Bizarro story

[JonInMiddleGA]

http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/14106383.htm

Posted on Wed, Mar. 15, 2006
Bizarre claim by coach's widow leads to discovery of fetuses in Rome
By Daniel Yee
ASSOCIATED PRESS

ATLANTA - A bizarre claim made by the wife of a former Indiana women's basketball coach led to the discovery of two fetuses kept in plastic containers inside a storage unit in Rome.

It all started last week when authorities in Bay County, Fla., received a tip that Sarah Jo Warner Izard, wife of the late coach Jim Izard, had told friends "a story about having stored fetuses in a container in a storage shed in Rome, Georgia," said Bay County Sheriff's spokeswoman Ruth Sasser.

After Rome police were notified, they searched a local storage unit last Thursday and removed two containers - each holding a human fetus, Floyd County Coroner Barry Henderson said.

The fetuses were sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's crime lab in Atlanta for further analysis, including DNA testing. GBI spokesman John Bankhead referred all questions about the lab's work in the case to Henderson.

"Of the two, one was definitely a male the other was too disintegrated to determine gender," Henderson said, citing the lab's initial findings Wednesday.

Authorities are trying to determine if any laws were broken. No charges have been filed, and police are unwilling to speculate on what laws, if any, may have been violated for storing the human fetuses. "We don't even know if we have a crime," Sasser said.

The Izards lived in Rome for two years when Jim Izard coached the Berry College women's basketball team. He resigned in January 2005 and moved to Florida, where he committed suicide last month.

Sasser said her office has interviewed Sarah Izard about the fetuses, but Sasser refused to comment on what was said, including any explanation Izard had regarding the origin of the fetuses.

Rome Police Detective Pete Sailors declined to give many details about the investigation, including who rented out the storage unit that was searched. He also declined to release a copy of the search warrant, which he said listed "concealment of death" as probable cause for the search.

"It was based on the information we had that was very accurate, very credible," Sailors said. "Part of the information indicated these suspected fetuses were placed in the containers between four and five years ago."

Rome police scheduled a news conference for Thursday morning to discuss the case, including whether they will pursue any criminal charges.

Jim Izard, whom Indiana University paid to settle a discrimination lawsuit he filed against the school four years ago, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound Feb. 28 at his home in Rosemary Beach, Fla., a medical examiner said. The 57-year-old coached at Indiana from 1989 to 2000. He coached at Berry after being fired by Indiana after the Hoosiers went 10-18.

Jim Izard was not coaching at the time of his death.

His lawsuit against Indiana alleged the school violated federal law when it fired him as coach after 12 years and hired Kathi Bennett in March 2000. He also claimed the university violated equal-pay law by giving Bennett a five-year contract that paid her $110,000 her first year. He had worked on a year-to-year basis, earning $76,775 his final year.

Another story provides another interseting tidbit ... his current wife is a former player that he coached at IU.
http://cbs.sportsline.com/ncaawbasketball/story/9280960