Despite police requests, no autopsy in mysterious death of Monroe boy
MONROE, Wash. -- New documents released in the mysterious death of a Monroe child reveal the medical examiner's office released the body within nine hours of receiving it. In that time, the office never conducted an autopsy on the body despite repeated requests by detectives who knew of child neglect in the boy's past, authorities said.
"To know that that investigation could've potentially been botched is just - it's unbelievable. It really is. It's unbelievable," said Rep. Mike Hope, R-Lake Stevens. "The reality is: A normal, healthy 7-year old child just doesn't die."
The 7-year old, referred to in court documents as "AJ," was taken to the hospital around 4 a.m. on Jan. 30th. His father reportedly said he'd had a seizure, but doctors said the boy showed signs of rigor mortis.
AJ's body was then taken to the office of the Snohomish County Medical Examiner. A newly-released morgue log shows that AJ's body was received at 7:20 a.m. and released to a funeral home at 4:20 p.m.
Toxicology results later revealed that AJ had a lethal amount of aspirin in his system - nearly three times the legal limit - but when Monroe police wanted an autopsy, they learned the body had been cremated not long after it had been released by the morgue.
Monroe police have said that they requested the medical examiner do an autopsy more than once on that day, given a history of child neglect issues at AJ's home. Despite repeated requests, detectives say they were denied, said Debbie Willis, spokeswoman for the Monroe Police Department.
"We knew the past history. We tried to relay that to them on three separate occasions," Willis said in a March interview.
When asked if the medical examiner's office botched the investigation, Willis responded, "That's going to be up to them. They need to look at their policy procedures."
The medical examiner's office was never told about prior issues of child neglect in AJ's home, said Christopher Schwarzen, with the Snohomish County Executive's office, which oversees the medical examiner.
"It seems to me by our investigators that they went through the process they were supposed to go to," Schwarzen said, pointing out that the medical examiner called Child Protective Services about 10 minutes after the body was checked into the morgue. "They did an external investigation of the body and determined that an autopsy was not necessary. That is what I've been told."
"Our case notes don't agree with that," said Thomas Shapley, spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees CPS. "There was a history with the family and yes, the children had been removed at one time."
Documents dating back to 2010 - when AJ and his brother were removed from their home - reveal that investigators found deplorable living conditions in the home, including feces, urine, and spoiled food in the living room, among other things.
A man who answered the door at AJ's home on Friday said the boy's parents were not there. Requests for comment went unanswered.
Lawmakers say AJ's case underscores the need for change in how autopsies are handled, especially among minors.
"This is an example of a failed system in this point and time. How can we fix it?" asked Hope, whose district includes Monroe. "Was it negligent? Was it an accident? Was it a homicide? We're never going to know that kind of information. It's definitely harder to gather than information when you don't have an autopsy done."
"To know that that investigation could've potentially been botched is just - it's unbelievable. It really is. It's unbelievable," said Rep. Mike Hope, R-Lake Stevens. "The reality is: A normal, healthy 7-year old child just doesn't die."
The 7-year old, referred to in court documents as "AJ," was taken to the hospital around 4 a.m. on Jan. 30th. His father reportedly said he'd had a seizure, but doctors said the boy showed signs of rigor mortis.
AJ's body was then taken to the office of the Snohomish County Medical Examiner. A newly-released morgue log shows that AJ's body was received at 7:20 a.m. and released to a funeral home at 4:20 p.m.
Toxicology results later revealed that AJ had a lethal amount of aspirin in his system - nearly three times the legal limit - but when Monroe police wanted an autopsy, they learned the body had been cremated not long after it had been released by the morgue.
Monroe police have said that they requested the medical examiner do an autopsy more than once on that day, given a history of child neglect issues at AJ's home. Despite repeated requests, detectives say they were denied, said Debbie Willis, spokeswoman for the Monroe Police Department.
"We knew the past history. We tried to relay that to them on three separate occasions," Willis said in a March interview.
When asked if the medical examiner's office botched the investigation, Willis responded, "That's going to be up to them. They need to look at their policy procedures."
The medical examiner's office was never told about prior issues of child neglect in AJ's home, said Christopher Schwarzen, with the Snohomish County Executive's office, which oversees the medical examiner.
"It seems to me by our investigators that they went through the process they were supposed to go to," Schwarzen said, pointing out that the medical examiner called Child Protective Services about 10 minutes after the body was checked into the morgue. "They did an external investigation of the body and determined that an autopsy was not necessary. That is what I've been told."
"Our case notes don't agree with that," said Thomas Shapley, spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees CPS. "There was a history with the family and yes, the children had been removed at one time."
Documents dating back to 2010 - when AJ and his brother were removed from their home - reveal that investigators found deplorable living conditions in the home, including feces, urine, and spoiled food in the living room, among other things.
A man who answered the door at AJ's home on Friday said the boy's parents were not there. Requests for comment went unanswered.
Lawmakers say AJ's case underscores the need for change in how autopsies are handled, especially among minors.
"This is an example of a failed system in this point and time. How can we fix it?" asked Hope, whose district includes Monroe. "Was it negligent? Was it an accident? Was it a homicide? We're never going to know that kind of information. It's definitely harder to gather than information when you don't have an autopsy done."
