Debbie Fornuto

Case overview

Deborah Fornuto was the mother of six children whose deaths were initially ruled sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and later became the subject of multiple investigations and grand juries. She was never charged. She later died in a Las Vegas car crash on July 11, 2002.

Her former name was Deborah Anne Booe Narbone Gedzius.

Status and outcome

No criminal charges were filed against Deborah Fornuto for the deaths of her children or for her husband’s killing. A grand jury was convened after a medical examiner changed the cause and manner of death, but she was never charged. Subsequent grand jury inquiries also did not result in charges, with officials citing an absence of sufficient evidence.

Timeline

• July 11, 2002 — Deborah Fornuto died in a Las Vegas car crash.
• July 12, 2002 — Las Vegas police publicly stated that Fornuto’s fatal crash followed her car running through a red light and that the driver of her car fled and was later captured and charged with felony counts including involuntary manslaughter, DUI and reckless driving.
• April 27, 1990 — Cook County medical examiner Dr. Robert Stein wrote a letter stating that, after re-examining the cases, he believed all of the deaths were caused by suffocation and that the manner of death was homicide.
• 1980 — After the fourth baby’s death, Harry Gedzius alerted the medical examiner’s office that Deborah’s previous babies had also died mysteriously; the case remained under SIDS suspicion and later included an “undetermined” label for a later death.
• Feb. 11, 1984 — A fifth child, Delos Gedzius Jr., died after Deborah stated she found him dead after napping with him.
• March 21, 1987 — A sixth child, Daniel Gedzius, died at 10 weeks old.
• April 25, 1989 — Delos Gedzius was found shot in the head in his Merrionette Park apartment.

The offence

Deaths of the six children and suspected mechanism

Between 1972 and 1987, six of Deborah Fornuto’s children died, none living longer than two years. The first four were initially explained as SIDS. Some later deaths were labeled “undetermined.” After re-examination of the cases, Dr. Robert Stein stated that in his opinion the deaths were caused by suffocation and that the manner of death was homicide.

Cook County medical examiner Dr. Robert Stein wrote:

"After careful consideration, it is my opinion that all of the deaths were caused by suffocation, and the manner of death is homicide,"

Medical discussion in the case also included the view that suffocation by an adult holding a hand over a baby’s nose and mouth could kill a baby without leaving a mark, and that it was difficult to distinguish from SIDS in certain circumstances.

Background

Family and identity details

Deborah Fornuto used multiple names over time and moved frequently after remarriage, which delayed connections between the deaths.

She married three men and moved at least eight times. She worked in a cafeteria, taught dance, and tended bar. She later moved to Nevada and worked in a Nevada casino.

Her former brother-in-law, Harry Gedzius, suspected her involvement and spent years trying to solve the deaths and the husband’s killing.

Husband’s death and investigative impact

Deborah’s estranged third husband, Delos Gedzius, was found shot in the head in his apartment in Merrionette Park in April 1989, a few days after dining with Deborah to settle their divorce. Deborah claimed that at the time of the killing she was miles away with a policeman. Police investigated but she was not charged.

The husband’s killing forced police and medical examiners to look harder into the children’s deaths, and investigators asked questions about her relationship with a Chicago police officer and her dinners and presence around the time of Delos Gedzius’ death.

Other people involved

• Harry Gedzius — one-time brother-in-law of Deborah; alerted medical authorities after the fourth baby’s death and pursued investigations for years.
• Joyce Mullin — Harry Gedzius’ sister; remained hopeful for answers and believed Deborah faced divine justice.
• Thomas Mannix — driver involved in Fornuto’s fatal crash; later fled and was captured and charged with felony counts including involuntary manslaughter, DUI and reckless driving.
• James Fornuto — Deborah’s husband after moving toward Nevada; he had been fired after he was convicted of theft.

Children and death dates

The children who died were listed with ages and dates in the case reporting:

• Denise Booe — 5 months, died Sept. 18, 1972
• Jennifer Narbone — 4 months, died May 21, 1975
• Barbara Jean Narbone — 6 months, died Dec. 27, 1976
• Jason Gedzius — 1 year, died Sept. 5, 1980
• Delos Gedzius Jr. — 2 years, died Feb. 11, 1984
• Daniel Gedzius — 10 weeks, died March 21, 1987

The initial death explanations were SIDS for the first four deaths. Two later deaths were listed as “undetermined.” A fetal monitor had been used in connection with one of the later deaths, but the child still died.

Investigation

Medical examiner reclassification and grand jury activity

• In 1990, Cook County medical examiner Dr. Robert Stein re-examined the case and stated that he believed the deaths were caused by suffocation and that the manner of death was homicide.
• A grand jury was convened, but Deborah Fornuto was never charged.
• Officials later said there was never enough evidence to file charges, while case files remained open.

Multiple inquiries and access limitations to conclusive evidence

Later reporting described that inquiries stalled due to lack of physical evidence linking Deborah to the deaths and due to lack of a confession or eyewitness evidence.

Arrest / charging

Deborah Fornuto was never charged regarding the deaths of her children or regarding Delos Gedzius’ death.

However, in the Las Vegas crash connected to her death:

• The driver, Thomas Mannix, fled the scene but was eventually captured and charged with 15 felony counts, including involuntary manslaughter, DUI and reckless driving.

Trial

Deborah Fornuto was never charged in connection with the deaths, so no trial occurred for those matters.

Sentencing

No sentencing applied to Deborah Fornuto in the case because she was never charged.

Appeals

No appeals applied to Deborah Fornuto in connection with the deaths or husband’s killing because there was no conviction.

Outcome

Deborah Fornuto remained uncharged throughout the multiple investigations, and the cases stayed open. After her death, the case was still described as open by the Cook County state’s attorney’s office, and a medical examiner’s comment suggested that the death of the chief suspect limited further progress.

Aftermath

Fornuto’s death in the Las Vegas car crash

Deborah Fornuto died when a car she was a passenger in sped through a red light in Las Vegas and caused a four-car crash. Las Vegas police said the driver of her car, Thomas Mannix, fled the scene but was later captured and charged.

Continuing efforts by Harry Gedzius

Harry Gedzius continued pursuing answers, calling police and prosecutors, reviewing old letters and notes and case documents, and attempting new scenarios.

He made the following statements:

"At times I just wish that I could let it go, small periods of time where I try to occupy myself with other things, but it always comes back to me. It'll keep coming back to me until I get answers," he said.
"All I can say is I'm hopeful, now that Debbie's gone, that people will come forward."

He also said:

"I get the feeling that time makes people forget and [the investigation] doesn't have the push behind it that it did before," he said. "Everybody's gotten older, people have passed away. It's something that's been laying to the wayside, just waiting."

Deborah’s former lawyer, Rick Halprin, said:

"She's always maintained her innocence," Halprin said. "By all accounts, she was a very caring mother."

Medical examiner explanation about closing the case

Cook County medical examiner Edmund Donoghue commented that without a confession the medical examiner’s office could do no more and suggested the state’s attorney might close the case because the chief suspect was dead:

"I think the state's attorney will close this case also, because the chief suspect is dead," Donoghue said. "I don't think there were any other suspects in this case."

State’s attorney office position

A spokesman for the state’s attorney’s office, Jerry Lawrence, said there was never enough evidence to file charges and that all six cases remained open. The Cook County state’s attorney’s office later declined to comment beyond saying the cases were still open.