Bertha Champagne
 Bertha Champagne  (9-11/Premature death, witness?) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Died | September 29, 2003 |
Cause of death | Crushed by her own car |
An unexpected death of a long time nanny for the Bush family. | |
Bertha Champagne worked as a nanny with the Bush family for many years. She admired George W. Bush. She was reportedly accidentally crushed to death by her own car in a freak accident on 29th September 2003.[1][2]
Place of Residence
From The Wilderness reports "questions concerning Champagne's actual place of residence. According to the Post story, Bush told police that Champagne resided at their compound, However, a phone call to the directory-listed residence of Bertha Champagne in Franconia, Virginia resulted in Mrs. Champagne's son answering the phone. He confirmed that his mother lived at the Franconia address but he was clearly uncomfortable and nervous in talking to the media about the circumstances surrounding his mother's death."[1]
Death
She was reported to have accidentally been killed in the driveway of Marvin Bush's house. She reportedly left her car in gear, after which it crossed Edgehill Drive, a small street in front of the Bush compound. The vehicle then crossed a busy two-lane street, Fort Hunt Road, finally coming to rest in a wooded area across the street that adjoins the prestigious Belle Haven Country Club and crushing Bertha Champagne against a wall.[1]
The police report filed by Pfc C. E. Beach on December 4, 2003 states,
"September 09-29-03 at approximately 2130 hours I was contacted by the on duty PSCC supervisor to respond to 6202 Ft. Hunt Rd. for a single vehicle fatality. While on scene I discovered a black Olds Bravada in the tree line and two small blood pools in the drive way. There was also blood and glass debris in the driveway. The operator of the vehicle was transported by ground to Mt. Vernon Memorial Hospital and identified as Bertha Champagne. Bertha was a maid for Marvin Bush who resides at 6202 Ft. Hunt Rd. By the time I arrived on scene the body was already transported to Mt. Vernon Hospital by ground. During the course of my investigation I interviewed Marvin Bush. Marvin stated that he arrived home at approximately 2045 hours. He advised me that he had a brief conversation with with Bertha in the kitchen. Bertha then tells Marvin that she wants to show him a video tape of her and President Bush. She then leaves the residence to take out the family dogs and retrieve the video tape. There are no witnesses to the crash. There were no signs of any other type of crime involved with this event. The victim had all her money in her wallet and all her personal belongings such as jewelry and a watch in her possession. According to the Medical Examiner, Bertha's injuries were related to this crash. There were no blunt injuries or injuries related to a robbery or a carjacking.
During the course of my investigation I found several paint scrapes on the building located at the end of the driveway. Sgt. Wimberly directed me to take several samples of evidence at the scene. The following evidence was taken from the crash scene, vehicle involved, and Bertha's shoes:
Item (AA) mulch sample from accident scene
Item (BB) mulch sample from victim's shoes
Item (CC) blood sample from victim's shirt
Item (DD) blood sample from brick building
Item (EE) paint chip from brick building
Item (GG) Dna [sic] from brick building
Item (HH) Dna [sic] taken from brick driveway
All evidence was packaged accordingly and dropped of [sic] at the lab for analysis. The mulch samples were taken to the property room in case a dirt analysis is requested at a later date. Currently the state lab will not accept dirt samples. The clothes were shown to the victim family and photographed at OSB."[3]
Media Blackout
From the Wilderness reported that the Washington Post was the only commercially-controlled media to report on the death, and that it did so on October 5th, 2003.[1]
