Mourners Struggle With Reality At Wake For Carmel Family Killed In House Fire
Apr 9, 2018Y., destroyed earlier this year by fire. (credit: CBS 2)CARMEL, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — A two-day wake started Thursday for four members of the same family that died in a horrible house fire on Tuesday morning.Investigators are still unsure of the cause even as they questioned the only survivor of the blaze, reported CBS 2’s Lou Young.1010 WINS’ Al Jones Reports From The Wakedocument.createElement('audio');http://cbsnewyork.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/putnam-1-jones-w42-soc-mcmorrow.mp3John Sullivan accepted condolences outside the Balsamo-Cordovano Funeral Home. Inside, four urns contained the ashes of his son, daughter-in-law and two grand daughters. The bodies were cremated after being removed from the rubble of their home.No one knew how to react.“It’s the toughest thing ever. I’ve been to tons of wakes and funerals and I’m at the point now where I’m speechless,” mourner Geri Munnick said.Young people were having the toughest time, especially those who knew 18-year-old Meaghan and 15 year-old Mairead Sullivan.“She was a really good friend of mine and I’ve never had a friend die,” Christine Zetik said.Larchmont Police sent an honor guard because Thomas Sullivan was a captain in the department. The Westchester County village where he worked is peppered with posters saluting him.“We all feel sick about it. I mean their whole family and then their son …,” Larchmont resident Jodie Kahn said.Their son, Thomas Jr., was not there for the start of the wake. He was questioned by police for three and a half hours on Wednesday.There is no evidence of a crime, but police have not yet eliminated the possibility, although the implication seems too awful to contemplate.As far as Thursday was concerned, it was all about remembering the family.“Donna was a wonderful, wonderful mother. The girls were just very full of joy. A very close, very close family. Young Tommy loved his sisters very much,” Putnam County Executive Mary Ellen Odell said.Investigators removed all the samples they said they’ll need from what is still a crime scene. They said they’ll meet early next week ... (CBS Local)