The tragic loss of a Connecticut woman occurred just hours before she was supposed to be sentenced for taking her husband’s life.
On Monday, August 12, the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed that 76-year-old Linda Kosuda-Bigazzi was found dead at her home in Burlington on the morning of Wednesday, July 24. She had ended her own life. The medical examiner determined that a toxic reaction to ethylene glycol was the cause.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ethylene glycol is an industrial compound found in various consumer products like antifreeze, hydraulic brake fluids, some stamp pad inks, ballpoint pens, solvents, paints, plastics, films, and cosmetics.
At around 10:37 a.m. on July 24, the Connecticut State Police were dispatched to Kosuda-Bigazzi’s residence after receiving a complaint from someone who was unable to contact her. The Associated Press reported that she was due to be sentenced for the killing of her 84-year-old husband, Dr. Pierluigi Bigazzi, that very day at 2 p.m.
The Connecticut State Police stated that, “Attempts by responding Troopers to initiate contact with anyone inside the residence were unsuccessful and with the assistance of the local fire department, Troopers made entry into the residence. An unresponsive female was located within the residence, who was subsequently pronounced deceased at the scene.”
Kosuda-Bigazzi’s death came four months after she pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and first-degree theft in March.
Her arrest followed the discovery of Dr. Pierluigi Bigazzi’s body in their basement on February 5, 2018. He had been an employee at the University of Connecticut.
Hartford Judicial District’s State Attorney, Sharmese L. Walcott, released a statement noting that the police were asked to conduct a welfare check at the home by Dr. Bigazzi’s employer, who had not heard from him for several months.
“An investigation showed paychecks from the victim’s employer continued to be deposited into the couple’s joint checking account from the time of his death, which authorities believe to be sometime in July 2017, until his body was discovered in early February 2018,” the authorities stated.
