Marisa Vicosa took a long pause while contemplating her age The simple question now requires soul-searching she worked to describe the gulf dividing the family life she hoped to have and the life she But it will be a life without her daughters Giana and Aaminah — who Marisa remembers as happy children Their bright futures were cut short by their father in a final brazen act of violence three and a half years ago in the middle of a long interview with The York Dispatch “I always thought I’d be a grandmom someday Marisa sighed and composed herself before continuing “It’s very different than what I thought it would be.” PART 2 OF MARISA VICOSA'S STORY: Marisa Vicosa pushes for reform after her daughters’ murders: ‘I regret going to the police’ AUTHORITIES RESPOND: DA, AG remain silent on Marisa Vicosa's push for domestic violence reforms What Marisa Vicosa won’t accept is that York County Regional police couldn’t have stopped her estranged husband Please consider subscribing to support local journalism. She won’t accept that department Chief Tim Damon wasn’t reckless in holding officers back from responding to the situation in November 2021 She struggled to accept that he never took accountability nor was held accountable for his decisions “If you care that little about two little children who needed you why are you still in this position?” she asked through tears “I don’t understand why they have not let him go.” Marisa voiced the resentments she still harbors since suing the department on state-created danger and infliction of emotional distress accusations and YCRPD made a $3 million insurance payout The agreement also let the department deny legal liability and responsibility for the situation More: York County grapples with fallout from jail training contractor as Joseph Garcia heads west More: Questions, grief remain after Daub family's mysterious suicide pact More: Who was Morgan Daub, the woman at heart of family's planned suicide? Giana and Aaminah went from girls to estates Marisa went from mom to estate administrator “It’s hard when my life was all about being a mom and there are so many things we didn’t get to do,” she said “The money really doesn’t mean much for me especially in the wake of recent developments She voiced disappointment with a news conference former York County District Attorney Dave Sunday led in late October to discuss progress in local domestic violence case responses The event went over general descriptions of some procedural reforms and proposals that came out of a review that was prompted by the deaths of Giana and Aaminah the message Sunday and the others seemed to be sending was that they believed there wasn't much that could've been done differently “It was troubling with me because I specifically sat in a meeting with the D.A where I was given a long list of things that could have and should have been done differently,” she said referencing a meeting she had with state and county prosecutors in 2022 Marisa also spoke bitterly while alleging that instead of taking accountability Damon turned on two of his officers in retaliation for helping her the night she went to the police a suspension and other actions taken against him since 2021 His employment complaint argues Damon gave illegal commands to delay serving a court-issued emergency protection from abuse order and a search warrant on Robert Vicosa allegedly for information he gave Marisa while helping her Main spoke to The York Dispatch while now serving as a West York borough officer “The process was not the problem,” Main said of obtaining the warrant and PFA “It was the fact that the chief told us not to f― serve it.” who is now Pennsylvania’s attorney general declined to speak about the Vicosa case or Damon including whether YCRPD was part of the countywide domestic violence reform review AG’s office staff pointed toward Miller’s lawsuit as a basis for withholding comment “There is active litigation on this matter and we need to be very careful not to impact that with commentary especially considering the Office of Attorney General does not have current jurisdiction over any elements of this tragedy or events that preceded it,” said Brett Hambright Hambright noted Sunday is a “willing listener and participant” in potentially reforming domestic violence laws at the state General Assembly Damon didn’t respond to repeated attempts to contact him by phone and email Nor did he meet with a reporter during an in-person visit to the department Miller also withheld comment while his civil suit is still active in court documents related to settling Marisa’s civil suit that the decision not to immediately serve Robert Vicosa with court orders “was a tactical one” based on various safety risks and concerns including threats he’d made to kill his daughters Strained MarriageRobert and Marisa Vicosa were married for seven and a half years before the relationship fell apart in the summer of 2021 Robert worked as a Baltimore County police officer who in that year was commuting to Maryland from the family’s home in the 1500 block of Pleader Lane in Windsor Township Marisa formerly worked as an elementary school teacher until Robert convinced her to quit and become a stay-at-home mom She turned her skills to homeschooling their daughters had skipped 2nd grade and was heading into 3rd grade having picked up on multiplication around kindergarten She wanted to be a scientist and enjoyed math she liked to do order of operations,” she said explaining how Giana would make her write out math problems and how she had to work to keep up with her learning abilities Marisa said the girls were happy and well-behaved They loved holidays and were environmentally conscious “People want to sometimes do balloon launches with me but I won’t do it because I know it’s not good for the environment I feel like that would not honor them very well,” she said Marisa described him as verbally abusive and narcissistic She left him that July and moved in with her mother She took a job learning the ropes as a life insurance agent and working from her mother’s home in York City but they went to court for child custody and worked out a shared arrangement Robert seemed to extend an olive branch by inviting her back to the family home to celebrate with cake the night of Friday the 12th That was Robert’s weekend to have the girls and they were already at the house with his grandmother when Marisa arrived She said he pretended to look for it in the kitchen which she believed was code for springing the trap He and Bynum dragged Marisa to the basement and tied her to a massage chair for at least a few hours complaining about her leaving him and then correcting himself by saying he was mad she took their daughters from him He eventually released Marisa from the chair More abuse ensued as she said he drugged her and he raped her multiple times over at least the next day He wanted to convince me and himself that I had betrayed him,” she said She believed Robert initially planned to kill her but that she was able to dissuade him by convincing him she would move back home and reunite the family Robert had let Marisa leave so she could go to her mom’s house and pack up her computer and some clothes that he’d shoot her in the back of the head as soon as she left she was paranoid he either had her followed or put a tracker on her vehicle What Marisa didn’t know at the time was that Robert actually left the home with the girls about 15 minutes after he let her go investigators later learned from video evidence The detail was cited in YCPRD’s response to Marisa’s settlement petition She reached her mother’s house and quietly warned her about Robert She advised her to take the grandchildren she was watching that day and casually pretend to run an errand Marisa also pretended to run an errand by next driving to the Target store at the York Galleria She said she was still paranoid that Robert was tracking her I’d be killed before I was able to even get into the precinct,” she said She asked a worker to call the police for her She got help and was taken to York County Regional (then called York Area Regional Police) since their service covered her neighborhood Marisa recalled speaking to several different officers and gave her account multiple times I think that they found my story to be a little crazy,” she said “I think they found it hard to believe that a police officer would do such crazy things.” we all thought this sounds a little outlandish Main was close to finishing his first year at YCRPD after leaving the York City police a year prior He remembered starting his shift around 4 p.m He came on around the same time Marisa arrived and that fed some of the officers’ initial skepticism domestic cases can sometimes contain certain amounts of embellishment But Marisa was consistent with her account; she looked mortified and police began thinking they’d need a search warrant Applying for one required a description of the house While a detective formally interviewed Marisa Main said he changed into plain clothes and drove out to get a look at the Vicosa home then the officer in charge of that night’s shift who was getting ready to coordinate an operation which included following the chain of command “Our priority was to figure out how to get the kids away from him,” Main said noting Robert’s alleged threats to kill the girls was the immediate danger Police also brought DA’s office and county Children First steps included having Marisa apply for an emergency PFA which Main said gave police a court order to immediately take custody of the children away from Robert police don’t have authority in domestic cases to decide which biological parent gets to take their children Main said police could then use a search warrant to investigate Marisa’s allegations that Robert threatened district court Judge Robert Haskell signed the emergency PFA order and indicated he’d approve the search warrant Main then drove Marisa to a local hospital to undergo a rape exam Main said he tried to console her with reassurance that Chief Damon lived near her home and he said he wanted to show her the department was on top of the situation Miller had organized members of the county’s Quick Response Team as police mobilized to respond to Marisa’s allegations Kenneth Schollenberger didn’t go into the department that night They coordinated by phone from their respective homes he was surprised when Miller updated him that they weren’t serving the court orders “‘I was just given a stand-down order via the lieutenant from the chief,’” Main recalled Miller telling him The command directive was to wait until morning under a belief that Robert would send his daughters to school and have them take the bus He didn’t know the girls were homeschooled Damon also disallowed overnight surveillance of the home and of Bynum’s home along Azalea Drive alleged he tried to call Damon multiple times that night for clarification of the order The order violated the state’s domestic relations law which requires police to reasonably attempt to serve protection orders Main said Damon put Miller in a tough conflict of following commands or following the law Miller went to the hospital early the next morning to tell Marisa how the plan changed saying Miller arrived with a couple other officers But that’s when he informed me that they wouldn’t be serving the search warrant,” she said and he said he couldn’t tell me because he didn’t know And it was very obvious that him and the other officers were disturbed by the decision.” Marisa said she asked Miller if Damon held off serving the orders because he lives in her neighborhood and didn’t want to draw attention to the area She then apparently asked what she could do including how to file a private criminal complaint through the DA’s office Marisa did just that after she left the hospital and went to the York County Judicial Center the afternoon of Monday the office realized attorneys were apparently kept out of the loop on Damon’s decision to wait according to Marisa’s civil settlement petition Police didn’t attempt to serve the court orders until 3 p.m. Police also went to Bynum’s home and spoke to her and Bynum denied knowing their whereabouts Officers took no further action and didn’t put her under surveillance And she apparently went unnoticed when she later met up with him and the girls Robert stayed on the run for three more days and court documents showed he carjacked at least two vehicles in the process Bynum and the girls in Franklin County on Thursday led police toward the Hagerstown area of Maryland Marisa rode with one of her brothers while on their quest to find Robert She was desperate and wanted her daughters back And I felt like the police were screwing it up And I couldn’t just sit back and not do anything.” Robert crashed the car he drove into a culvert a few miles outside Hagerstown Marisa and her brother were closer to Baltimore when Schollenberger called her and they were airlifting her to a hospital,” she said they took her to the hospital to see Aaminah one final time Marisa spoke through sobs as she recounted those final moments She’d reached the tail end of a nearly 90-minute interview She gave her account of November 2021 to help illustrate her disillusionment with local law enforcement courts and politics; her anger that the response to her situation after 2021 “When there’s someone in a position of such high authority,” Marisa said “it’s like they can just get away with anything.” she avoids using that authority’s name — Tim Damon — but she clarifies that the police chief holds some measure of responsibility for her daughters' deaths That’s why she’s speaking out through her grief So no other mother feels the loss she does today On Nov. 14, 2021, Marisa Vicosa reported to York Area Regional Police (now called York County Regional Police) that her estranged husband a former Baltimore County Police Officer named Robert Vicosa had held her hostage and was threatening to kill her and their two daughters the shift supervisor on duty that Sunday afternoon advised her to obtain an emergency protection from abuse order attuned to gravity of the situation and alarmed by Marisa’s report of horrific abuse including being held hostage by her husband and his girlfriend a former Baltimore County cop named Tia Bynum and being raped and forced to ingest drugs planned to execute the order at Vicosa’s Windsor Township home immediately Miller couldn’t act unilaterally. He went through the chain of command, and at the end of that chain Police Chief Tim Damon denied Miller’s proposal to rescue the girls and detain Vicosa, if necessary. Chief Damon had told his shift supervisor to wait until Monday to serve the order tried to contact Damon several times to clarify the order but received no response setting off a manhunt that ended three days later on a northern Maryland highway with Vicosa killing his daughters and his girlfriend before taking his own life described in court papers as alarmed by the situation and concerned that the chief’s order may be unlawful told Marisa Vicosa that the PFA had not been executed and advised her of her right to file a private criminal complaint against Damon (That complaint was filed and subsequently withdrawn and the state Attorney General’s office conducted its own investigation the results of which have not been made public.)  A lawyer for Marisa Vicosa later charged that the police failed in their duty to protect Gianna and Aaminah an assertion that led to a $3 million settlement in the case The case led to reforms in how York County law enforcement handles PFAs.   And now Miller has filed a federal lawsuit against the department Damon and the department’s board of commissioners alleging that Miller faced retaliation and harassment for trying to faithfully execute his duties the lawsuit claims Miller was punished for trying to save Gianna and Aaminah's lives claims in the suit that Damon violated state law when he declined to execute the PFA State law “requires police officers to make reasonable attempts to serve such orders,” according to the lawsuit filed in November in federal district court in the District of Columbia one day after Marisa Vicosa filed a private criminal complaint against Damon Miller was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation The department charged that he had made disparaging comments gave Marisa Vicosa Chief Damon’s home address and explained to her how to file a complaint against the chief Vicosa’s complaint and (Miller’s) placement on leave – just one day – creates the strong inference of retaliatory motive,” the lawsuit states Marisa's story: Marisa Vicosa tells the horrific tale of her 2 daughters’ murder by ex-cop father Previously: Torture, rape, murder & police negligence: Vicosa settlement details tragic failures by cops Miller “truthfully denied providing Chief Damon’s address to Ms Vicosa and maintained that the order not to serve the protective order was illegal.” Marisa Vicoas later told the attorney general’s office that Miller did not give her Damon’s home address The “pattern of retaliation” resulted in Miller being demoted in February 2022 and his removal from specialized duties including serving on the SWAT team as a firearms and active shooter instructor and as a member of the department’s honor guard The suit also claims Miller was forbidden from serving as an officer in charge despite his seniority and denial of all overtime He was further excluded from mandatory training and staff meetings and was placed under “enhanced scrutiny” and held to “different standards than peers,” according to the suit The lawsuit quotes several supervisors in bolstering Miller’s claims “I guess it sucks to be you right now” because “you’re Dan Miller.” Sgt Trent Buschman was quoted in the lawsuit as saying “Chief Damon made perfectly clear he doesn’t want Dan doing anything.” Another sergeant admitted that Miller was “being treated differently” and said that supervisors were directed by Damon to deny his overtime requests “These statements provide direct evidence of retaliatory intent and discriminatory application of department policies,” the lawsuit states Miller reached a settlement with the department that would result in his rank being restored and payment for lost wages and overtime “failed to honor these terms.” A second settlement was reached in August 2023 The department also did not honor the terms of that settlement the chief and the board of commissioners with violating Miller’s First Amendment rights and violating the Pennsylvania Whistleblower Law which prohibits retaliation against employees who report wrongdoing to their employers or authorities remains on the job as the lawsuit works its way through the court system Damon did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment on the lawsuit Columnist/reporter Mile Argento has been a York Daily Record staffer since 1982 Marisa Vicosa appeared at the Target in East York and asked someone to call the police She told the officer a harrowing story a former Baltimore County Police officer named Robert Vicosa had lured her to the former family home in Windsor Township ostensibly to celebrate her birthday with her two young daughters forced her to ingest drugs and tortured her Her estranged husband repeatedly raped her He threatened to kill her and their children After speaking with York County Regional Police officers she sought an emergency protection from abuse order from a district magisterial judge and officers on duty that Sunday planned to execute it immediately and told his officers to wait until Monday Vicosa had absconded with his children and his girlfriend touching off a manhunt that ended tragically three days later on a highway in northern Maryland Vicosa shot and killed his daughters and his girlfriend before turning the gun on himself The full text of the letter was not handed over to Goodman The horrific crime sparked a review of law enforcement procedures concerning the execution of PFAs and the county’s response to domestic violence More on the Vicosa case: Torture, rape, murder & police negligence: Vicosa settlement details tragic failures by cops Sunday referenced the Vicosa case and said it had led to “a comprehensive study” of the process for serving emergency PFAs and other aspects of domestic violence cases The county contracted an independent review of its domestic violence policies The district attorney’s office worked with police departments which offers assistance to victims of domestic violence from referrals and counseling to emergency shelter and transitional housing to legal aid in filing PFAs “We were not just looking at what happened in that case,” Sunday said “We wanted to do an assessment across the board.”  The review led to several reforms and the launch of a first-in Pennsylvania technological tool to combat and prosecute domestic violence The reforms come as the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts has released a review of PFA filings in the state which placed York County in the top 10 of the Commonwealth’s 67 counties in the highest number of new PFA cases in 2023 York County reported 1,694 new PFAs filed last year Among the reforms was streamlining the emergency PFA and installing protocols to prompt police to serve the court orders as quickly as safely possible It also provides police with guidance in performing what are called “lethality assessments” to determine whether perpetrators of domestic violence pose a threat to life and limb The reforms also expand training for police prosecutors and others who deal with domestic violence cases The reforms also call for expansion of 24-hour hotlines and transportation for victims to court to file for emergency PFAs The proposals also include expanding access to lawyers working with the York County Bar Association to provide legal assistance to victims early in the PFA process It also establishes satellite offices – called a “kiosk” concept – to expand access to courts to victims to file for emergency PFAs and an office at the Campus for Justice and Wellness on the grounds of the York County Prison for victims to file for emergency orders The county will also contract with a company called eBodyGuard to provide an app that performs a variety of tasks for victims of domestic violence including collecting and preserving evidence to be used in court The app – the brainchild of Melissa Faith Hart a victim of domestic and sexual abuse and founder and CEO of eBodyGuard – can be voice-activated and records video and audio evidence of domestic abuse eBodyGuard’s chief justice strategy officer and a former district attorney from Aurora said the cases come down to “he said-she said.” With the app recording evidence and storing on a cloud accessible to law enforcement the situation changes to “he said-she and she has video and audio.”  The app also securely stores information to assist law enforcement any court documents or other materials that would assist in prosecuting abusers “may lead to different outcomes” in domestic violence cases The contract for the services – the first in Pennsylvania according to Brauchler – is being funded by the forfeiture fund from cases of human trafficking and sexual assault Columnist/reporter Mike Argento has been a York Daily Record staffer since 1982 (This story was updated to correct a misspelling/typo.)  State and county prosecutors remain silent on complaints by Marisa Vicosa about how law enforcement handled the domestic violence case that ultimately led to the deaths of her daughters Attorney General Dave Sunday's office has yet to release a review of the November 2021 incident that began under now-Gov Sunday was York County's district attorney at the time Vicosa, 42, spoke out that she felt let down by Sunday's pre-Election Day update on a reform study that began in response to the murders of her daughters Marisa received a $3 million settlement from her lawsuit alleging failures by the York County Regional Police Department but she said she wants to see more accountability and actual change where I was given a long list of things that could have and should have been done differently,” she told The York Dispatch referencing a meeting she had with prosecutors and investigators in 2022 >> Please consider subscribing to support local journalism.  She explained her complaints in more detail as well as recounted the violence her estranged husband inflicted and her experience in seeking police help She expressed bitterness that York County Regional Police Chief Tim Damon faced little accountability for his role in the situation District Attorney Tim Barker indicated he hadn’t seen her statements when asked after a recent news conference announcing charges against a truck driver accused of DUI in an Interstate 83 crash that left three construction workers dead Barker said he wouldn’t want to comment because he believes he shouldn’t air responses to a victim’s sentiments “I really don’t like commenting on how victims of crime feel because they should be fully and fairly allowed to feel whatever emotion that they have,” he said You have to be able to feel and have any kind of emotional responses that should be had.” Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday’s office declined again to comment on Vicosa’s statements Spokesperson Brett Hambright echoed the reasons given in the article that the office can’t comment while related civil litigation is active READ MORE: Marisa Vicosa pushes for reform after her daughters’ murders: ‘I regret going to the police’ READ MORE: Marisa Vicosa settled a lawsuit over her daughters' deaths. But her fight isn’t over. The litigation he referenced involves YCRPD officer Daniel Miller suing Damon and the department’s police commission on allegations that Damon punished him harshly in retaliation for how he helped Vicosa in 2021 Vicosa didn't respond Monday to a message seeking follow-up remarks abused and threatened Marisa over a weekend starting that Nov She’d moved out of the family’s Pleader Lane home in Windsor Township and the two had agreed on a shared custody arrangement with their daughters Marisa went back to the house for a family get-together to celebrate her birthday Robert sprung his trap and took her captive at gunpoint apparently believing she meant to gather some belongings from her mother’s house and move back home sought help and reported what happened to York County Regional police alleging Robert still had their daughters and had threatened to kill them Detectives and officers organized a plan for how to respond; how to gather information and approach the apparent danger according to Marisa and a former YCRPD officer Justin Main Marisa obtained an emergency protection from abuse order while police simultaneously had a search warrant approved for the Vicosa home gave police authority to take custody of the girls away from Robert while they investigated the orders didn’t get served that Sunday night when a judge approved them Chief Damon allegedly gave commands for officers to hold back delaying their response for several hours into that Monday afternoon Damon didn’t respond to multiple attempts to discuss the situation from his perspective argued decisions were made out of safety concerns while Robert posed a danger to the children and officers Damon also wanted to wait to act until the morning under a “mistaken assumption” that Robert would put his daughters on a bus to school Robert fled the area by the time officers went to his home and then spoke to his accomplice after committing at least two carjackings in the area Robert led police on a pursuit into Maryland The fallout: Marisa filed a private criminal complaint against Damon over the delayed response She’d been told by Main that Damon lived in the same neighborhood And she alleged that his decision to hold officers back that Sunday night was based in part on not creating a disturbance there Miller informed her they weren’t serving the PFA or search warrant that night and he told her about the private complaint route came under investigation by YCRPD’s internal affairs as he caught heat for Marisa’s complaint and was accused of giving her Damon’s address He was eventually demoted and stripped of various privileges serving as a probationary officer in his first year MORE: York City man faces charges for allegedly attempting to choke woman: police MORE: Eastern York advances new restrictions against LGBTQ+ student athletes MORE: Less than a third of York County municipalities holding contested races in upcoming primary: What you need to know Marisa dropped her private complaint in 2022 after meetings with AG’s office attorneys She shifted to pursuing civil claims and later won a $3 million insurance settlement from YCRPD Shapiro’s office also sent a letter to the DA’s office that covered findings from the investigation as well as concerns with police “lapses and decisions” before Giana and Aaminah were killed A state appellate court held that the contents could remain sealed under criminal investigative rules In the immediate aftermath of Robert Vicosa’s violence Sunday promised to establish a comprehensive review of law enforcement protocols and procedures for responding to domestic violence situations He and Barker then led a news conference in October 2024 where he was voted in as state attorney general which involved an outside consultant and various local police agencies such as improving legal services for victims expanding access routes for obtaining PFAs updating training for police and prosecutors and improving evidence gathering and data collection There was also an announcement that the county was partnering with a subscription-based phone app as a way to provide another layer of security in domestic violence situations After seeing the news conference and seeing that YCRPD didn’t participate Marisa expressed disappointment that reforms apparently won’t include accountability for Damon’s decisions­­­ — that concerns investigators shared with her in 2022 about what could have and should have been done differently apparently won’t be addressed is moving his employment lawsuit against Damon to a new court The case was originally filed in a federal court in Washington alleging civil counts of First Amendment retaliation conspiracy and violating Pennsylvania’s whistleblower law The judge there recently granted Miller’s request to transfer the case to the federal court covering Pennsylvania’s eastern district — Reach Aimee Ambrose at aambrose@yorkdispatch.com A York County Regional Police officer alleges he was targeted with retaliation and discrimination for defying Chief Tim Damon’s inaction on a case of extreme spousal abuse — a case that ultimately led to the shooting deaths of two young sisters more than three years ago accusing the department of stripping him of his rank as corporal pulling him out of specialized duties and preventing him from working side jobs He further alleged he was put under investigation almost immediately after he gave Marisa Vicosa advice during a situation where Damon balked at responding to a protection from abuse order She'd alleged her estranged husband had tortured her and then abducted their two daughters in November 2021 Miller’s advice to Vicosa, according to court documents, was how to file a private criminal complaint against Damon since his decision allegedly violated state law Vicosa’s ex, former Baltimore County Police officer Robert Vicosa, ultimately fled Pennsylvania, and during a manhunt into Maryland did not respond to a request for comment Friday saying she believes the department mistreated Miller for informing her of her rights “I think they want to make him the fall guy “He’s being retaliated against for doing the right thing.” The York County District Attorney's Office and the state Attorney General's Office both reviewed the handling of the incident Records from those inquiries have been blocked from public view The Dispatch's previous public records requests were denied alleges he faces ongoing blackballing at work His complaint cites a few supervisors as allegedly admitting that Damon was after him More: Judge sets date for Nolan Grove to stand trial in friend's shooting death More: Two men trial bound in arson, attempted homicide case More: York County attorney pleads guilty in child porn case One sergeant was quoted as telling him in May 2023 that “it sucks to be you” and “because you’re Dan Miller.” is apparently Miller’s next step in trying to address his claims The complaint shows he reached two prior settlements of some kind with YCRPD and then alleges the department hasn’t honored the terms Court records show that Miller wants a trial as his case charges YCRPD and its board of commissioners with retaliation as a violation of First Amendment protections violating Pennsylvania’s whistleblower law Miller’s rank reinstated as corporal and an order to prevent future retaliation The tragedy of November 2021: Robert Vicosa allegedly talked Marisa into meeting up at the family’s home in Windsor Township on Friday he and Bynum allegedly took Marisa captive abused her and threatened her through that weekend Marisa convinced Robert to let her briefly leave the home so she could pick up some items that Sunday In spite of his parting threat to not go to police And the situation was reported to York County Regional Police Miller took her statement and wanted to respond immediately But a plan had to run up the chain of command to Damon and a lieutenant first Court documents allege Damon refused to give approval apparently left the family house about 15 minutes after he let Marisa go that afternoon Court documents noted security cameras showed them leaving Marisa sought and received an emergency protection from abuse order through a local court by the evening Investigators also obtained a search warrant for the house Damon allegedly decided to not enforce the order halting plans to serve the documents during the night Miller’s lawsuit argues the move violated the state’s PFA law by ignoring a requirement for police to make reasonable attempts to promptly serve such orders Miller also alleged he tried to contact Damon multiple times to clarify his order Damon allegedly wanted to wait to serve the documents until the next morning when he believed Marisa’s daughters would be on their way to school and out of the house He apparently didn’t know they were home schooled When police went to the house that Monday afternoon of Nov gave Marisa a heads up about Damon’s decision on Nov and then advised her she had a right to file a private criminal complaint against the chief caught up to Robert Vicosa a few days later as he allegedly left a trail of thefts and carjackings in the area 18 until he crashed the vehicle he drove into a culvert Marisa followed through on Miller’s advice and filed the private complaint against Damon The state attorney general’s office led an investigation into her allegations The York County District Attorney’s Office announced the investigation Nov he alleged YCRPD retaliated by putting him on administrative leave He went under investigation on accusations Damon made that Miller gave Marisa Vicosa the chief’s home address explained to her how to file her complaint and made disparaging remarks The complaint also shows Miller and Marisa both denied that he gave her Damon’s address when attorney general’s office investigators interviewed them Miller alleged YCRPD retaliated further in the early months of 2022 He was then removed from specialized duties and could no longer serve as an officer in charge that April He further alleged he was denied overtime 64 documented times between May 2023 and May 2024 Miller and YCRPD reached some kind of settlement in August 2022 where his complaint alleges the department agreed to terms covering lost salary as well as restoring his rank and administrative position which led to Miller filing an unfair labor practice claim They came to another settlement in August 2023 and Miller’s complaint alleged the department again “failed to fully honor.” MORE: York City man faces charges for child porn possession MORE: Eastern York removes anti-LGBTQ+ policy from agenda — for now MORE: Coroner IDs Manchester Township man who died after oil furnace malfunctioned Marisa Vicosa withdrew her complaint against Damon in March 2022 as she and her attorney entered into negotiations with the department in a lawsuit she’d filed The attorney general’s office wrapped up its investigation and sent a letter to the D.A.’s office where “major concerns with certain lapses and decisions” were detailed Findings in the letter have been withheld from the public The D.A.’s office has also refused to comment on the letter except to make vague assurances that a consultant was brought in to work with police and local courts on improving PFA service Marisa Vicosa settled her suit in March 2023 The $3 million agreement called for YCRPD to pay $1.2 million into each of the estates for Giana and Aaminah plus another $600,000 on an intentional infliction of emotional distress claim The police department was able to deny responsibility in the girls’ deaths arguing officers and staff weren’t liable for Robert Vicosa’s acts Miller’s lawsuit is still in its beginning stages since opening in November Federal court data shows a judge hasn’t been assigned to the case so far The complaint is also a little unclear on why specifically the case was filed in Washington instead of the federal district court for central Pennsylvania — Reach Aimee Ambrose at aambrose@yorkdispatch.com or on Twitter at @aimee_TYD Marisa Vicosa went through hell for a week in November 2021 Vicosa was eventually able to break free and seek help former Baltimore County police officer Robert Vicosa abducted their two daughters and led police on a multi-day pursuit A petition Vicosa's attorney filed recounts the harrowing experience as well as alleged missteps police made responding to the abduction Robert Vicosa ultimately shot and killed his daughters — 7-year-old Giana and 6-year-old Aaminah — before killing his accomplice including about 10 months of attorney negotiations Marisa Vicosa and the York Area Regional Police Department have agreed to a $3 million settlement with the bulk of the money destined for her late daughters’ estates “Vicosa … respectfully asks the court for leave to compromise and settle federal and state claims arising from the mishandling of this matter by the York Area Regional Police Department,” the petition states >> Please consider subscribing to support local journalism.  A petition filed Tuesday through the York County Court of Common Pleas seeks a judge’s order to approve the settlement after an agreement was reached March 7 The document outlines the settlement distribution as the estate of each girl receiving $1.2 million on state-created danger claims Vicosa would receive $600,000 on a claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress $1 million would be subtracted from the claims for legal fees Judge Clyde Vedder signed an order late Thursday afternoon granting the settlement declined to comment on the petition until after a judge issues a decision York County Regional Police Chief Tim Damon also did not return a message from The York Dispatch seeking comment The settlement talks provided an alternative to a lengthy court case Goodman noted in the petition that litigation likely would’ve lasted years including the challenge of pursuing a state-created danger case on the federal level Vicosa is also spared from reliving “again and again” in court the events that led to her daughters’ deaths Marisa Vicosa "agrees that the settlement is in the best interest of the estates," the petition states Robert Vicosa invited Marisa Vicosa to celebrate her birthday at what was then their home in the 1500 block of Pleader Lane in Windsor Township the evening of Nov The celebration itself was described as “pleasant and typical.” Their daughters went to bed at the house afterward and Robert Vicosa wanted to give his estranged wife her gift before she left MORE: Hospital altercation leads to arrest for 62-year-old man: police MORE: Hanover man tried to rob bank from drive-thru lanes, sent stick-up note through pneumatic tube: Police MORE: York County's Think Loud saga gets a Hollywood plot twist then walked in and pointed a gun at Marisa Vicosa’s head She was allegedly forced into the basement and tortured and threatened throughout the weekend convinced Robert to let her go back to her place that Sunday and pick up clothes and materials so she could go to work the next day Robert allegedly threatened to kill her and the girls if she fled or went to police she did eventually go to police after seeking help from staff at a Target store in Springettsbury Township — a public place Robert likely wouldn’t follow her into  She ultimately reported the situation to York Area Regional Police but he had to go through the chain of command Both then deemed themselves unable to report to duty that day Damon lived near Vicosa’s Pleader Lane home Damon allegedly refused to order officers to take immediate action including surveillance of the home or Bynum’s property nearby Marisa Vicosa sought and received an emergency protection from abuse order from a judge that Sunday night Investigators also secured a search warrant to go into the home with the support of an assistant district attorney Marisa Vicosa learned the plans to serve the protection order and warrant that night were nixed “Damon affirmatively decided to override and not enforce Judge (Ronald) Haskell’s orders Damon never talked with or sought any input from Marisa,” Goodman stated in the petition Damon reportedly favored waiting until the morning when the girls would be off to school and out of the house The petition alleges that Marisa Vicosa told police about the home schooling when she learned of the decision That afternoon, she filed a private criminal complaint against Damon tried to serve the protection order and warrant at the house and she allegedly denied knowing where Robert Vicosa and the girls were and police didn’t put her under surveillance Robert Vicosa then attempted a violent escape from York with his daughters The petition shows he crashed a car into a creek in Windsor Township He then apparently broke into a nearby parked trailer He apparently met up with Bynum at some points — the details of their meeting are still unclear — and they reportedly carjacked a man in Maryland and drove around Baltimore Pennsylvania State Police spotted Robert Vicosa in a stolen car in Waynesboro police pursued him until he crashed into a culvert Marisa Vicosa’s private complaint against Damon remained active after the tragedy as the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office investigated the allegations She withdrew it in March 2022 about a month after meeting with a deputy attorney general and investigators which led to the start of attorney negotiations on the settlement in April 2022 sent a letter to the district attorney’s office following its investigation It detailed “major concerns with certain lapses and decisions” involved in the case The letter has not been made public in spite of a Right-to-Know Law challenge the letter’s content was also allegedly withheld from Marisa Vicosa under the state’s Criminal History Record Act As part of its $3 million settlement agreement in the deaths of two young sisters at the hands of their father the York County Regional Police Department denied responsibility for the tragedy That stipulation was part of the agreement signed by a judge late Thursday as the girls’ mother Giana Vicosa, 7, and her 6-year-old sister Aaminah were abducted by their father, former Baltimore County Police officer Robert Vicosa his accomplice and himself while pursued by police in Maryland Marisa Vicosa accused department leaders of putting her daughters in danger by not acting immediately on court orders and making other decisions that delayed responses to safely resolve the situation The police department argued that officers and staff could not be held liable for Vicosa’s acts according to documents in a petition seeking the settlement’s approval The petition was filed by Marisa Vicosa’s attorney Wednesday The department’s attorney responded to the petition Thursday with a filing that admitted a settlement had been reached and denied responsibility “(The department) denies any liability on its behalf or that of its agents for the tragic consequences of the violent and murderous acts of Robert Vicosa,” the filing states “Respondent also denies that any asserted act or failure to act of respondent caused the deaths of Giana Vicosa and Aaminah Vicosa.” That filing uses York County Regional Police’s previous name More: Central York students wear red in silent protest of book ban, rating system More: York County's Think Loud saga gets a Hollywood plot twist More: New charter school eyes vacant Thackston school, years after controversy Police Chief Tim Damon has not commented publicly on the settlement following multiple attempts to reach him declined comment Friday but indicated he and his client may speak publicly in the near future chief administrator with the York County District Attorney’s Office also declined to comment on the settlement King did note that the DA's office hired a consultant based on concerns raised by the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office about the handling of the Vicosa case Vicosa and the police department reached the settlement agreement March 7 Her daughter’s estates will each receive $1.2 million on state-created danger claims Vicosa will receive $600,000 on a claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress $1 million will be taken out for legal fees Goodman noted the $3 million would come from the police department’s insurance and the amount is based on its maximum coverage The petition indicates that the police department is covered by policies with EMC Insurance Cos The settlement followed roughly 10 months of attorney negotiations and avoided potentially lengthy civil litigation which Vicosa’s attorney estimated could have taken years to resolve she will end her legal claims regarding the situation Marisa and Robert Vicosa were estranged and living separately when Robert allegedly invited her back to the family’s home in Windsor Township to celebrate her birthday with the children on Friday Robert allegedly took Marisa captive with help from his alleged accomplice and her life and the lives of her daughters were threatened Marisa convinced Robert to let her to return to her place to pick up some items He allegedly threatened her again if she went to police but Marisa was able to seek help and that afternoon reported the situation to the police department MORE: Murder charges added against suspect in New Year's Eve shooting MORE: Student organizes fundraiser in memory of slain Central York teacher MORE: Man dies in York after Franklin County crash A corporal who took the report wanted to respond immediately but he had to run a plan up the chain of command through Lt The petition alleges Damon refused to order immediate action had left his house with the children about 15 minutes after Marisa was released according to documents included with the petition The documents say security cameras at the house showed him leaving Marisa Vicosa sought and received an emergency protection from abuse order The plan to serve the protection order and the warrant that night were halted as the petition shows Chief Damon allegedly decided not to enforce the order He instead wanted to wait until that Monday morning figuring the girls would be out of the house and on their way to school Police went to the house that afternoon and found it empty Marisa filed a private criminal complaint against Damon that day Bynum and the girls a few days later after he allegedly left a trail of thefts and carjackings in the area Pennsylvania State Police spotted him in a stolen car in Waynesboro that Thursday police there pursued him until he crashed into a culvert and her attorney began settlement negotiations with the department a month later Officials from the AG's office declined to provide the letter to The York Dispatch Though he couldn’t comment on the settlement King spoke briefly Friday on the concerns raised by the attorney general’s office He said the district attorney’s office has since engaged a consultant and they’re working with police and court partners He said it’s premature to comment further on details A desperate search for two little girls who were abducted by their father in York County ended tragically Thursday in an apparent murder-suicide with both girls dead Police in Pennsylvania and Maryland had been searching for ex-Baltimore County cop Robert Vicosa 6-year-old Aaminah and 7-year-old Giana All were discovered shot inside a stolen Ford Edge following a police pursuit in which the car drifted off the road about 2:30 p.m Thursday and crashed in a shallow ditch outside the small town of Ringgold who were both in the back seat, and Bynum who was also sitting in the back, later died at Meritus Medical Center in Hagerstown Maryland State Police spokesperson Elena Russo declined to say if investigators believe the shots were fired by the adults in the car Police found an assault rifle and other firearms in the vehicle The four have been taken to the Baltimore Chief Medical Examiner's Office for autopsy, Maryland State Police said.  Pennsylvania police were closing in on the vehicle as it headed south toward the Maryland line before it veered off of the road and struck a culvert in a grassy area along Route 418/Ringgold Road in Smithsburg Maryland police surrounded the vehicle and tried but failed to make contact with the people inside They eventually broke the front passenger side window and discovered four individuals who appeared to have gunshot wounds Vicosa and Bynum had been on the run after the father allegedly abducted his daughters and brutally assaulted the children's mother at his Windsor Township home the previous weekend allegedly tied the girls' mother up at gunpoint She was held captive in the basement of his home and Vicosa repeatedly sexually assaulted her until she escaped York Area Regional Police attempted to carry out a search warrant at the York County home on Nov but Vicosa and the girls were gone when they arrived Law enforcement in Maryland and Pennsylvania pleaded with Vicosa and Bynum for days to do the right thing and return the girls safely Vicosa and Bynum were close friends and former co-workers They were described by police during the hunt as armed and dangerous Vicosa's crime spree stretched from Windsor Township to Cockeysville as the pair robbed and carjacked the people they encountered while on the run Bynum was wanted on a misdemeanor charge of false imprisonment Vicosa was wanted for a felony arrest warrant for kidnapping and robbery along with a misdemeanor simple assault charge for a carjacking on Huson Road in Windsor Township The former Baltimore sergeant, who changed his name in 2015 from Robert Brown, was demoted last year to officer by a police trial board that also stripped him of 45 days of leave, The Baltimore Sun reported. He had been accused of insubordination sleeping on the job and refusing to be trained and to perform his duties Baltimore County Police then fired Vicosa in August following a series of administrative charges including sexual inappropriateness with female subordinates watching inappropriate videos in their presence and making sexual remarks and leering Bynum worked in the department’s Criminal Investigations Bureau “a specialized unit that investigates the most serious crimes,” according to the newspaper the children's mother declined a request for comment What happened: The children's mother went to Vicosa's home in Windsor Township about 9 p.m 12 after he invited her over to have cake with the girls court documents state. Vicosa and the children's mother shared custody After the family was finished eating cake and the girls went upstairs to bed Vicosa allegedly asked the mother to stay as she was getting ready to leave telling her he had a birthday gift for her Vicosa appeared to be looking for the gift "A female came out and grabbed me on one side while he grabbed me on the other side He put a gun to my head," the mother told police in court documents.  The woman screamed as he and Bynum dragged her to the basement and tied her wrists with zip ties and a rope for her ankles, according to court documents forced to inhale a crushed-up pill of OxyContin and smoke marijuana the three then went upstairs to Vicosa's bedroom where he raped the mother that night and Saturday Vicosa threatened a murder-suicide of the whole family and said he would rather they be dead than to live apart he would kill everyone before they even have a chance to enter," the woman said York Area Regional Police were contacted by Springettsbury Township Police about 3:50 p.m 14 after the mother was able to leave the home and report that she had been violently assaulted for over 24 hours "She had managed to get him to let her leave to get some items (Nov "She believed that he had tracking devices on her vehicle and her phone which were both still in the Target parking lot." Springettsbury police drove the woman to York Area Regional Police because that department covers Windsor Township "They drove her to us to start this investigation so that her car and her phone could not be tracked," said York Area Regional Police Lt Police served a search warrant at the home the next day and discovered the house in disarray. The windows were shattered Officers went to Bynum’s house about four miles away in Windsor Township after tracking Vicosa's phone to her place. Police described Bynum as “less than forthcoming” when they talked to her that Monday She told police she left when Vicosa and the woman went into his bedroom Vicosa had fled with the girls in a stolen 2015 Black Acura TL that belongs to Bynum's sister Police launched a manhunt for Vicosa and the girls Police plead for girls: Law enforcement on Thursday morning again had pleaded with Vicosa and Bynum to do the right thing and let the children go safely We want to work with you on a safe and peaceful resolution,” said Chief Melissa Hyatt with Baltimore County Police. “The priority for all of us is getting these two children police connected Vicosa and Bynum to an armed robbery in the Cockeysville area in Maryland. Vicosa, armed with a semi-automatic handgun kidnapped and carjacked a man Wednesday afternoon while his two daughters and Bynum were present Vicosa had carjacked a woman on Huson Road in Windsor Township after crashing the black Acura into shallow creek police said. Vicosa took the woman's phone and left with the children in her silver Volkswagen Jetta after the trio spent the night in a camper on her property.  Investigators tracked the stolen phone to the area of East Lancaster Street Vicosa used the woman's phone and called Bynum exclusively Officers served a search warrant at Bynum's home but she and her car were nowhere to be found.  It wouldn't be until Thursday afternoon that police would locate Bynum's body along with those of Vicosa and his daughters in a car resting in a shallow roadside ditch in Maryland Reach Harper Ho at hho@yorkdispatch.com or on Twitter at @howdyhoharper Please consider subscribing to support local journalism Seven-year-old Giana Vicosa wanted to be a scientist Those dreams will not be fulfilled because police believe they were killed Thursday afternoon in a murder-suicide involving their father Here is what we know about the nearly week-long situation involving Robert Vicosa his two daughters and former coworker/friend Tia Bynum Vicosa and Bynum knew each other for at least 10 years and worked together in the Baltimore County Police Department Vicosa was demoted and then fired from the department in August "The tragedy that occurred yesterday was beyond horrific," Baltimore County Police Chief Melissa Hyatt said Friday on Twitter. "This was a selfish and senseless act of violence that has shaken us to our very core… While residents in Maryland and Pennsylvania including our very own law enforcement community we offer our deepest condolences to the families and coworkers of those directly affected by this atrocity…" she said Pleas for return: Police, mother beg former Baltimore County police officer to release daughters safely Timeline: Vicosa murder-suicide began with violent weekend assault, girls' kidnapping Police say Robert Vicosa invited his estranged wife to his house Nov 12 to celebrate her birthday with their daughters Over the course of roughly the next 36 hours Vicosa restrained his wife in the basement Vicosa allowed his wife to leave the Windsor Township house on Sunday but warned her that there were tracking devices on her car and cell phone she drove to Target in Springettsbury Township where she said she was going to pick up some things and immediately flagged down someone to call the police for her Springettsbury Police drove her to the York Area Regional Police Department where she filed a complaint against Vicosa Sometime Sunday night an emergency protection from abuse order against Vicosa was obtained A search warrant for the Windsor Township house and a temporary PFA were obtained When police went to the Pleader Lane house to serve them One car was in the garage and an emaciated dog was tied up in the basement The house showed signs of a struggle and signs of drug use A ping of Vicosa’s phone led police to Bynum’s house Bynum admitted she was in the house Friday night into Saturday but denied she participated in the basement activities Bynum told police she didn’t know the location of Vicosa or the girls On Tuesday, alerts went out and word spread that Giana and Aaminah had been kidnapped by their father Vicosa had already ditched one car belonging to Bynum’s sister He surprised a Windsor Township woman around noon Tuesday when he exited the camper parked in her driveway She told police he pointed a gun in her face and forced her into her house Police found the Jetta that night in Red Lion Borough A medicine bottle belonging to Vicosa was inside Another ping of Vicosa’s cell phone sent them back to Bynum’s house Vicosa and Bynum carjacked a man in the Cockeysville They had him drive the group around Baltimore for several hours Pennsylvania State Police saw the Edge being driven south of Waynesboro toward Maryland The driver ignored an attempted traffic stop Maryland State Police picked up the vehicle after it crossed the state line Police got no response when they told the driver to exit the vehicle They couldn’t see inside the Edge because of window tinting and steam building inside they discovered Bynum dead behind the wheel as well as Vicosa and a juvenile dead in the back seat A second juvenile was rushed to a local hospital All four died of gunshot wounds. Police haven’t confirmed the identity of the juveniles, but believe they are Giana and Aaminah. Shelly Stallsmith is a trends reporter for the York Daily Record. She can be reached at mstallsmith@ydr.com or followed on Twitter at @ShelStallsmith. Get news and updates about your favorite shows plus 3 free credits to watch locked content Check your inbox for the latest news and updates about your favorite shows Marisa Vicosa’s life seemed like a horror movie a former Baltimore County cop named Robert Vicosa Marisa recently spoke publicly about the events of that horrific week in detail resulting in an -in-depth story that describes the heartbreaking terror she has experienced A harrowing description of how she was able to get away from her husband and his girlfriend, a then-Baltimore County police officer named Tia Bynum.Read the entire story here Rape, murder & police negligence: $3M Vicosa settlement details tragic failures by cops That was the plea York Area Regional Police Lt Ken Schollenberger made to Robert Vicosa in a news conference Wednesday morning who worked for the Baltimore County Police Department for nearly 20 years violently attacked his estranged wife over the weekend and took the couple's young daughters Giana Vicosa is 7 years old and Aaminah is 6 years old York Area Regional Police have filed charges against Vicosa, who is considered dangerous The search continued for them on Wednesday afternoon Live updates: Cop who abducted daughters has kidnapped another person in Md., police say Timeline: Police say missing sisters' kidnapping began with violent assault of their mom you were at one time a police officer," Schollenberger said "And in your heart you know that what you are doing is not right You are a father to these two young ladies Take them anywhere there is a responsible person inside where they can go and call 911 Mother's pleaPolice Chief Tim Damon read a statement from the girls' mother whose name has not been released by police She just wants her daughters to be returned "I would like the public to know that Giana and Aaminah are very loving kind and super smart girls," the statement starts "Giana wants to be a scientist and Aaminah wants to be a veterinarian law enforcement and even strangers for their support and prayers The search began Monday afternoon when police the girls and a vehicle were missing from the family home in Windsor Township Police obtained the search warrant after Vicosa's estranged wife reported he had assaulted her over a 24-hour period "We found evidence that the assault did occur that drug use did occur," Schollenberger said That was the start of an incident that has included multiple guns has been charged with kidnap to facilitate a felony and robbery-threat immediate serious injury Those charges stem from an incident that happened on Huson Road also in the township, Tuesday morning A woman contacted police via Facebook Messenger saying she was being held by a man with a gun "She came out of her house to take her daily walk and noticed a car in what she calls the canal next to her house," Schollenberger said "She heard a voice to her right and as she turned she saw a man come out of her camper in a towel and put a gun in her face." Officers said the man took the woman hostage and forced her into the house according to an affidavit of probable cause He threatened her with a handgun and would not let her leave during the altercation Learn more: Two York County regional police departments merge into one to combat an increase in cost Also of interest: Woman missing for nearly 10 years  Can you help?: Police seek a 19-year-old York man charged in the death of a Minersville resident Vicosa forced the woman to give him the keys to her 2014 Volkswagen Jetta He held the woman captive for several hours while he made phone calls He told the victim that he was a former police officer and his wife was trying to take the girls from him police identified the man as Vicosa.  Police found a crashed 2015 black Acura TL registered to a relative of Vicosa's longtime friend on the property. Bynum was suspended sometime after Tuesday afternoon from the Baltimore County Police Department according to Julia Hardgrove and Joy Stewart both of the department's public affairs section officers found the stolen Jetta in the area of Elm Avenue and Lancaster Street in Red Lion a medicine bottle with Vicosa's name on it and other items were inside Police discovered Vicosa had made phone calls to Bynum the affidavit states. She told police Monday night that Vicosa told her he needed help and to pick him up police described her as evasive and said she did not have the phone number that he used to contact her When police returned to Bynum's house on Tuesday she was gone and so was her 2013 black Lexus GS350 People have asked why an Amber Alert has not been issued for the missing girls Schollenberger explained that unless they know what vehicle the girls are in He said they were seconds away from issuing an Amber Alert Tuesday night because they knew the three were traveling in the Jetta But then the call came in that it had been found in Red Lion Borough Police have set up a tip line for the public to share information with authorities The information will be taken and given to an investigator PA — There’s a chill in the air on Pleader Lane in York County as neighbors process what happened to the family next door a mother mourns the loss of two daughters a week before the holiday season begins none at all” Nicole Fitchett tells CBS 21 News’ Samantha York Fitchett lives two doors down from the family nearly weeklong search for 6 and 7-year-old Giana and Aaminah Vicosa Police say the sisters were abducted from their family home over the weekend by their father READ MORE |Court documents show delayed response by Police Department in Vicosa case He was accompanied by his former Baltimore County Police colleague and his two daughters died Thursday afternoon in a murder-suicide killed from gunshot wounds inside a stolen vehicle Police confirm Vicosa turned the gun on Bynum and his two daughters before turning it on himself READ MORE |Search for Giana and Aaminah Vicosa, along with father and his accomplice ends with 4 dead “Nobody could imagine this whatsoever,” SNM Broadway Emporium Thrift Store Owner Sherri Carney says “It’s devastating what this mother is going through right now.” like I’ve never felt this before for someone that wasn’t a member of my family,” Fitchett adds “There are a lot of people that are struggling with dealing with this.” The family’s neighborhood is looking for ways to help and heal holding a candlelight vigil in front of the girls’ home Friday night READ MORE |'They were just precious.' Community holds vigil to honor memories of Giana and Aaminah “They were just precious and I think it reflected their mom.” Community members have created a memorial at Windsor Wonderland Park Red Lion is also decorating the community with two pink hearts – each representing the hearts of the little girls who are leaving a big impact “The community is coming together strong for this family right now during this time,” Carney continues There is a GoFundMe raising money for the family. Joshua Bonn, the York Daily Record's attorney, on Friday filed a petition for review in the York County Court of Common Pleas The newspaper is asking a judge to review an unredacted copy of a letter that Pennsylvania Assistant Chief Deputy Attorney General Daniel Dye sent on March 16 to York County District Attorney Dave Sunday and then issue a ruling on whether information that's been withheld is public record The letter, the petition argues, does not "relate to" a criminal investigation or amount to "investigative information" under the Criminal History Record Information Act "While the York Daily Record firmly believes that all public records should be readily accessible to the public we do not pursue these complaints into court often or without careful consideration," said Randy Parker "We are confident that the report from the state attorney general's office to the York County district attorney's office qualifies as a public record and that the public's interest is well served by its release." Parker said the record might show that law enforcement flawlessly handled the investigation — or the document could reveal that there were breakdowns and failures "has a right to know how police officers handled an investigation of another police officer." "There is no disrespect in demanding a transparent accounting of their work," he said a great risk that distrust and disrespect will result from the shielding of this report The public would be right to suspect the concealment of this report."  is allowed to release the information — but failing to do so "erodes the public trust in his office and of the local police department." "We regret that public time and money will be wasted on this court fight." a spokesperson for the York County District Attorney’s Office said prosecutors would not be in a position to comment because the appeal is pending litigation Previous coverage:York County district attorney won't release letter outlining 'major concerns' in Robert Vicosa murder-suicide Related:7 days of horror end on a rural Maryland road with 2 ex-Baltimore County police officers and 2girls dead the York Daily Record filed a Right-to-Know Law request for the letter The York County District Attorney’s Office provided a redacted version of the letter but denied access to a five-page timeline of events arguing that was exempt from disclosure because it related to a criminal investigation The Criminal History Record Information Act also prohibited the dissemination of that information Sunday serves as the Right-to-Know Law appeals officer for the office and upheld that decision Vicosa, 41, had help from his friend, Tia Bynum, 36, who previously served as a sergeant in the Baltimore County Police Department He threatened to kill everyone if police came to the house Marisa Vicosa persuaded her estranged husband to let her leave She later went to the Target in Springettsbury Township asked a store employee to call for help and gave a report to the York Area Regional Police Department Marisa Vicosa applied for an emergency protection-from-abuse order on behalf of herself and her two children York County District Judge Ronald Haskell Jr issued the emergency protective order and then approved a search warrant for the house But police did not serve the emergency protection-from-abuse order Later, Marisa Vicosa filed a private criminal complaint against York Area Regional Police Chief Timothy Damon alleging that two police officers told her that he “put a stop to this order.” “I was given no explanation for the stop and am still unaware of the reason for stopping the order,” Marisa Vicosa wrote in the complaint my two daughters continue to be in the custody of their father By the time that law enforcement went to serve the search warrant as well as a temporary protection-from-abuse order — more than 18 hours later — Robert Vicosa and the girls were not home Three days later, Robert Vicosa killed his two daughters, his friend and himself. Law enforcement found their bodies inside a stolen car in Smithsburg, Maryland Check out:Timeline of the Robert Vicosa murder-suicide began with violent weekend assault, 2 girls' kidnapping Sunday referred the case to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, but Marisa Vicosa later withdrew the private criminal complaint The York Area and Northeastern regional police departments merged in 2022 to form the York County Regional Police Department Dylan Segelbaum is the courthouse reporter at the York Daily Record by phone at 717-916-3981 or on Twitter @dylan_segelbaum PA — Seven months after the tragic deaths of Giana and Aaminah Vicosa still many questions remain about the handling of the case A report from the PA Attorney General’s Office cited “major concerns.” Despite claims of transparency the York County District Attorney’s Office is keeping the AG’s report sealed “"We think he went too far here," said attorney Joshua Bonn Three days after the tragic deaths of Giana and Aaminah Vicosa the two York County girls abducted by their father and eventually killed York County District Attorney Dave Sunday promised transparency in the investigation of the events leading up to the tragedy why it took the York County Regional Police Department nearly 24 hours to serve a PFA and search warrant on the Vicosa home seven months and one major Attorney General report later the York County DA is falling short of his promise law-enforcement cannot prevent every instance of evil or thwart every plan,” Sunday said during a news conference on 11/22/21 three days after the deaths of Giana and Aaminah Vicosa promised a full investigation into the handling of the incident “If the Attorney General has major concerns about what happened here the public has a right to know what those concerns are,” said Joshua Bonn an Attorney General report that was authored on March 17 cited “major concerns” with the handling of the Vicosa case The PA Attorney General turned the full findings over to the York County DA the DA and AG denied CBS21 News and the public this important information Much of the impetus behind the denials are claims of a continuing investigation “We are not seeking any information about the murderers or anything like that What we are seeking information about is what was the police department's role in serving the PFA and that is not a criminal matter,” Bonn said “The government functions best when it is aided by an informed and involved citizenry And we can't have that if we can't have access to records,” said Melissa Melewsky Media Law Counsel for the PA News Media Association “If they were some type of delay in the service of the PFA in this case the public should be entitled to know why that occurred,” said Bonn Bonn is backing the efforts to gain access to the report every government document is open to the public The burden to seal the information falls on the agency You can't understand your government and hold public officials accountable if you don't have access to the records that illustrate what they are actually doing,” said Melewsky Much of the information garnered in this case has been through sources and Harold Goodman a lawsuit is “in the works” against the York County Regional Police Department CBS21 News confirmed through public files that Marissa Vicosa opened two estates at the Register of Wills in York County “When we don't know what the government is up to and what decisions have been made we are left to wonder and fill in all the blanks,” Melewsky said this seems sort of like a bad look?” Gorsegner asked “I think the District Attorney here has to walk a fine line between protecting investigative information but disclosing things that are not related to the criminal investigation,” Bonn said “The purpose for this again is to analyze what happened and to figure out ways that we can minimize the potential for horrific outcomes like this in the future,” Sunday said in the news conference DA Sunday formed a committee of police chiefs from across the county to diagnose the handling of the situation a source says that group has never formally met left to wonder what can be learned from the scenario “It can help not only the public understand what's happening it can help public officials illustrate what they are doing to affirmatively and positively address the situation,” Melewsky “Why is it important for the public to be able to obtain this type of information?” Gorsegner asked if you don't know the outline of the events then that hinders the public's ability to scrutinize the actions of the public officials,” said Bonn who has since been demoted to officer because of the handling of this incident is going through the arbitration process to try to get his rank back Officer Justin Main was fired by Police Chief Tim Damon in response to this incident and has since been hired by the West York Police Department No word on if he will be seeking any damages Robert Vicosa had a checkered history with the Baltimore County Police Department according to a summary of cases provided by the police department York Area Regional Police charged Vicosa on Tuesday after they said he forced a woman into her home at gunpoint held her hostage for several hours and then fled in her car This was one day after his estranged wife reported that he held her hostage in their Windsor Township home for more than 24 hours, violently assaulted her and took off with their two young daughters Giana Vicosa is 7 years old and Aaminah is 6 A search continues for Vicosa and his daughters Vicosa is said to be in possession of multiple guns of varying sizes and power He is believed to be traveling in a 2013 black Lexus GS350 with the Pa People are asked not to approach Vicosa or the car but to call a special tipline at 800-762-8187 if either are spotted Baltimore County Police Department records show that an internal affairs investigation upheld allegations made on March 27 that Vicosa was sleeping on duty on at least two occasions was insubordinate by refusing to be trained and perform required duties and displayed conduct unbecoming an officer in the department his case went before a trial board consisting of a captain The trial board found him guilty of all four allegations on Aug He lost 20 days of leave and his employment was terminated It was not the first time Vicosa was disciplined by the department or brought before a trial board Shelly Stallsmith is a trends reporter for the York Daily Record She can be reached at mstallsmith@ydr.com or followed on Twitter at @ShelStallsmith — The four people found shot inside a car that crashed off Ringgold Pike on Thursday in an apparent murder-suicide included two people wanted in connection with the kidnapping of two girls the Maryland State Police announced late Thursday night Police identified Robert Vicosa, 41, a former Baltimore police officer and Tia Bynum, a Baltimore County police officer suspended from the department earlier this week as the adults in the vehicle. The two children found in the car's backseat are believed to be  Vicosa's daughters, according to a state police news release State Police spokeswoman Elena Russo had said police believed they knew who the four in the car were based on the description of the vehicle involved in a short Pennsylvania pursuit and other incidents in Maryland and Pennsylvania But she had stopped short of confirming they were Vicosa the two daughters he kidnapped earlier this week in Pennsylvania Russo had said next of kin had to be notified before the deceased's identities were released. She also reiterated the complex nature of the investigation Baltimore County Police Chief Melissa Hyatt issued a statement Friday on Twitter "The tragedy that occurred yesterday was beyond horrific," she wrote "This was a selfish and senseless act of violence that has shaken us to our very core… Her department will continue to probthe circumstances surrounding the kidnapping in Baltimore County while supporting the investigations being done by authorities in neighboring jurisdictions who had kidnapped his daughters, 7-year-old Giana Vicosa and 6-year-old Aaminah York Area Regional Police later filed charges against Bynum for false imprisonment She was suspended by the Baltimore County Police sometime after Tuesday afternoon according to the department's public affairs office The Vicosa case: Second police officer charged in abduction of two York County girls A frantic search: Police, mother begged former Baltimore County police officer to release daughters safely At the scene of the crash shortly after Russo spoke Thursday night, Maj Scott Keyser with the Hagerstown barrack reiterated the complexity of the incident “I know there’s probably some fear or uncertainty out in the community,” Keyser said "I can tell you we feel very confident that fear and concern should be eased now." Pennsylvania State Police alerted Maryland State Police shortly before 2:30 p.m Thursday that they found a car matching the description of a suspect's car involved in felonies including child abduction and carjacking according to a Maryland State Police news release issued late Thursday night Pennsylvania State Police notified Maryland authorities the gray Ford Edge was heading south of Waynesboro towards the Maryland state line with emergency equipment activated, tried to start a traffic stop on the car and hit a culvert before coming to a stop in a grassy area Maryland State Police arrived within seconds of the car stopping Mace is at 23327 Ringgold Pike between Misty Meadow Road and Rinehart Road almost a mile south of the Pennsylvania state line That area is north of the Misty Meadow Farm Creamery Russo said in a phone interview that there was no physical contact between law enforcement vehicles and the suspect's car when the latter crashed trying to contact the suspects to no avail Maryland's Special Tactical Assault Team Element and the crisis negotiation team arrived to help with the negotiation team making multiple verbal requests for the occupants to exit the car and after several more efforts to contact the occupants There was limited visibility because of the car's tinted windows and interior fogging so police used two 40 mm sponge rounds to break the front passenger side window troopers could see the driver was incapacitated with apparent gunshot wounds and Vicosa and one of the children in the backseat were pronounced dead at the scene All four people in the car had apparent gunshot wounds The second child in the backseat was flown to Meritus Medical Center near Hagerstown State police did not have a motive for the shooting An assault rifle and other firearms were found in the car state police crews were still at the Ringgold scene working under tents and tarps with lights on a Washington County 911 supervisor said Friday morning “It’s a very complex investigation with a lot of resources It’s just going to take time,” Keyser said “We had a lot of resources put into this We would have hoped for a better outcome,” he said David Herbst, co-owner of Misty Meadow Farm said he heard there might be someone armed in the area but the farm's dairy store was still receiving walk-up customers said he initially thought there was a big crash on Ringgold Pike when he first saw all the emergency vehicles “It’s crazy,” he told a USA Today Network reporter it’s pretty big news for this sleepy little town,” he said was walking a dog on Barkdoll Road on Thursday afternoon She said she was surprised by the turn of events noting she had been picking up bits and pieces on TV about the Vicosa case Henry said she was on her way to nearby Leitersburg when the crash happened but saw numerous police vehicles heading in the opposite direction Robert Hahn said the news of the kidnapping illustrates how "fragile" life is He had been out bowling earlier in the afternoon and returned home to see police activity at the bottom of the hill his road sits on At first he thought it might be connected to a police training exercise he said he saw nearby earlier in the day After learning about what was really going on he and his daughter became concerned about what students — including his grandson — on the school bus that would soon pass through might see His daughter called her son's elementary school to ask that the bus avoid the area His daughter was not available to talk to a reporter.  Waynesboro Area School District reported that Pennsylvania State Police advised the schools to go into lockdown because of the unrelated incident, according to the district's website The district said later that the lockdown had been lifted and to expect a delay in students being transported home No Washington County Public Schools were officially locked down Greg and Kim Smith drove over near the scene from their home in Smithsburg Kim said while looking out at the scene from Barkdoll Road "Nothing like this ever happens in this area." The Smiths came to see the aftermath after Greg and his daughter encountered police activity while driving through the area earlier Their daughter has a learner's permit and was practicing being behind the wheel He described "30 to 40" police vehicles driving past them What appeared to be an armored vehicle pulled up and a number of uniformed people jumped out A cold front with rain moved through the Ringgold area around 5 p.m and peak gusts were expected to hit around 30 mph to 40 mph National Weather Service meteorologist Dan Hofmann said It was expected to remain breezy after that with the temperature dropping quickly from what had been a warm day to the 40s by 10 or 11 p.m. “We’re good at this.” MSP has the tools and resources to do the job a USA Today Network reporter said a Maryland State Police forensic sciences van arrived a reporter said Maryland and Pennsylvania state police helicopters were hovering over the area both with lights on but no sirens and not very quickly Greene, Mike Lewis, Teresa Boeckel Amber South and Dave McMillion contributed either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content Baltimore County police announced on Twitter that a fired Baltimore County police officer allegedly kidnapped another person on Wednesday while on the run with his two daughters—whom he's also accused of kidnapping Vicosa and former coworker Tia Bynum (a police sergeant who is now suspended) were seen in the Cockeysville/Towson area where they allegedly carjacked and kidnapped a man at gunpoint Wednesday afternoon Vicosa had his six and seven-year-old daughters with him at the time of the incident, according to PennLive Vicosa and Bynum are considered armed and dangerous The suspected kidnapping came after Vicosa allegedly held his estranged wife at gunpoint, forced her to do drugs, and "repeatedly" sexually assaulted her, according to court documents. The documents, obtained by PennLive allege that Vicosa invited his estranged wife to his home under the guise of celebrating her birthday but "before she could make it out the door Vicosa grabbed her arms and put a handgun to her head." Bynum helped Vicosa "force his wife down to the basement where Bynum and Vicosa put zip ties around her wrists and black rope around her ankles." Bynum allegedly forced her to snort a crushed OxyContin tablet and smoke marijuana before taking her upstairs and forcing her to have sex with him She was able to leave the home Sunday (telling Vicosa she was going to pick up some items at her home) and drove to a Target where she asked an employee for help there was no sign of the suspect or his daughters Both Vicosa and Bynum are still on the run and have the girls in tow Investigators are actively looking into several leads in the second kidnapping case York Area Regional Police Lt Ken Schollenberger implored Vicosa to return his daughters to safety at a news conference Wednesday morning you know that what you are doing is not right take them anywhere that you can," Schollenberger said Take them anywhere where there's a responsible person inside that they can go in and call 911...Do the right thing Vicosa joined the Baltimore County Police Department in 2014 and was fired in August of this year and Bynum is charged with false imprisonment Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground Newsletters in your inbox See all It began with a birthday celebration.  Robert Vicosa invited his estranged wife to his home to celebrate her birthday with him and their two daughters, 7-year-old Giana and 6-year-old Aaminah. Vicosa’s girlfriend a former colleague with the Baltimore County Police Department named Tia Bynum They had cake and put the girls to bed.  That’s when the horror began — a horror that ended in a ditch off a rural highway near Hagerstown Bynum and the two girls were found dead in a stolen car in an apparent murder-suicide Robert Herman Brown III – he later changed his last name to Vicosa in 2015 for some unknown reason – and his wife wed on Jan 2014. Giana was born in 2014 and Aaminah came along the following year.  On that date, Vicosa’s estranged wife filed a custody complaint against him, a complaint that ended with an Oct 21 court order outlining the terms of the couple’s shared custody of the girls.  once a sergeant with the Baltimore County Police Department, lost his job. He had a history of misconduct having been found guilty in an administrative proceeding last year of being sexually inappropriate with women under his charge, watching inappropriate videos in their presence and directing sexual remarks to female subordinates. A police trial board demoted him two ranks to officer and stripped him of 45 days of leave.  he faced administrative charges of insubordination sleeping on the job and refusing to perform his duties. In August after nearly 20 years with the department, the 41-year-old cop was fired.  Dead in a murder suicide: Who was former Baltimore County cop Robert Vicosa? The girls were at Vicosa’s home on Pleader Lane in a suburban-style development in Windsor Township when he extended the invitation to his estranged wife to celebrate her birthday Friday.  After the girls went to bed, Vicosa’s estranged wife prepared to leave heading back to her mother’s home in York where she was living. Vicosa stopped her saying he had a present for her and asked her to stay in the kitchen while we went to fetch it She told her husband that she didn’t expect him to get her a gift “I got you a bracelet,” emphasizing the word “bracelet,” she told police later.  according to a criminal complaint filed later grabbed his estranged wife’s arms and Vicosa held a pistol to her head. “I began to scream,” she wrote in a protection from abuse order later “and he told me to shut the (bleep) up before he (bleeping) kills me.”  where they gagged her, bound her wrists with zip-ties and her ankles with a black rope and placed her face-down on a massage table.  “He asked me if anyone was expecting me,” she wrote He stated that he would rather us all dead (than) to live apart.”  He told her if the police came to the house he would “kill everyone.”  she told police later, Vicosa forced her to smoke marijuana and snort a crushed-up OxyContin and touch several baggies containing drugs. Bynum – who had worked with the county police department’s criminal investigation bureau, tasked with investigating serious crimes – held a plastic bag while Vicosa wearing gloves, placed the items inside After talking for a few hours, Vicosa’s wife wrote in the PFA application “he took off the ropes and instructed me to go upstairs He informed me I would have to have sex with him while it is recorded He took me up to the master bedroom and told me I had no choice.”  “I shook my head no and he stated that I must not understand the situation,” she wrote.   He then sexually assaulted her again.  Four dead: Vicosa, Bynum, 2 children dead after Pa. police pursuit, crash near Smithsburg, Md. Another cop: Second police officer charged in abduction of two York County girls On Saturday, Vicosa’s estranged wife told him she had to call her brother to let him know she was OK was worried about her. She had previously told her mother that she feared Vicosa.   she convinced Vicosa that she wanted to stay and persuaded him to let her go home to get some clothes and her computer. She left and went to her mother’s house.  She told her mother that Vicosa and Bynum were trying to kill her. She told her mother to take her nephews and go someplace public She believed Vicosa was watching them Her mother told police later she “had never seen (her daughter) so scared.”  Her mother and nephews went to a family member’s home.   Vicosa’s estranged wife drove to Target in East York Leaving her cell phone in the car – she feared that Vicosa was tracking her phone – she entered the store and asked a store employee to call the police.  York Area Regional Police took her report and begin to investigate.  an emergency protection from abuse order Sunday night Court records indicate that it was not served on Vicosa.  Work history: Cop suspected in kidnapping has history dotted with insubordination, improper conduct A mother's plea: Police, mother beg former Baltimore County police officer to release daughters safely She answered the door with a pistol on her hipOn Monday morning police obtained a search warrant for Vicosa’s home police intended to serve Vicosa with a temporary protection from abuse order The house was in disarray. A back window was shattered There was no sign of Vicosa or his daughters.  believing that he was driving a black 2015 Acura TL registered to Bynum’s sister.  Police pinged his phone and traced it to Bynum’s home in the 200 block of Azalea Drive about a 10-minute drive from Vicosa’s house.   When police went to Bynum’s house she answered the door with a pistol holstered on her hip She allowed officers to look through her house for Vicosa and the girls according to a criminal complaint filed against Bynum later.   She said she had been at Vicosa’s home Friday She did say that she, Vicosa and his estranged wife did go to the bedroom at one point leaving Vicosa and his wife alone.  Bynum was suspended from the Baltimore County Police Department.   police filed false imprisonment charges against her.  Vicosa and the girls were gone.  Barbara Humer was heading out for a walk on Tuesday when she saw a black Acura in the creek in front of her home on Husson Road in Windsor Township home.  and when she turned she saw a man wearing a towel around his waist coming out of a camper parked in her driveway The man had two young girls with him.  He forced Humer back into her house where he asked for her car keys and cell phone The man held her at gunpoint for several hours while making phone calls The man told Humer that he was a former police officer and that his wife was trying to take his children away from him.  The man then left in Humer’s 2014 Volkswagen Jetta with the girls.  The man was identified as Robert Vicosa.  The stolen Volkswagen was found later Tuesday not far away in Red Lion. Inside a vial of prescription medication with Vicosa’s name on the label and Humer’s cell phone. The call record on the phone showed a number of calls between Vicosa and Bynum.  Bynum called police and told them that she had been contacted by Vicosa who asked her to come to Red Lion and pick him up.   and it indicated that the phone was at Bynum’s house.  neither Vicosa nor Bynum and his daughters were there. Bynum’s car Police called in air support to search the area.  More: Police reach out to find former Baltimore County cop Robert Vicosa charged with kidnapping Live updates: 4 people with connections to Pennsylvania, Maryland incidents fatally shot police issued pleas for Vicosa to return his daughters.  “They do not need to be involved in this,” York Area Regional Police Chief Tim Damon said at a news conference The department’s public information officer you know what you’re doing is not right Take them anywhere where there’s a responsible adult where they can go in Vicosa’s former boss, Baltimore County Police Chief Melissa Hyatt, joined in pleading Vicosa to return his daughters. “Please get these two innocent and precious children to a safe location,” she said We want to work with you on a safe and peaceful resolution.”  north of Baltimore, Vicosa and Bynum carjacked a man and forced him at gunpoint to drive them about Baltimore for several hours before letting him go unharmed.  A gruesome discovery.The manhunt continued.  Shortly before 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Pennsylvania State Police alerted Maryland authorities that they had spotted a car matching the description of the suspects’ car. State police were pursuing the gray Ford Edge south in Franklin County Not long after after crossing into Maryland, the Ford veered off Maryland Route 418 struck a culvert and came to a stop in a grassy field less than 30 seconds after Pennsylvania State Police in pursuit activated their lights and sirens Police believe that was the moment when Vicosa Maryland State Police arrived and summoned the department’s SWAT team called the Special Tactical Assault Team Element its windows darkly tinted and fogged. Negotiators made several requests for the occupants of the car to step out.  Police used two 40mm sponge rounds to shatter the front passenger-side window.   they saw Bynum in the driver’s seat Vicosa and one of the girls was also dead The other girl was flown to Meritus Medical Center near Hagerstown a Glock semi-automatic and two other 9mm handguns were found in the car Maryland State Police believe Vicosa shot Bynum and his daughters Scott Keyser told reporters Thursday night “We would have hoped for a better outcome.”  Baltimore County Police Chief Hyatt tweeted "The tragedy that occurred yesterday was beyond horrific This was a selfish and senseless act of violence that has shaken us to our very core."  Columnist/reporter Mike Argento has been a Daily Record staffer since 1982.  York County District Attorney Dave Sunday confirmed Monday that a multi-agency review of the handling of the murder of the Vicosa sisters would be coming — even as the community reels from the tragic loss of life Meanwhile, York Area Regional Police Chief Timothy Damon faces a private criminal complaint in relation to his agency's handling of a protection-from-abuse order against Robert Vicosa The state allows individuals to file private criminal complaints that are reviewed by local district attorneys to determine whether further action is merited Sunday said he'd referred the matter to the state Attorney General's Office due to his prior knowledge of the matter He declined comment on the allegations in the private complaint — which was not available Monday — and did not disclose who'd filed it York Area Regional had no comment on the complaint against Damon Vicosa, 41, a former Baltimore County cop, abducted his daughters last week from a home in Windsor Township with the help of an alleged accomplice A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office confirmed that the office had received the private criminal complaint and is in the process of investigating we hope York County officials’ announcement of a committee to review what led up to these tragic events will get to the bottom of what happened here to ensure it never happens again," office spokesperson Jacklin Rhoads said Sunday also declined to comment on whether law enforcement did enough to execute the PFA order and possibly avert the tragedy "There are tactical and strategic decisions that police make every day," the district attorney said, "and those are questions that would have to go to the individuals that made those decisions." Sunday called Vicosa's actions a "selfish and senseless act of violence that has shaken each and every one of us to our core."  Sunday said the community must vehemently and aggressively attack domestic violence The events that led to the murder-suicide began as domestic violence In collaboration with the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association the Child Abduction Response Effort Team and others including the York Area Regional Police the district attorney's office will establish a committee to review best practices procedures and protocols for the safe execution of PFAs and any other means of safely enforcing domestic violence laws and on even the very best of days and circumstances law enforcement cannot prevent every instance of evil or thwart every plan," Sunday said we must identify any means that may exist to minimize outcomes such as this." it's their responsibility to do a deep dive to understand what happened if different choices could be made and what to do in the future to minimize the probability of a tragic outcome When asked if the details of that analysis would be made public or if an outside or independent consultant would do that analysis Sunday said the situation was still very fluid and that is still to be determined Communities in both York County and Baltimore were still reeling from the multistate manhunt that culminated in the deaths a memorial was created for the girls at the Windsor Wonderland Playground not far from where they were abducted by their father In a statement of solidarity Monday various nonprofits devoted to children's justice domestic violence prevention and victim advocates expressed their anger and sorrow over the deaths of Aaminah and Giana as well as the rape of their mother by Vicosa like too many children in Pennsylvania and across the United States remain unshielded from domestic and sexual violence," the statement reads. "Such violence is omnipresent and still too normalized in our families "We vow the loss of Giana and Aaminah will not result in momentary mourning but rather will renew and strengthen our resolve to protect children and prevent violence in homes and communities." UPDATE: Police say Vicosa and Bynum dead, believe other bodies are kidnapped daughters The search for two little girls who were abducted by their father in York County ended Thursday when the girls their father and an accomplice were found dead in Maryland Robert Vicosa, his two daughters, 6-year-old Aaminah and 7-year-old Giana, and Baltimore County Police Sgt. Tia A. Bynum all died from gunshot wounds inside a stolen car in western Maryland, according to WJZ TV in Baltimore. A Maryland State Police spokesperson Thursday evening would not identify the four people found shot in the vehicle earlier that afternoon but said it was an adult man She said police believe they know who the people are and that the deaths might be related to two earlier incidents Police in Pennsylvania had attempted to stop the vehicle in connection with the earlier Maryland incident as it approached the state border Police in Maryland picked up the chase after the vehicle crossed the state line Officers who approached the vehicle after it crashed around 2:30 p.m an adult man and one of the juveniles dead from apparent gunshot wounds but later died of an apparent gunshot wound at a hospital READ MORE: 'We're going to have some dead children': York County CYF is failing, workers say Law enforcement in Maryland and Pennsylvania had been pleading with Vicosa and Bynum to do the right thing and return the girls safely The ex-Baltimore County cop had been on the run after allegedly abducting his daughters and brutally assaulting the children's mother at his Windsor Township home last weekend and Bynum tied the girls' mother up at gunpoint before she was held captive in the basement of his home and raped repeatedly until she escaped The girls' mother filed an emergency PFA against Vicosa at 8:38 a.m York Area Regional Police requested a search warrant for the Windsor Township home and went to serve it on Monday afternoon Vicosa and confidant Bynum traveled together with the girls and had been involved in at least two armed robberies and carjackings in York and Baltimore counties also known as Robert Brown, and Bynum were close friends and former co-workers and the next thing she knew he and Bynum had grabbed her by the arms READ MORE: 'A terrific closure': 17-year legal battle between Central York and Harley-Davidson ends Sunday after the mother was able to leave and report that she had been violently assaulted for over 24 hours "She had managed to get him to let her leave to get some items (Sunday)," court documents state READ MORE: Homeowners could see the first countywide property tax hike since 2017 Police served a search warrant Monday afternoon at the home and discovered the house in disarray. The windows were shattered police connected Vicosa and Bynum to at least two armed robberies where both the victims were uninjured Vicosa, armed with a semi-automatic handgun kidnapped and carjacked a man Wednesday afternoon in the Cockeysville area in Maryland His two daughters and Bynum were present.  “We can end this incident peacefully by getting them to surrender to law enforcement and that’s really what our focus is right now,” Hyatt said before the discovery of the bodies in the car later in the day.  It was a somber Saturday as the York community gathered to mourn two little girls who were abducted by their father and killed last month About a hundred people bid their final farewells as Aaminah Vicosa 7, were carried in two white caskets and laid to rest at Susquehanna Memorial Gardens in York Township Marisa (Ayala) Vicosa, sobbed as she released two doves symbolizing the girls' journey home together. Family members then hugged and held her tight as they cried.  More: Police chief put stop to Vicosa protection order before murder-suicide, complaint alleges More: York County DA plans review of handling of Vicosa kidnap, murder case More: Four dead in search for ex-cop accused of kidnapping daughters: Report “The both of you have filled me with more happiness than I could have imagined,” she said in a letter to the girls that was shared with mourners “You both made me so proud each and every day They were the best daughters she could ask for and there won’t be a single day when she won’t miss them The girls gave her comfort during the darkest days with their loving hearts and happiness through their laughter 37, kissed the coffins before he helped bury his nieces. The girls were surrounded by not only family and friends but also by strangers who had heard their tragic story "We're not going to let this ruin our family The evil in all this — that was the goal — was for our family to be ruined and we're not going to let it happen,” Agustin Ayala said a former Baltimore County cop, abducted his daughters about Nov allegedly with the help of Baltimore County Police Sgt Vicosa took the girls and went on the run with Bynum after allegedly assaulting the girls' mother Police tracked them down in Maryland following a four-day manhunt.  18 inside a stolen Ford Edge following a police pursuit just south of Waynesboro "My sister is a very strong woman and if anybody can do it — she can," Agustin Ayala said "I let her know that I'm here and the rest of the community is here to back her up Dozens of people then came together for a repast at the former Helen Thackston Charter School's gym, which was decorated with some of the girls' favorite colors, pink and purple A multi-agency review of the handling of the murder of the Vicosa sisters will be undertaken, York County District Attorney Dave Sunday said in relation to his agency's handling of a protection-from-abuse order filed against Vicosa that was issued prior to the kidnapping Agustin Ayala declined to comment on the handling of the investigation by police but noted that the truth will come to light once things are in place It's going to come out because it's not finished yet It's a deep and dark story," Agustin Ayala said but didn't elaborate. "We're going to remember our angels and all the beautiful memories."  — Reach Harper Ho at hho@yorkdispatch.com or on Twitter at @howdyhoharper. Please consider subscribing to support local journalism The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office has ended an investigation into a private criminal complaint filed against York County Regional Police Chief Tim Damon about how his department handled an emergency protection-from-abuse order against Robert Vicosa who murdered his two daughters and girlfriend before taking his own life last fall the attorney general's office said in a statement "Our office’s investigation of this matter has now been closed and the criminal history records law precludes our office from speaking publicly about the details of our findings our office has provided a detailed letter to the District Attorney to review and outlined our major concerns with certain lapses and decisions leading up to this tragic situation,” the statement says The York Daily Record sought a copy of the letter through the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law The York County District Attorney's Office released a copy of the letter on March 21 and it covered the withdrawl of the private criminal complaint A timeline of events was redacted because it related to a criminal investigation and cannot be released under the law The state Attorney General's Office letter noted that the timeline might be of use to law enforcement in developing policies "to aid in the prevention of such tragedies in the future," the letter states Vicosa's estranged wife sought an emergency protection from abuse order after her husband lured her to his home under the pretense of having a birthday party and assaulted her The wife filed a private criminal complaint on Nov saying that two officers from the department told her that the police chief had "put a stop to this order." She wrote that she was not given an explanation and her two daughters were still in the custody of their father More: Private criminal complaint filed against police Chief Tim Damon in regard to Vicosa PFA For subscribers: Seven days of horror end on a rural Maryland road with two ex-cops and two girls dead before taking his own life near Hagerstown Law enforcement had pleaded with Vicosa and Bynum to return the girls while they were on the run The York County District Attorney's Office referred the private criminal complaint to the state Attorney General's Office for further investigation The wife was granted a temporary protection from abuse order on the morning Nov When it was served at the Vicosa residence at 3:28 p.m. Staff writer Dylan Segelbaum contributed to this report Resorts & Spas announced the upcoming addition to the brand’s portfolio in Portugal As part of Anantara’s strategic expansion across Europe Anantara Royal Vila Viçosa will launch in 2024 as the second Anantara property in Portugal Located in the emerging tourism region of Alentejo the small town of Vila Viçosa is known as the “Princess of Alentejo” and is considered one of the most charming jewels of the area an outdoor and indoor swimming pool and multiple dining options including a stylish restaurant and bar a private fine dining area and a wine cellar a fitness room and three conference rooms will also be part of the resort's amenities The project is a strategic partnership between the Portuguese Group Investaureum and Anantara with the aim of transforming a former monastery in Vila Viçosa which is an iconic and prestigious building from the 15th century Anantara will be bringing its experience-led authentic luxury to this beautiful property The interior design will be led by the award-winning global architecture urbanism and design studio Broadway Malyan with the aim of keeping the history of the existing building front of mind and respecting the vast history and heritage of Vila Viçosa to create a truly relaxing and sophisticated retreat Anantara Royal Vila Viçosa will be spread over three floors The redesign will seek to highlight the characteristics of the original spaces of the former convent and will contribute to the development and growth of this idyllic location in southern Portugal co-founder and Managing Partner of Investaureum Group “The Investaureum Group is proud to partner with Minor Hotels and the Anantara brand It is a real pleasure to embrace this project not only due to the beauty of the property but also giving the opportunity to highlight Investaureum as a developer and promoter where the refurbishment and legacy of heritage buildings combined with the social responsibility and investment in regions of low population density Anantara debuted in Europe in 2017 with the launch of a tranquil oasis on the Portuguese Southern coast The brand has continued its expansion in Europe with properties including Anantara Palazzo Naiadi Rome and Anantara New York Palace Budapest with further openings to come later in the year.= Click here to join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest hotel news and trends Copyright © Hotel News Resource & Nevistas | All rights reserved Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInSMITHSBURG (AP) — Four people found fatally shot after a police chase near the Maryland-Pennsylvania line have been identified as a fired police officer who had been on the run with his two daughters and a police officer who was suspended after joining them a former Baltimore County police officer and fugitive wanted for felonies in both states A woman found dead in the driver’s seat was identified as Tia Bynum where she was pronounced dead; the other three were dead at the scene Authorities had been looking for Vicosa and the girls for days after his estranged wife reported that he had held and assaulted her at his home outside York Vicosa had invited her to celebrate her birthday with their daughters at his home Friday and she prepared to leave when the girls went to bed “I got you a bracelet,” emphasizing the word bracelet and suddenly Bynum came out of hiding and helped Vicosa grab her taking her to the basement with a gun to her head she convinced him to let her leave to get clothes and a computer but he threatened to kill himself and their daughters if she tried to report what he was doing She went to her mother’s home and told her to leave A search warrant for Vicosa’s home was obtained Sunday and a protection from abuse order was obtained Monday for the wife and the two girls but police said no one was there and a glass door had been smashed when they went there Monday afternoon Police then went to Bynum’s home in nearby Windsor She shared a surveillance video that showed a group of men with flashlights and guns breaking in the door Sunday night and searching Vicosa’s home She told police that Vicosa had already come to her house with his daughters a woman in another nearby town discovered a car registered to Bynum’s sister wrecked in a stream on her property and said a man later identified as Vicosa came out of her camper The man pointed a gun at her and made her give him her car keys and cell phone Vicosa carjacked and kidnapped a driver in Cockeysville and forced the driver to take them to various locations in the Baltimore area before releasing her unharmed Baltimore County Police Chief Melissa Hyatt said They were spotted next on Thursday afternoon Pennsylvania State Police alerted Maryland State Police that a Ford Edge matching the description of an SUV linked to felonies including child abduction and carjacking was heading toward the Maryland line Troopers tried to stop the SUV and a short time later struck a culvert and stopped in a grassy area “Our crisis negotiation team made several attempts to contact the occupants of the vehicle,” Maryland State Police spokeswoman Elena Russo said “After receiving no response and low visibility inside the vehicle because of a thick layer of smoke that was contained in the interior of the vehicle police made entry into the passenger side.” All four had gunshot wounds and investigators believe Vicosa was the shooter They believe the shooting happened less than 30 seconds after police activated their lights and sirens to pull over the SUV since it careered off the road without braking Police said they know of no motive at this time for the shooting Vicosa was accused of improper conduct with three female subordinates according to a document summarizing his internal affairs cases He was demoted two ranks to officer and lost 45 days of leave after being found guilty of five of six allegations by a police trial board Vicosa was ultimately fired in August after he was found guilty of sleeping on duty being insubordinate and conduct unbecoming an officer A candlelight vigil in memory of the girls was planned Friday night in front of the home The girls’ parents were very quiet and didn’t share much but their daughters played with children in the neighborhood including Fitchett’s children and were “very sweet little girls,” she said Fitchett’s cat ran out of the house and the girls brought their two big pit bulls in then helped her children search for her cat Hyatt offered condolences in a statement Friday as people including the law enforcement community struggle to understand the deaths “The tragedy that occurred yesterday was beyond horrific,” Hyatt said “This was a selfish and senseless act of violence that has shaken us to our very core.” PA — As documents slowly flow from the handling of the Vicosa case two York County Regional Police officers are facing negative outcomes after taking part in the initial response CBS21 News is continuing to piece together the events of November 14 and the handling of the Vicosa case the Attorney General issued report is still in the hands of the York County District Attorney Our requests to see the document have been denied sources and other documentation show two officers on duty that night are facing repercussions with many believing they are simply scapegoats “I think it is a relatively rare event,” said Harold Goodman highlight personnel changes with two officers in the department both involved in the initial complaint from Marisa Vicosa the shift commander on November 14 has been demoted Officer Justin Main has been terminated from employment Sources say both were critical of Chief Tim Damon’s decision to sit on the emergency PFA and search warrant for nearly 24 hours “You have officers on duty who know what happened know that a crime has been committed against Marissa,” Goodman said the emergency protection from abuse order immediately.” officers advised Marisa Vicosa to file a private citizen complaint against Chief Damon first thing Monday morning “She felt she had no option and she was advised by the police who are then ready to serve that warrant and to provide the protection and maybe release of her children that she should do it the next morning,” Goodman said internal personnel memos show the York County Regional Police Board accepted Chief Damon’s request to demote Miller from corporal to officer while terminating Main’s employment That action was taken during a March 10 meeting has faced any disciplinary issues in response to the handling of this matter the DA announced right after the horrific deaths of the Vicosa girls that he was forming a committee to look into the gaps in the service of the emergency PFA and search warrant no information has come from that committee In a statement from the District Attorney addressing the committee "DA Sunday and members of our staff began collaborating with law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders immediately following the tragic death of the Vicosa girls to perform the critical work that was outlined in that press conference those meetings continue to take place and no reports have been generated or published at this time DA Sunday looks forward to discussing further at the appropriate time," said Kyle King ------------------------------------------------------------- Fallout from the handling of the Vicosa case grows deeper as more information comes to light “The chief and the lieutenant were not on duty They were away and they were effectively asleep at the switch,” said Harold Goodman New documents obtained by CBS21 News through a Right to Know Request shows Corporal Dan Miller of the York County Regional Police Department has been demoted effective March 10 Sources tell CBS21’s Michael Gorsegner that now Officer Miller was in charge on the night of November 14 when Marisa Vicosa came into the police department for help those same sources confirm Officer Miller tried to lean on Chief Tim Damon and Lieutenant Ken Schollenberger to do more but was overruled by the chief Some believe Officer Miller is simply a scapegoat “The officers that have come forward to be honest and express their strong rebuke as to what happened and strong emotions of what they could've done to prevent this tragedy is a pretty strong contrast between what could've happened and what tragically did happen,” Goodman said Officer Justin Main was terminated from the department Roster sheets from the night of November 14 show that Officer Main was also on duty during the initial handling of the Vicosa incident.