THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, AUGUST 19, 2022 Page 7 INVESTIGATION | FROM PAGE 2 show signs of mental illness leading to a diagnosis that she was bipolar with schizophrenic tendencies. Stephanie’s family had requested that Stephanie be sectioned pursuant to M.G.L. chapter 123, § 12(a) on multiple prior occasions. In the vast majority of these instances, this was done with the assistance of the Saugus Police. Stacey Gerardi had legal custody of Stephanie’s two children. Stacey also managed Stephanie’s medications and made sure that she took them daily as prescribed. At the time of her death Stephanie was prescribed lithium, olanzapine, and melatonin. In the months and weeks leading up to her death, the Gerardi sisters became concerned that Stephanie was either not taking her medications or that her medications needed to be adjusted. Stacey Gerardi reached out to Stephanie’s prescriber with her concerns but did not receive a call back. The Gerardi Family determines they need to have Stephanie sectioned In the fi ve months leading up to her death, Stephanie Gerardi’s sisters became increasingly concerned with her behavior. They observed her speech to be rapid and her behavior inconsistent. She would spend hours and hours cleaning her room and bathroom. The night before Stephanie died, Stacey heard her pacing and went upstairs to confront her. Stacey told Stephanie that she was getting sick again and that Stacey was going to call the next day. As it had been approximately two years since they had last sectioned Stephanie2, Stacey was unsure of how to go about doing it. At 1:13 PM on August 14, 2021, she reached out via messenger to Saugus Police Offi cer Dominic Montano, a longtime family friend, seeking advice. Montano initially suggested contacting Stephanie’s primary care doctor but Stacey responded that she did not have one. Montano then wrote “Okay then call it in to police. Tell them she’s suicidal. That will get her sectioned.” Stacey then expressed some concern as to whether she would be asked for details or whether she would be believed but it became clear that Montano was distracted by an event he was running at the time. The call to the Saugus Police Stacey called the Saugus Police at 4:32 PM on August 14, 2021. The call was made to the business line and, therefore, was not recorded. Dispatcher Henry Bilodeau took the call. Stacey was with her cousin, Sorina Viola, when she made the call and they report that both women were speaking. Bilodeau believed that he was only speaking to one party. Bilodeau’s recollection of the call is that Stacey reported that her heavily intoxicated sister was walking up and down the street barefoot and talking to her herself. She reported that Stephanie was “going crazy.” When asked specifically what had happened that day to cause her to call, Stacey reported that her sister had made statements that she would hurt herself or others. She further warned that Stephanie usually runs out the back door and hides when police arrive. Later in the call Stacey reported that she had received a text message from the home that Stephanie was now back in the house. Stacey’s recollection is that after removing herself and Stephanie’s young children from the home she met up with her boyfriend and with Viola. While the boyfriend tended to the kids, Stacey and Viola made the call from the car, parked on Lowell Street in Peabody, about fi ve miles away. Stacey described herself as very nervous about making that call which is why she wanted Viola’s assistance. Stacey reported that she told the dispatcher that her sister was pacing the street barefoot and talking to herself. She further reported that she could not have the two children exposed to that. Viola further told the dispatcher that Stephanie was not eating or drinking but that she had been drinking alcohol the night before with a neighbor. Both women report warning the police that Stephanie would run out the back door. As a result of the call, Bilodeau entered “Caller reports her sister has been drinking heavily and is making 05 statements.”3 Bilodeau dispatched four officers: Sean Murphy, Christopher Zelinski, David Harris, and Jacob Roy. Saugus Police offi cers are not equipped with Tasers nor are they equipped with body worn cameras. Bilodeau’s partner also dispatched an ambulance and noted that the address showed a “caution” in the Saugus PD inhouse system so that the paramedics should stage nearby before being directed to go in. Saugus Police respond to 3 Alfred Road Stacey Gerardi’s call came in just as offi cers were completing roll call so all four offi cers left the station simultaneously and drove in tanINVESTIGATION | SEE PAGE 8 Valid as of 8/11/2022* Open a 3-year CD with one of the region’s highest rates. Make your money work harder, longer, with our 3-year certificate of deposit account. 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