Friend tutors kids who for health reasons cannot attend class. She has been tutoring this kid with leukemia for a semester or two, and the family includes a grandmother and a mother of the kid. The mother is around 30 and is dating a man 30 years her senior, they call him “uncle”. So today, grandma comes to my friend in an agitated state and tells friend that “uncle” asked her to poison her daughter.
The bunch of them, “uncle” included just got back from a “Make a Wish” tour in Hawaii, and “uncle” acted like an ass, being center of attention, etc. Friend met “uncle” once and was totally creeped out by him. “Uncle” also made demands to do a lot of repairs on the house while they were in Hawaii, which were performed.
Friend suspects that uncle wants to do away with mommy, send granny back to Guyana (they are immigrants, possibly of questionable legal status) and somehow get the house for himself. Grandma has tried to tell Mommy of this and the daughter won’t listen.
Friend is beside herself. She no longer feels safe going to the house, but does not want to stop tutoring the kid, she feels it is her responsibility.
It seems she has a mandatory reporting requirement under child welfare here, and should relate this to her supervisor ASAP, and I suggested she contact police with this information as well.
Friend has been drinking tonight and is very freaked out and indecisive, hopefully in the morning she will see her obligations clearly.
What say you guys? Any suggestions about what she needs to do? What can the police do, etc.?
Moved thread from General Questions to In My Humble Opinion. Edited original title, which was: “Friend is an in-home tutor for Long Island school district, uncovers murder plot.”
IANA anything resembling authority or qualified advice giver.
I’d certainly advise friend to write everything down and file it with the local authorities. Possibly they would ask around daughter and uncle and at the least scare him off his intended path.
Worse case is that daughter does wind up dead and the police have a clue where to start. Cold comfort indeed, but better than nothing.
Accessory before the fact? She talked to a cop and he said to keep mum, the cops would just think she is crazy and besides, there is nothing they can do based on hearsay.
Well, I am 3000 miles away, and from me this is third hand.
Yes, and this is another example. Her officer friend told her to keep mum. Cops show up with body bags and report forms after the damage has been done, more often than not. Of what use are they? In this situation, not much it seems, unless someone can tell me differently.
Cops do things on tips all the time. All the time. I have no idea what you’re talking about.
As a public school teacher, I’d guess that your friend’s career is on the line, right now. Mandatory reporter means mandatory. I don’t know the exact language, but I’ll bet the district is willing to interpret a direct murderous threat against the mother as a dangerous situation for the child which should be reported. Remember that telling the administration is not fulfillment of reporting.
Is the tutor a professional or just tutoring because of knowledge. In most states one has to be licensed to fall under the mandatory report laws. If friend is that concerned call CPS though I am not a real fan and know they can abuse their authority.
The problem is if the uncle is a smooth talker and the mother is an immigrant CPS might ignore it anyway. If nothing else though it would allow for a record of a report.
For example, under federal law there is a crime called “misprision” of a felony, which applies to a person who has actual knowledge of the commission of a felony and doesn’t report it to the authorities.
Am I getting this right? Creepy uncle is dating woman, and asks woman’s MOTHER to kill her? No promise to pay, no threat? Just out of the blue asks mom to kill daughter?
If I got this right, then I don’t believe it. The only thing that makes sense is granny has cooked up some scheme against uncle for some reason. Or granny has some scheme against friend that somhow involves turning her against uncle. Maybe granny wants friend to help her kill uncle.
BTW, there’s a pretty decent old English flick called Let’s Kill Uncle.
I guess asking someone to commit murder is probably a felony, so maybe it does apply.
On the other hand, this is hearsay. Granny may well be lying, or senile, as has been pointed out. Friend has no certain knowledge that “uncle” really made the request.