By Eileen McNamara
Published on 3/11/2008 in TheDay.com

Old Saybrook— Family members of one of two men found dead in their home in December said they are disturbed and angered that police here did not tell them that one of the men had called 911 two days before their bodies were discovered.

They said they are also upset that police did not tell them that a dispatcher here apparently mishandled the call by not sending a patrolman out to check on the men.

“They didn't want anyone to know about this because two men died and they are potentially responsible,” said Chris Amoroso, whose father, 62-year-old Eugene Amoroso, was found dead in his home at 14 North Meadow Road on Dec. 2. Amoroso's longtime friend and roommate, Ronald Gebo, 70, was also found dead in the home.

Amoroso and his sister, Stephanie Amoroso, said they learned of the 911 call after reading newspaper reports about it. Both said they intend to seek additional information from police.

Chris Amoroso said he is worried that the botched 911 call may have led to or contributed to his father's and Gebo's deaths.

“The probability of two people dying at the same time is so remote,” he said.

“It's bizarrely coincidental,” Stephanie Amoroso said.

Gebo's daughter, Rhonda Gebo, could not be reached for comment.

The Chief State Medical Examiner's Office has ruled that the two men died of natural causes. Amoroso, the coroner's office said, died of pneumonia due to a chronic lung disease. Gebo, the medical examiner said, died of cardiovascular disease and ethanolism, or alcoholism.

Amoroso's death certificate states that he died on Dec. 2 at 8:03 p.m. Gebo's death certificate says he died on the same day, two minutes later.

According to police, one of the men called 911 from his cell phone on Nov. 30. The call went to a regional dispatch center in Westbrook, but was dropped before dispatchers there could ascertain the problem. The dispatch center then called police here and gave the cell phone number to the veteran dispatcher on duty, David McDonald, who called the number back.

The cell phone, police officials said, belonged to Gebo and he answered McDonald's call.

However, after talking to Gebo, McDonald determined that he did not need assistance.

After the two men were found dead, investigators discovered that McDonald had returned a 911 call from Gebo without sending an officer out to check on him. Following an internal investigation supervisors accused him of mishandling the call.

They ordered McDonald, who worked here for 17 years, to serve a 10-day suspension. He did so, but quit when he was ordered to undergo 911 retraining before he could return to his job.

Lt. Michael Spera said Monday police acted appropriately when they discovered the mishandled 911 call and that information related to the call is contained in the police report into the deaths, which is public information.

He said McDonald was disciplined because police protocol calls for sending an officer on any 911 calls.

Wayne Wysocki, president of the police union that represents the police dispatchers, said McDonald opted not to send someone out to North Meadow Road because Gebo declined help.

McDonald has declined to comment on the incident.

Stephanie Amoroso said she will seek the results of toxicology tests that were conducted on her father by the medical examiner's office. She said she and her brother are in the midst of “gathering facts” regarding his death.

Chris Amoroso said he is “disgusted” with police for not alerting family members that one of the men had called 911 two days before they died.

“Not telling family members about the 911 call is just appalling,” he said. “It doesn't say much about the police department. At this point, we're really disgusted.”