Woman Charged With Killing Ruthie Ann Mile’s Daughter Dead Of Possible Suicide
Only eight months after the 4-year-old daughter of actress Ruthie Ann Miles was killed in a car accident, the driver that was charged in her death has been found dead herself, according to reports from E! News.
A source in the New York Police Department revealed to E! on Tuesday that the woman, whose name was Dorothy Burns, was found dead of an apparent suicide.
On Monday, November 5, police responded to a call in regards to an unconscious woman at about 5:00 p.m. Once they arrived at Burns’ home in Staten Island, the responders discovered the woman both unconscious and unresponsive. There were no signs of trauma. Once emergency medical services were called in, they declared the 44-year-old woman dead upon their arrival, while also identifying her as Dorothy Burns.
The medical examiner has yet to confirm any cause of death, and the investigation is currently ongoing.
Burns was involved in a car accident back in March, when the vehicle which she was driving struck the vehicle containing Miles — and her daughter Abigail — at the intersection of Ninth Street and Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn, New York. According to reports at the time, both Miles and her daughter suffered “various injuries to their heads and bodies” and were taken to Methodist Hospital. Abigail was declared dead at the scene.
Just eight months after Ruthie Ann Miles' 4-year-old daughter Abigail was killed in a tragic car crash, the driver charged with hitting the child has been found dead. https://t.co/PPhigE7Zk6
— E! News (@enews) November 7, 2018
Lauren Lew, a friend of Miles, was also taken to the hospital after the accident. Her one-year-old son Joshua died in the crash. A 46-year-old man was also hospitalized in the aftermath of the accident.
Based on reports by CBS News, Burns was suffering from a seizure while behind the wheel during the accident. The report also revealed that Burns had been advised by doctors not to drive due to her history of seizures.
A GoFundMe was set up for Miles, and the Broadway star received condolences from notable theatre luminaries such as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Kristin Chenoweth, Ben Platt, and Josh Groban.
Upon exiting the intensive care unit, Miles thanked all of her friends and fans for the support that they had given to her. When the accident occurred, Miles, whose name offstage is Ruthie Ann Blumenstein, was pregnant with her second child. While the unborn child was “unharmed” after the crash, Miles ended up losing the baby two months later. Miles had been planning to name the child Sophia Rosemary Wong Blumenstein.
According to reports by NBC News, Burns was arrested in May. She was charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, assault, and other crimes. Burns was facing 15 years in prison.
