss admitted to sexual contact with one patient to "make her feel human again," according to court documents.

Police said the victims include a 77-year-old woman as well as a 92-year-old woman and police began investigating when administrators of Arden Courts contacted authorities about the allegations on Oct. 21.

As police investigated, David Togninalli, 67, of Burlington, ultimately confessed to touching the 77-year-old in her "private area" at least three times, according to court documents.

At first, he denied it, but then said the woman had asked him touch her, claiming he was hesitant, but did it, court documents state.

"My feeling is, I did something for a person that just wanted to feel human again. I'm not proud of that but feel OK about making her feel that way," he said, according to the court paperwork.  

When investigators asked him if he touched the 92-year-old, he said he was "buttoning up her blouse," and might have inadvertently touched her breasts because "his fingers don't work the way the should," the documents state.

The victim told police this was not the first time he had touched her breasts and wanted Togninalli out of her room, according to court documents.

When staff took statements from Togninalli about the allegations, he denied them.

"I have done nothing wrong. I'm always friendly with the residents. They need someone to talk to and I'll sit with them in their room and listen," he wrote, according to the arrest warrant application. "I have done nothing inappropriate with any resident."

Togninalli went on to tell investigators that he had hugged residents and kissed them on the cheek, offering the explanation that human touch made the residents feel good, but maintained he never touched them inappropriately, the court documents state.

Upon further questioning, he told police that one resident had placed his hand on her breast for a brief moment.

Investigators obtained a warrant charging Togninalli with second-degree sexual assault and fourth-degree sexual assault and took him into custody at his home.

He was released after posting a $25,000 bond and police said no longer works for Arden Courts.

“The employee was terminated from the facility and systems were put in place to ensure safety of our residents. We have contacted our families and in-serviced our staff regarding the situation,” a statement from the company said.

Arden Courts released a statement, saying Togninalli was let go from his position. 

Togninalli is due in Hartford Superior Court on Nov. 10.

Anyone with additional information is asked to call Farmington Police at 860-675-2400 or leave a tip on the Farmington Police Department tip line at 860-675-2483.

The polls have closed in the capital city, which has seen one of the most active mayoral races in the state.

One polling location in Hartford opened around half an hour late on Election Day after a moderator overslept, according to the Secretary of the State’s Office.

Some voters who arrived when the Southend Wellness Senior Center, at 830 Maple Ave in Hartford, was supposed to open left, while others waited in line. 

This is a big day for voters in Hartford, who are casting ballots in the highly contested mayor's race.

Democrat Luke Bronin, Republican Ted Cannon and Working Families Party nominee Joel Cruz are in the running.

Bronin, who defeated incumbent Mayor Pedro Segarra in the primary, has spent tens of thousands of dollars on his campaign and said he wants to focus on improving education and growing jobs.

"I know how to get things done and we have a lot of hard choices to make here in Hartford,” he said,

Voters are deciding on the Bridgeport's next mayor and former Mayor Joe Ganim, who was convicted of corruption and served seven years in prison, is on the ballot.

Ganim announced earlier this year that he wanted his old job as mayor back and carried out a successful primary campaign against the current democratic mayor, Bill Finch, who has held the job since 2007.

"I’m hopeful today, humbled by the response we’ve gotten in the neighborhoods and look forward to a real positive day in every possible way," Ganim said on Tuesday. 

Finch had planned to stay on the ballot by running as a third party candidate, but members of the Jobs Creation Party missed the Sept. 2 deadline to endorse him as their candidate.

In September he announced that he would be suspending his campaign and endorsing Mary-Jane Foster. 

Foster, who is running as an independent, is the co-founder of the Bridgeport Bluefish baseball team and a vice president of the University of Bridgeport.

"I think one of the things I bring to the table is that I’m trustworthy. I have led a life of integrity and that makes us very different candidates," she said.

Tony Barr, Charles J. Coviello Jr., David Daniels III, Christopher J. Taylor and Enrique (Rick) Torres, and are also running for mayor of the state’s largest city.

Ganim spent seven years in prison for corruption related charges connected to the misuse of his office and he was released five years ago.

See the ballot here.

The polls closed at 8 p.m. and the votes are now being tallied.

One year before the 2016 general election, Hillary Clinton and Ben Carson are tied in a hypothetical matchup, but Clinton leads three other major Republican candidates, according to numbers from the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Tuesday.

Clinton leads Donald Trump, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Senator Marco Rubio among registered voters, but not Ben Carson, who is now leading a crowded GOP field in the NBC/WSJ poll. That potential race is a dead heat, tied at 47 percent, NBC News reports.

Carson outperforms the rest of his party among independents, leading Clinton in that category by 13 points (47 percent to 34 percent) in the poll.

The NBC/WSJ poll also tested Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders against Trump and Rubio, and Sanders outperforms Clinton by just a point or two.

UPDATE: Officials revealed Wednesday that Lt. Joseph Gliniewicz's death was a "carefully staged suicide." To read more about the findings, click here.

Investigators are expected to announce Wednesday they believe veteran Fox Lake, Illinois, police officer Lt. Joseph Gliniewicz died by suicide, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the findings.

The update is expected to come at 10 a.m. in a briefing where Lake County officials will reveal what led investigators to their conclusion.

The officer’s September shooting prompted a massive manhunt in northern Illinois and left a community stunned. 

After reports about the content of Wednesday’s press conference began to surface, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office released a statement.

"One report is claiming to have information about the findings and conclusions of the investigation," the statement read. "We will have no comment on that or other reports until the news conference at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow. There will be conclusive results of the investigation announced tomorrow. We respectfully urge all members of the media to refrain from reporting as fact; rumors, innuendo, hearsay, and speculation."

The expected conclusion is a shocking end to months-long mystery surrounding the veteran officer's death. 

Gliniewicz, a married father of four, was last heard from the morning of Sept. 1 when he called for backup while on duty, reporting on his radio he was pursuing three suspicious men in a remote area of the village just south of the Wisconsin state line.

Just 17 minutes later, the responding backup officers found him dead, fatally shot twice with his own gun. One of the shots entered the right side of the front of the officer's vest. Another was fired in the upper chest region.

His death rocked the country and sparked a furious search for the suspects - who Gliniewicz had described as two white men and one black man - involving more than 400 officers, helicopters and canines. Despite a months-long investigation, which has reportedly cost more than $300,000, police never made any arrests, identified any suspects or established a motive.

Questions have swirled around the investigation — particularly since the county coroner said he has been unable to rule the 52-year-old Gliniewicz's death a homicide, suicide or an accident.

In the last update from police, a little more than one month ago, investigators revealed that Gliniewicz was shot twice with his own weapon and there was "evidence of a struggle" at the crime scene.

Nine unidentified DNA samples were found at the scene, and investigators have taken more than 100 samples from area residents and police close to the scene. Authorities believed Gliniewicz was in the area because the village recently purchased the property and there had been reports of vandalism and trespassing.

The 52-year-old officer was on the cusp of retirement when he was killed. He left behind a wife of 30 years, Melodie, and four sons. Throughout the drawn-out investigation, the fallen lieutenant's family firmly stood against swirling rumors that Gliniewicz may have taken his own life.

In a September interview, one of his sons Donald "D.J." Gliniewicz, told the Daily Herald his father has “never once had a single suicidal thought."

"He has applied for several different chief positions at police departments and someone who wants to take their life, they don't plan a future," D.J. Gliniewicz told the publication.

SUICIDE PREVENTION: The National Suicide Prevention Hotline (1-800-273-8255) is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Two people have been taken to the hospital after a crash on Garden Street in Hartford.

The two people who were injured are the drivers and their injuries are not life-threatening.

The road was closed, but has reopened.

No additional information was immediately available.