After being called out for disputing reports from fire officials, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu on Monday said there is no reason for anyone to doubt either fire or police accounts of a recent South Boston death investigation.
During an appearance on on WBUR's "Radio Boston," Wu was asked about the June 17 incident at an apartment on Old Colony Avenue.
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A report from responders with the Boston Fire Department said six adults "who appeared to be males" were in the apartment, which "was in extreme unsanitary conditions." The report added that firefighters found four kids between the ages of 5 and 10 in a back room, hidden by a man. All of the adults were uncooperative and denied having kids inside, the report from Boston fire said.
But a statement from the Boston Police Department released Thursday conflicted with statements from the initial Boston fire report, and with information relayed by city officials who had spoken with members of the fire department.
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"There were four children on site who all had a parent present in the residence. The parents and the officers who responded felt it was best for the children to stay in another room with one of the parents and took steps to avoid having the children see the deceased. Due to the nature of the call, and to ensure appropriate follow up with the families involved, officers did file a 51A with DCF," the Boston Police Department wrote. "Information that drugs and other concerning materials were strewn about the home is not supported by what officers encountered or by the information received on the scene."
The police statement also said the adults in the apartment "were fully cooperative with the Boston Police Officers who responded" — conflicting directly with the account of firefighters.
On Friday, Wu disputed allegations in some media reports about the conditions inside the apartment, appearing to side with police over the firefighters' account.
“I’ve seen the photos of the scene as part of the death investigation,” she told reporters Friday, according to the Boston Globe. “And it’s irresponsible to be fueling conspiracy theories at this moment when we are grieving a loss of life.”
But in her radio interview Monday, Wu seemed to imply that the difference in the descriptions of the incident the two agencies put out likely has more to do with their varying roles in the investigation than anything else.
"There is no reason to question the integrity of any of our agencies and the words they put into those reports. Each one of them works to save lives and ensure the safety of those involved," she said. "There has been additional color and rumor injected into this from other places, and we just want to make sure everyone stays focused on letting everyone do their work. It's still an ongoing death investigation."
Wu said Boston EMS and the Boston Fire Department were first to respond to the scene, and police were called in later once it became a death investigation.
"I think it's important to remember that each of our first responder agencies has a different role to play when on scene at an emergency response," she said. "Each of them arrive at different points in time."
The mother of two children removed from the South Boston apartment spoke with NBC10 Boston Friday as authorities remained tight-lipped about the specifics of the case.
"I can't sleep. I can't eat. I just want my kids back," said Kiara, a South Boston woman and mother of two girls who were taken by DCF. "They saw several transgender people, who are my friends, and one dead on the floor from cardiac arrest, they just assumed the worst."
Kiara said Friday that the children were being kept away from the dead body, as police said in their statement. She told NBC10 Boston she "absolutely" believes the Boston Fire Department was lying about the adults being uncooperative.
"Nobody was hiding the kids," she told NBC10 Boston. "We were trying to keep the kids away from the person who was dead on the floor. That's pretty traumatizing."
Wu confirmed Monday that all four children remain in DCF custody.
