Neighbor heard screams before New London fire
Search for Norwich man continues
A neighbor said he heard screaming coming from a New London home before a fire broke out early Tuesday that forced at least six people out of the two-family unit.
The fire remains the subject of an investigation that, police said, involves the father of a 1-month-old boy killed hours earlier in a Norwich apartment.
Timothy Settles, 32, remains a person of interest in the investigation, but police said they are still looking for the man. He has not been charged in connection with the fire, first reported at 4 a.m. Tuesday.
A neighbor, who did not want to be identified, said he heard screaming coming from the home, but did not check out the situation until he noticed the fire.
At that point, the neighbor said he did not see any people except for emergency crews that were responding to the fire. The neighbor said he did not know who Settles was until the news coverage of the fire.
No one answered the door at the Rosemary Street home on Thursday. The windows and doors are mostly boarded up at the home. An insurance adjuster who visited Rosemary Street on Thursday declined to comment.
The fire was reportedly set about seven hours after Norwich police were called to an apartment on McKinley Street for reports that a dog had attacked a child.
When officers arrived around 8:40 p.m. Monday, they found 1-month-old Carter Settles with “numerous traumatic injuries.” Police said the infant was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said they learned that Carter was being held by a family member when their dog jumped up and starting biting the infant.
The family dog, described as a male pit bull mix, was taken by the city’s animal control to a pound for a mandatory 14-day quarantine.
Norwich police officials said they are working with the family and following guidance from the state Department of Agriculture on dogs that attack people.
A knock on the door of the McKinley Avenue apartment went unanswered Thursday.
Police have not identified a link between the dog attack and the fire other than saying Settles, the father of the boy, was a person of interest in the arson investigation. Police said they believe Settles was at the New London home before the blaze was set.
Police are asking anyone with information on Settles whereabouts to contact the New London Police Department at 860-4475269 ext. 0.