The company that makes the beacon 10-year-old Kristina Vlassenko was wearing when she disappeared says the device was working properly but something in the murky water where police found her body blocked the transmission.
Kristina, who was severely autistic and had limited communication skills, disappeared from her Arvada home May 30. Police activated the Care Trak device she wore around her wrist but never received a signal.
The following morning, police pulled Kristina’s body from a water- filled hole at a construction site at the Harold D. Lutz Sports Complex, 400 yards from her home.
Care Trak Systems, which manufactures the tracking bracelets by hand, said the device was transmitting a radio signal, but it was blocked by a “very unusual characteristic” in the water, according to Michael Chylew ski, vice president of Care Trak International.
“At that particular construction site, there was something hindering the transmission of the signal,” Chylewski said. “The initial readings from the water were way out of whack.”
During a comparison test at Standley Lake, a signal was received 300 yards away from a transmitter submerged in 11 feet of water.
Care Trak is running independent tests on water and soil samples collected from the construction site.
The city of Arvada is working with Care Trak, as well as conducting its own water tests, said spokeswoman Maria VanderKolk.
The city has no concerns about the water quality and said there are several spots in the park where groundwater bubbles through the soil and creates small ponds.
Both sets of tests will take up to two weeks to complete.
The Arvada Police Department correctly followed all the protocols in activating Kristina’s bracelet, Chylew ski said.
Police are still working to create a timeline of Kristina’s disappearance, and no foul play is suspected in her death, said Susan Medina, spokeswoman for Arvada police.
Preliminary reports show that the cause of death in the case is drowning, but the complete autopsy report could take weeks to complete, according to the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office.
Jordan Steffen: 303-954-1794 or jsteffen@denverpost.com
