Controversy over no autopsy in boy’s death
May 4, 2012, 8:16 AM | Updated: 9:08 am
Monroe police are considering the death of a 7-year-old boy a possible manslaughter, but there was no autopsy conducted in the case.
Newly released records show that the Snohomish County Medical Examiner released the child’s body to a funeral home just hours after police began their investigation.
Court records obtained by The Herald show that police were told that an external examination of the body showed no evidence of abuse or neglect and that the medical examiner’s investigation was finished.
There are no state rules that dictate when autopsies must be performed.
The boy was pronounced dead at a hospital emergency room January 30. At first, the medical examiner termed the death as “low suspicion.” Two weeks later, lab results revealed lethal amounts of painkiller.
Police records show that the boy’s father had been investigated for neglect or mistreatment of his children in 2010 but there’s disagreement about whether the medical examiner knew that before releasing the boy’s body.
