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Mother sues caregivers over drowning death of son with Down Syndrome

 
Published March 7, 2012

TAMPA — The mother of an adult with Down Syndrome who drowned last March has filed a wrongful death suit against his caregivers.

Estella Acree's suit claims that Thomas and Margaret Murdock and Pathfinders for Independence Inc. were negligent on March 29, 2011, when 38--year-old Christopher Harrington went missing.

Tampa police said Harrington was in Thomas Murdock's car when Murdock stopped to pick kumquats. A day later, police found Harrington's body in the Hillsborough River.

Harrington had the mental capacity of a 2-year-old, his mother said. She told the Times that her son stayed with the Murdocks once a week so she could run errands. Margaret Murdock worked for Pathfinders, a Lutz company that assists people with special needs.