Man Held After 13-Year-Old's Death Now Facing Child Rape Cha
A man accused of giving a 13-year-old cocaine and dropping her off at a Massachusetts hospital before she died is now facing a child rape charge in connection to the case.
Carlos Rivera, 47, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, was arrested May 25 after officials reviewed surveillance footage and spent days investigating the mystery of Chloe Ricard's death.
The Amesbury girl was left at Lawrence General Hospital at 4:47 p.m. on May 20 and died shortly after her arrival, according to the district attorney's office.
Rivera sexually assaulted and gave cocaine to teenage girls, the Essex County District Attorney's Office said Tuesday. The prosecutors said he also indecently assaulted a 16-year-old girl at an earlier date.
He was previously charged with two counts of distribution of cocaine to a minor, two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 and one count of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14.
The district attorney's office said Tuesday that Rivera has now also been charged with aggravated rape of a child. He was arraigned Tuesday morning and remains held without bail. He is scheduled to return to court for a probable cause hearing on July 2.
Prosecutors said preliminary results of evidence obtained at autopsy linked the defendant's DNA to the 13-year-old girl.
Few details have been released about the girl's mysterious death, with prosecutors even filing a motion Tuesday to have documents in the case kept private until July 1 because they still need to interview people in connection with the case.
Authorities said Chloe and another girl under the age of 16 were at Rivera's Lawrence apartment at 59 Bellevue St. on the evening of May 19 and throughout most of the next day. Investigators believe Rivera was accompanied by a third teenage girl when he took Chloe to the hospital.
An autopsy was performed two weeks ago, but the cause and manner of her death has not yet been determined.
Rivera is being represented by attorney Jeanne Earley.
Chloe Ricard was born in Vermont but spent most of her life in Northborough, Massachusetts, before moving to Amesbury two years ago. She attended Amesbury Middle School and more recently the Solstice Day School in Rowley.
"Chloe loved drawing, dancing, acro, yoga and music," her obituary said. "She was extremely creative and was an avid dancer. Among her favorite beaches was Old Orchard Beach in Maine. Chloe was especially fond of her cat Moo."
Photo Credit: NBC10 Boston
from NBC New York - Top Stories http://bit.ly/2WsEJ8n
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