Medfield murder victim identified as mother, nurse in Boston hospital

February 7, 2008 01:32 AM Email| Comments (0)| Text size – +

By Brian Ballou, Globe staff

MEDFIELD – A long-time nurse at a Boston hospital who was the mother of a 7-year-old girl was identified today as the woman found dead inside her home Wednesday night, the apparent victim of a homicide, authorities said.

Margaret E. Ninos, 47, had worked for the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center since 1986 and spent most of her career in its labor and delivery unit, the hospital confirmed today.

Dr. DeWayne Pursley, interim chief of the obstetrics and gynecology unit, said in a statement, “We are a fairly tight-knit group, joined in our strong desire to provide the best care possible for mothers and babies. Meg certainly shared in this goal and was an integral member of our care team. This is tragic, and we will miss her greatly.”

Neighbor Stacey McNamara, in an interview this morning near the home on Marlyn Road where Ninos died, described her as “very nice, very sweet.’’ McNamara said Ninos usually worked nights and that her 14-year-old daughter often babysat for Ninos’s daughter.

Norfolk District Attorney William R. Keating, who released Ninos’s identity, said police were called to the single family home around 7:04 p.m. He said the 911 call was made by the girl’s father and that the child was “in the vicinity’’ of the home at the time.

He refused to say whether the child was in the home when Ninos was killed, but said the child is being properly cared for. “She is staying at a good place,’’ he said.

Keating said no one has been arrested and there were no signs of forced entry, leading detectives to focus their attention on people who had access to Ninos’s home. He would not describe how Ninos was killed, except to say she died from “fatal head injuries.’’

Although no one has been charged in the case, Keating said there was no need for public alarm. “There is no reason for neighbors or anyone living in Medfield or Dover to be in fear,’’ said Keating, who would not elaborate.

Medfield Police Chief Robert E. Meaney Jr. said his department had never responded to an emergency call at the Ninos home. Keating and Meaney said Ninos did not have any active restraining orders.

The investigation is ongoing, Keating said.