DEERFIELD BEACH
Charred toys found at Deerfield Beach burn victim's home
While burn victim Michael Brewer remains in the hospital, his adult sister found a pair of burned dolls at the family's Deerfield Beach home.
BY DIANA MOSKOVITZ
dmoskovitz@MiamiHerald.com
A pair of charred dolls were discovered this week in the back yard of burn victim Michael Brewer's Deerfield Beach home, the Broward Sheriff's Office reported Thursday.
Brewer's older sister, Malissa Durkee, 22, found the dolls Wednesday afternoon in the pool, the report stated.
``The male and female dolls had been burnt and had been joined together heads to feet,'' the report said.
The dolls belonged to Durkee's three young children, who were seen on Tuesday playing in the front yard of the home in the 1400 block of South Deerfield Avenue.
Later, Durkee heard the family dogs barking about 2:30 a.m., she told deputies, but didn't venture outside to see what happened.
In response to the discovery, deputies went door to door and canvassed the neighborhood.
``We don't know what the motive was. It probably was a sick joke,' BSO spokesman Jim Leljedal said. ``But if it was something more than that, we would like to know that, too.''
``We're continuing the investigation, but our best bet would be if somebody wanted to give us a tip,'' Leljedal said.
Michael Brewer remains hospitalized at the University of Miami-Jackson Memorial Burn Center, where he is expected to spend months recovering from burns that covered 65 percent of his body.
On Oct. 12, the 15-year-old boy was doused with rubbing alcohol and set on fire. He jumped into a pool, extinguishing the flames, before paramedics arrived.
Five teenagers -- all of whom were Brewer's classmates at Deerfield Beach Middle School -- have been arrested and charged with taking part in the October attack.
Anyone with information can contact Broward County Crime Stoppers, anonymously, at 954-493-8477 or www.browardcrimestoppers.org.
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