Autopsy may reveal how young mom died

A young mother is dead from massive head injuries, but Spokane police detectives don’t have enough information to determine whether she was a victim of an accident or a crime.

Her grieving boyfriend initially would not talk with police after he dropped off 19-year-old Melissa S. Saldivar at a local hospital at 4 a.m. Tuesday.

However, 20-year-old John E. Lipinski later told police that Saldivar, who was nearly seven months pregnant, suffered the head injuries when she was either ejected or jumped from his car, Lt. Scott Stephens said.

Doctors kept Saldivar alive for hours even though she was essentially brain-dead. Before she died, doctors delivered her baby girl by Caesarian section. The infant remains in critical condition, Stephens said.

Lipinski, of Cheney, was released after questioning, Stephens said.

“It’s pretty tragic,” Stephens said. “We are trying to put all the pieces together. I think it’s a miracle the child has survived – so far.”

An autopsy for Saldivar is scheduled for 8 a.m. today.

“We’re hoping the autopsy will show the precise cause of death and determine if it was an accidental death or a crime,” Stephens said.

Lipinski’s father, Rick Lipinski, said the young couple also have a 1-year-old son and has been living with him and his wife, Nancy, for the past year.

“I’m just heartbroken,” Rick Lipinski said. “We are devastated by what has happened to Melissa.

“We loved her like a daughter,” he said as he cried.

The tale began Tuesday morning when John Lipinski, Saldivar and their 1-year-old son were visiting 22-year-old Justin Eyre at his home at 3304 N. Madelia, police said.

Lipinski began to argue with the younger brother of Eyre’s girlfriend, and police were called. They arrived at 2 a.m., but the argument had been settled.

However, Lipinski remained agitated, said Eyre, who has been his friend for about seven years. “He wouldn’t calm down so I had to tell him to leave,” Eyre said.

Lipinski, Saldivar and their son left in a white 1984 Ford Thunderbird about 3 a.m. But they weren’t arguing when they left, Eyre said.

“I really don’t know what happened,” he said. “I don’t think (Lipinski) could do something like this.”

Lipinski was laid off two weeks ago from a welding job. Saldivar was working as a telemarketer, Eyre said.

“As far as I’ve seen they have been good together,” Eyre said. “She’s really a nice girl and a really good mother. It’s a real tragedy that this happened.”

When Lipinski dropped Saldivar off at the hospital, he gave hospital employees some information about how she was injured, Stephens said. However, he wouldn’t talk to officers who quickly arrived to inquire about her head injuries.

Lipinski changed his mind Tuesday afternoon and spoke to detectives.

“He did seem genuinely distressed by her condition,” Stephens said of Lipinski. “When he found out she was dead, he was very distraught.”

During questioning at the Public Safety Building, Lipinski provided “some explanation about how her injuries may have occurred,” Stephens said. “We believe in some manner, the victim may have been ejected from the vehicle. We are trying to determine how that happened.”

Lipinski told police he was arguing with Saldivar when she bailed out of the car somewhere near Nevada Street and Bridgeport Avenue. However, investigators searched that area and were unable to find any blood.

“We have his statement. Now we will see how that matches up with the evidence,” Stephens said. “In any death investigation, the postmortem is usually very revealing about what happened.”

Police spokesman Dick Cottam said Saldivar’s injuries include road rash.

“Somehow, she left that vehicle,” Stephens said. “It’s a sad deal either way.”

Lipinski’s mother, Nancy Lipinski, said she believes what her son said, that Saldivar’s death was accidental.

“We loved Melissa very, very much. We are all saddened by it,” Nancy Lipinski said. “John is trying to deal with the sadness of losing his fiancée and worrying about his daughter in the hospital.”