Co-ed Andria Ziegler Dies at professor home 2008

[CSA FD]

Student Dies At Professor's Home
Apr. 25, 2008

PHOENIX -- The parents of a college student who died at the home of her professor last weekend said their daughter was dead for two days before they found out.

Though a cause of death has not yet been determined, investigators said Andria Ziegler, 19, may have died of a drug overdose at the north Phoenix condo of her Paradise Valley Community College psychology professor, 51-year-old Michael Todd.

Ziegler's parents said the drugs would not have been her idea.

"He coaxed her into seeing him after she said she didn't want to, and I could see that he would try to coax her into something else," said Kimberly McManus, Ziegler's mother.

Ziegler had been taking courses from Todd for the past two semesters. Her father said Todd had actively pursued his daughter.

"She had confided in one of her friends that he had been asking her out for two months and that she had finally, I guess, gone out with him," Doug McManus said.

Ziegler was apparently spending the night at Todd's condo when she died. CBS 5 News learned that Todd called his neighbor, a retired nurse, sometime between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. Sunday to ask her to perform CPR on his student.

Ziegler was pronounced dead around 3:30 a.m. Her parents said they were never notified.

The McManuses said they became worried when Ziegler failed to return home or answer her cell phone. After passing out missing person fliers Monday afternoon, Ziegler's parents said they contacted police, who told them their daughter's body was at the coroner's office.

Detective Stacie Derge clarified the delay by explaining that Ziegler's body arrived at the coroner's office with no identification. The medical examiner knew only Ziegler's name and had no information on how to reach her next of kin, Derge said.

Police said they were not investigating Ziegler's death as a homicide and were not looking for suspects.

Todd has been placed on paid administrative leave while PVCC officials investigate whether he broke school policies by having a relationship with a student. His attorney said Todd felt "incredible remorse and sadness because of what happened."

[CSA FD]

Family remembers dead college student as joyful
Apr. 29, 2008

The parents of 19-year-old Andria Ziegler, who died mysteriously after being found in her teacher's home April 20, are celebrating the life of a joyful girl who dedicated her time to helping others.

"She was the one who always made everybody smile," Ziegler's mother, Kimberly McManus, said. "She had a magical spirit."

The Paradise Valley Community College freshman was found in critical condition early on April 20 in a condominium owned by her psychology professor, 51-year-old Michael Todd. By 3:30 a.m., she was dead.

Police said the cause of death was still unknown, but toxicology results will aid in the investigation in the next few months. Todd was still on administrative leave Monday because of the police investigation.

The family reported her missing to police on April 21 and identified her body at the medical examiner's office, according to Phoenix police.

"We knew something was wrong Sunday morning," she said. "She would stay at her friends' houses on occasion, but she would always call."

Before leaving the house the prior Saturday night, Ziegler told her mother that she would be home soon and took only her wallet and cellphone with her.

"She had no intention of staying anywhere," Kimberly McManus said.

In spite of their tragedy, Ziegler's family is choosing to focus on celebrating her life.

"Andi was not negative," her mother said. "I'm not going to let the negative consume us. It won't change anything."

The fifth of eight children, Ziegler lived at home and enjoyed taking her younger sisters around with her, her father, Doug McManus, said.

"She always had a posse," he said.

Her mother said that no matter what she was doing, Ziegler would call every night at 5 p.m. to find out where she should meet the family for dinner.

"She never missed a meal with her family," she said.

Ziegler quit work around Christmas in order to go to school full time at Paradise Valley and to help her family while her mother recovered from surgery, her mother said.

Ziegler wanted to be either a child psychiatrist or a physical therapist in order to help children in need, her mother said.

"She was her sisters' best friend," she said. "Words can't describe how it just impacted everyone."

A Mass of the Resurrection will be held in her memory at 10 a.m. today at St. Paul's Catholic Church in north Phoenix.

[CSA FD]

4 students allege sexual relationship with PVCC professor
May 3, 2008

A Paradise Valley Community College student was laid to rest this week after she was found comatose on the floor of her professor's home.

Now a private investigator, hired by 19-year-old Andria Ziegler's family, said four former PVCC students accuse him of having sexual relations with them.

Only one of them formally documented it with police and the college.

A letter from the school reveals that they made PVCC professor, Michael Todd take an on-line sexual harassment course in 2002.

Todd was also warned to keep students out of his home, but that's exactly where Andria Ziegler was found passed out in April.

Todd called in sick to work over the next two days.

The investigator said the college gave him three weeks off with pay.

"If the school had disciplined him to the extent of dismissing him, Andria would be alive today," said John Hughes, Blackstone Agency.

Todd has not been criminally charged in any of these cases, including Ziegler's death.

[CSA FD]

College moves to fire professor for "inappropriate" relationship with student
May 9, 2008

PHOENIX (AP) -- The Maricopa County Community College District plans to fire a professor after a female student died after being found in his Scottsdale townhouse.

District officials say 51-year-old Paradise Valley Community College psychology professor Michael Todd has been told he will be terminated for having an "inappropriate relationship" with 19-year-old Andria Ziegler.

Ziegler died about an hour after medical personnel were called to Todd's home on April 20th.

Phoenix police are investigating but aren't calling the case a homicide.

A cause of death is pending toxicology results.

[CSA FD]

Coed's Family Continues Search for Justice
May 12, 2008

The family of a valley coed who was found dead inside her professor's home is still looking for answers. Andria Ziegler's family took wants to know more about her death, her relationship with her professor Michael Todd, and about Todd's past. FOX 10's Sarah Acevedo talked with Ziegler's father, who appeared with Geraldo Rivera on FOX News Saturday night.

[CSA FD]

911 tapes reveal details of student’s death
May 16, 2008

Cocaine and alcohol, that’s what a college professor told police a student who was found unconscious at his house used. Newly released 911 tapes are giving more clues into the death of 19-year- old Andria Ziegler. She died April 20th after being found at 51-year-old Michael Todd’s north Phoenix condo.

According to the tapes, Todd told an operator he called a neighbor for help. In the background, you hear the neighbor saying “Andria, wake up." The professor said they tried performing CPR on the student.

The operator asked "Is she breathing?” Todd said, "We can't tell. She's tried mouth to mouth, tried putting cold stuff on her. Her lips are starting to turn a slight bit blue."

According to a police report, the professor said he met Ziegler at a convenience store and she wanted to talk to him, so she followed him to his home.

Todd told the operator, "We sat around. Well she did some coke and I went upstairs and went to bed and apparently she continued using."

An hour and half later, Todd told the operator he found the student unconscious on his couch. Besides using cocaine, the Paradise Valley Community College professor told the operator Zeigler drank a large amount of beer.

Michael Todd told the operator "Let me count the beers in here. I know there's one in the trash can. I drank one. (counting) 16, 17. It's a 24 pack and there's 17 beers here."

Meantime, Zielger’s father said he does not believe the psychology professor’s words.

Father Doug McManus said, "17 cans of beer is pretty ludicrous. I take what he says very, very lightly. That there's not much truth in it."

According to a police report, hospital staff at John C. Lincoln Hospital said Ziegler appeared to have died from a cocaine overdose. However, a final cause of death report has yet to be released by the medical examiner’s office. The Phoenix Police Department still considers the case an unknown death case and have not named any suspects.

[CSA FD]

College student's death remains mystery
May 17, 2008

It's possible the truth of what happened to Andria Ziegler may never surface.

Ziegler was the pretty, 19-year-old Paradise Valley Community College student who died April 20 after being found unconscious in her professor's home.

A preliminary report on the death investigation was released this week, as well as the 911 tape that gives clues to the last moments of Ziegler's life. The Republic also obtained the missing-person report Ziegler's mother filed with Phoenix police on April 21, nearly 37 hours after her daughter was pronounced dead at John C. Lincoln Deer Valley Hospital.

Together, the information is a mass of contradictions.

Investigators will have a better idea of what led to Ziegler's death once a toxicology report is complete, but questions still remain as to how she got to that point. No charges have been filed in the case.

On the 911 tape, PVCC psychology Professor Michael Todd told the 911 operator that Ziegler was using cocaine and may have consumed up to 17 beers in one sitting. In a written statement, Todd later said that Ziegler fell asleep on his couch and would not wake up.

Todd was known to Ziegler's friends as her boyfriend, but her family said he was someone she was "interested in." Ziegler was a student in Todd's abnormal-psychology class and told her parents he had "hit" on her. She stopped talking to him for a while, but his name resurfaced a month before her death when she asked her parents what they thought of her dating a 35-year-old man.

Todd was 51. It wasn't clear if she knew his real age.

Ziegler's mother and stepfather say she wasn't the secretive type. She was one of eight children in a tight-knit blended family, a straight-A student who was conscientious about letting others know her whereabouts.

So her parents said it was odd when Ziegler didn't meet up with friends or her sister as planned the night of April 19.

What happened in the following hours is unclear. A neighbor told police that Todd claimed to have run into Ziegler at a Circle K that night, and they went to his condominium near Seventh Street and Union Hills Drive for a talk.


The neighbor woke about 2:20 a.m. to Todd ringing her doorbell. She went with Todd to his condo and found Ziegler lying on her left side on the couch, clad in a bra and jeans. Her lips were blue.

The neighbor said she felt a faint pulse and attempted CPR twice without success.

A 911 call from Todd's cellphone was logged at 2:34 a.m. on April 20. As Todd speaks with the operator, the neighbor's voice can be heard in the background, repeatedly saying, "Andria, wake up."

Todd described the woman in distress as his 20-year-old friend.

911 operator: "OK, and now what happened then?"

Todd: "Well, we sat around. Um, well, she did some coke and I went upstairs, went to bed. And apparently, she continued using. I come down about an hour and a half later and she was unconscious. I tried to get her up and I went and got my neighbor, and my neighbor came over and tried to help, and she feels we need the paramedics."

The operator worked with Todd and the neighbor to determine if Ziegler was breathing until paramedics arrived nearly nine minutes into the call.


Police records show it took two days for police to notify Ziegler's family about her death. She did not have identification on her when taken to the Medical Examiner's Office, and officials there said the people who were with her the night she died claimed to not have known her well.



On April 23, investigators picked up a plastic bag from Todd's attorney's office. It contained some of Ziegler's things, including a car key, her cellphone, a black shirt and camisole, and her black and white Converse sneakers.

Todd's attorney gave police a statement. In the letter, Todd said that he was on his way to Circle K when Ziegler waved him down for a ride because her car wouldn't start. She followed him home after because she wanted to talk and "seemed quite troubled."

They spoke for "quite some time," Todd said, and he went upstairs to bed. Because she had refused to leave, he let her sleep on the couch. Later in the night, he said he got up to check on a noise and tried to wake Ziegler. When she wouldn't respond, he ran to get the neighbor for help.

"At no time did I ever possess, purchase for, or supply Andria with any drugs or alcohol of any kind," Todd wrote. "This is a tremendous tragedy and my heart and prayers go out to (Andria) and her family and friends."


Maricopa County Community College officials have notified Todd of their intent to fire him because he violated the district's "amorous-relationship" regulation. Officials will know by Monday whether Todd plans to appeal.

Ziegler's family has been working with a private investigator who has spoken with two of Todd's ex-wives and former students.

The investigator, John Hughes, said, "What happened in those 2 1/2 hours may never be known."

[CSA FD]

Student's family hopes charges are filed
May 20, 2008

Doug McManus says he'll talk about his daughter as long as someone will listen. He's been appearing in national media interviews to talk about Andria Ziegler's death.

He makes it clear that he blames 51-year-old Paradise Valley Community College professor Michael Todd. Andria was a student there.

In recorded 911 calls from his condo last month, Todd tells the operator that Ziegler had been using cocaine and drank more than a dozen beers. She died at the hospital.

Community college administrators are in the process of firing Todd. Andria's family says schools should be more careful of who they hire. They want a new set of guidelines put in place.

Andria's family says they're coping the best they can. They recently took a weekend trip for the first time without her. "It was a little tough," McManus says. "Andi's not around and you constantly think of her sitting there laughing and having fun, but we did ok."

Michael Told has not been charged with a crime and hasn't been named a suspect by police. Ziegler's cause of death has not been determined. Detectives are awaiting a toxicology report from the medical examiner's office.

[CSA FD]

College Student Dies After Overdosing on Cocaine at Home of Professor, Her Alleged Lover
Thursday, June 05, 2008

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A college student who collapsed at her professor's Phoenix home died of a cocaine overdose, an autopsy concluded.

Paradise Valley Community College student Andria Ziegler, 19, died April 20 after being taken from psychology professor Michael Todd's home to a hospital.

Todd, 51, is in the process of being fired from his job for allegedly violating college district policies prohibiting instructors from having romantic relationships with students.

The Maricopa County Medical Examiner released the results of the autopsy on Wednesday, and concluded the death was due to an accidental cocaine overdose. No alcohol was in her system, despite a recording of Todd's 911 call seeking help where he said they had been drinking and Ziegler had been doing cocaine.

Phoenix police are investigating the case as an unknown death and have not labeled it as criminal in nature.

Ziegler's stepfather, Doug McManus, told the East Valley Tribune on Wednesday although her family figured her death would be drug-related, but that there are still unanswered questions.

"She was 19 years old and healthy when she went to his home," McManus said. "It's the circumstances surrounding her death we are suspicious about."

Todd's lawyer, Michael Roth, released a statement soon after Ziegler's death expressing condolences to Ziegler's family from Todd. Roth has not responded to other requests for comment.