Cops investigating whether mutilated teen fell from plane

Cops investigating whether mutilated teen fell from plane
By Joe Dwinell  |   Tuesday, November 23, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

Officials are investigating whether or not N.C. Delvonte Tisdale fell from a plane. The discovery of Tisdale’s body was investigated by Milton Police last week. A note found in his pocket led to his identification.
Photo by Herald file

Investigators trying to solve the mystery of how the mutilated body of a 16-year-old from North Carolina ended up dropped on a posh Milton lawn are asking Logan International Airport officials to probe if the boy was a stowaway on a jet.

“We’ve been requested to look into the possibility of that,” Logan spokesman Phil Orlandella told the Herald this morning.

“There’s a remote possibility — a remote possibility,” Orlandella said of the theory the teen could have been hiding on a plane coming into Logan from North Carolina. It is probable the teen could have crept into a wheel well.

Orlandella said jets approaching Boston from the south drop their landing gear right above Milton at about "1,500 to 1,700 feet" near the Blue Hills. "As they approach runway 4 Right, usually wheels go down at about that height," Orlandella said this afternoon.

When asked if a plane was due into the airport around the time of the teen’s death Nov. 15, Orlandella said there are numerous planes coming into Logan from North Carolina at all times of the day and night. A spokesman for the FAA also said jets from the south do pass right over Milton, but at a slightly higher altitude of 2,900 feet.

Orlandella added “law enforcement agencies” have turned to Logan officials and investigators to help in the puzzling case. “We’ve been asking questions,” he said this morning.

The mutilated body of Delvonte Tisdale was discovered on a Milton lawn last Monday night at 9:30 off Brierbrook Street and his identity was confirmed this weekend by detectives using a fingerprint match on “a known personal item.” Investigators had traveled to Tisdale’s home in Charlotte to hunt for any DNA clues or fingerprints to help identify the boy.

An autopsy did not show any clear signs of a cause of death beyond the obvious trauma, police said. Toxicology results are still pending.

Norfolk District Attorney William Keating’s office sent out a statement today saying they won’t divulge steps being taken in the probe.

"The Norfolk District Attorney’s Office is investigating every possibility regarding how Delvonte Tisdale came to be found dead on Brierbrook Street in Milton, Mass., on Monday, Nov. 15, but the office continues to decline to detail specific investigatory measures being taken," the statement reads. "The investigation remains active and ongoing on multiple fronts."

Police told the Herald on Friday Tisdale had severe head trauma — with some of his remains found in two places on the street — and his arms and legs were broken.

Tisdale, a North Mecklenburg High School student was last seen in Charlotte on Sunday. A missing person report was filed Monday, the day the unidentified body was found in Milton. There was no identification on Tisdale when he was discovered on the lawn wearing a pair of jeans over gray boxer shorts, but no shirt. He did have a note in his pocket — believed to be a hall pass — that included his last name.

That note proved to be a big break in the case.

The teen’s heartbroken dad said this afternoon he has no idea about any theory his son was a stowaway or why his boy would even leave Charlotte.

"I still can’t believe our son isn’t with us," said Anthony Tisdale, 38. "My son was a hard working young man. He didn’t frequent the streets ... he loved ROTC ... and video games."

"This is the most baffling thing we can understand," a family friend said in the televised press conference. The family added Delvonte did not have a fascination with planes.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1298347