BUFFALO, N.Y (WKBW) — A Buffalo man accused of murdering his girlfriend and newborn son inside their Elmwood Village home before setting the house on fire has been found dead inside the Erie County Correctional Facility in Alden.
According to the Erie County Sheriff's Office, 30-year-old Kidane Haile was located unresponsive in the showers of a dormitory on Wednesday. The Sheriff's Office says that it attempted lifesaving efforts, but Haile was declared dead at 9:34 p.m.
The death is being investigated as an apparent suicide. The Sheriff's Office says the New York State Attorney General’s office has been notified. An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday.
The Erie County District Attorney's Office said it will file a motion to dismiss the indictment upon receipt of Haile's death certificate and released the following statement:
“My office has been notified by the Erie County Sheriff’s Office that an inmate, Kidane Haile, died in pre-trial custody. Last night, the defendant was found unresponsive inside of the Erie County Correctional Facility. Despite life-saving efforts by correctional staff, he was pronounced deceased.
While preliminary information indicates that the death was the result of an apparent suicide, it remains under investigation by the Sheriff’s Office and the Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office. The defendant, who is accused of intentionally killing his girlfriend and newborn baby, was pending prosecution by this office. Upon receipt of the death certificate, we will file a motion to dismiss the indictment.
Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families and friends who have been impacted by this tragedy as they receive this difficult news. To protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation, no further information will be released by the District Attorney’s Office.”
Buffalo firefighters responded to a fire at the family's home on Norwood Avenue shortly after 8:30 a.m. on October 18. Firefighters removed Haile, 29-year-old Kathleen Carrig, and the couple's four-day-old son, Noah, from the burning home. Harrig and her son were both pronounced dead at the scene.
Haile was taken to the Erie County Medical Center and hospitalized for several days to receive treatment for smoke inhalation.
The Erie County District Attorney's Office said the medical examiner's office determined Kathleen Harrig's death was homicide caused by asphyxia due to strangulation, and ruled Noah's death was also a homicide. According to court documents obtained by 7 News, Noah died "by asphyxiation and/or thermal injuries.”
Haile is also accused of using gasoline as an accelerant to start a fire inside the bedroom of the home. He was charged with one count of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and one count of third-degree arson in October and has been held without bail since.
WATCH: Buffalo man charged with first-degree murder over deaths of girlfriend and newborn son
