The Niskayuna police station Wednesday Feb. 20, 2013. Police filed court papers detailing items found at a fatal crash scene July 17, 2022. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)
NISKAYUNA – Police reported finding a “cooler bag containing alcoholic beverages" near the truck allegedly driven by a woman now facing a second-degree manslaughter charge in connection with a crash that killed a Glenville woman earlier this month, according to court papers.
One of those filings from several town police officers who responded to the wreck along Route 7 also indicates that Maureen Morrow of Corinth told the ambulance crew that she is on methadone and had taken suboxone earlier that day.
Both drugs help to ease the symptoms of opioid withdrawal.
The crash that killed Anne Marie "Annie" Burchhardt of Glenville occurred around 6:10 p.m. on July 17 near Hickory Road close to Bellevue Women’s Center. Burchhardt was behind the wheel of a Subaru Impreza sedan when she died as a result of multiple injuries, police said.
The grandmother, according to her obit, "lived life in the moment and to the fullest."
"She loved being out in nature, on the lake in the Adirondacks, sitting at the beach reading her book and watching the sunrise," the death notice said, adding that "her smile warmed hearts and her laughter lightened your day."
"Annie believed in collecting memories, not things, enjoying life because it was not a rehearsal, and that life was too short to drink out of an ugly glass," her obit read.
She was laid to rest Monday.
An inventory of items recovered from the debris field of the crash site describes a "cooler bag with ice pack and 3 Bud Light cans," Narcan, cash (some of it partially burned), and a small amount of cyclobezapr(ine), a muscle relaxant. Narcan is an emergency medication used to treat people experiencing an opioid overdose.
There was no indication in the records if the beer cans were allegedly full or empty.
One witness told police that she and several other people who came upon the crash scene helped Maureen Morrow from her 2003 Ford F-150 pickup truck, likely saving her life, before the vehicle burst into flames.
Fire crews put out the blaze.
On Wednesday, Public Defender Steve Signore, who is representing Morrow, said that a Schenectady County grand jury had taken action against his client last week, though he did not know the exact nature of the charges.
Signore, who is currently not in the area, said that his office was trying to determine if Morrow, 43, was still being treated at Albany Medical Center Hospital.
Prosecutor Nicolaus McDonald said Wednesday there are a "whole host of circumstances" that contributed to the reckless nature of the crash, including "indications she (Morrow) was going at a high rate of speed and the fact that she crossed the turning lane into oncoming traffic" while headed towards Colonie.
He declined to say how fast Morrow was driving, or elaborate on the alcohol and medication police allegedly discovered at the crash site.
The posted speed limit where the collision happened is 40 mph.
McDonald said he also couldn't discuss what action the grand jury has taken because it hasn't been reported to the court, at which time it would become public.
He reiterated that the investigation is continuing and that the results of the toxicology testing, which sometimes takes a long time to come back, could lead to additional charges against the defendant.
"We're still looking for witnesses, we have a general idea of what happened in the moments of the crash, but we're looking for additional witnesses as to how she was driving before the crash, and more witnesses to talk about exactly what happened during the crash as well," he added.
Anyone who saw the crash or Morrow prior to it is being asked to call Lt. Joseph Twitty at (518) 386-4584.
Paul Nelson covers cops and courts in Schenectady County as well as the suburban towns of Niskayuna and Rotterdam. Contact him at pnelson@timesunion.com or 518-454-5347.