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Who’s minding the death scene?

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Branch after a rain

Morgan was found on December 2, 2011 before 6 am, in her bed, non responsive. We had fears then, but Steve and I would know soon enough that our worst fears would be true, Morgan could not be revived, our youngest daughter was dead.

So who is responsible for the death scene? This is important, hidden clues, evidence, arrest the man responsible, utmost importance, so who is it? Absolutely 100%, without doubt, the Coroner, not the ambulance crew, not the Sheriff’s, certainly not the detectives – the Coroner. Unless he is unavailable, which is, trust me, quite often here in Garfield County Colorado. Enter the Deputy Coroner, he takes over as if he were the Coroner, he pronounces the death, and conducts the investigation. Yes, let me repeat that for you, the Deputy Coroner conducts the investigation, not the Sheriffs, and certainly not the detectives – the Deputy Coroner. I know I said it twice, but not everyone gets it the first time. The Deputy Coroner calls all the shots, makes all the notifications, and performs or causes to be performed the autopsy, should one be needed.

Morgan was a healthy 20 year old woman, she had just seen one of her doctors less than 36 hours before she was discovered for her annual check up. She was being stalked by the typology of a stalker that is considered to rank very high as to the possibility of being a lethal stalker. Steve and I did not know this at that time, we thought a stalker was a stalker and eventually he would go away. Evidently the Sheriffs did not know this either. I prefer to think this than the fact they knew, and chose not to warn us. The Sheriff’s department had been to the house over 50 times by their reckoning, which is a very modest estimate, and had yet to get close enough to catch even a glimpse of him. The Detectives on the Felony Stalking case told us they were 100% certain they knew who it was. So it was without doubt that her death was under suspicious circumstances. And a careful and thorough investigation of the death scene was required, then an autopsy.

Enter Thomas Walton, not just The Garfield County Deputy Coroner, The Chief Deputy Coroner. Here is his card:

Thomas Walton Business Card

Thomas Walton Business Card

Notice he is not only the Chief Deputy Coroner, but in fact he is also the Funeral Home Manager. Is that a special qualification, or a conflict of interest? Well Colorado has a law and it goes like this:

COLORADO REVISED STATUTES

TITLE 30. GOVERNMENT – COUNTY – COUNTY OFFICERS

ARTICLE 10.COUNTY OFFICERS

PART 6. CORONER

30-10-619. Conflicts of interest of county coroners

(1) A coroner who owns, operates, is employed by, or otherwise has an interest in a funeral establishment is deemed to have a conflict of interest and shall not direct business to such establishment when performing his or her duties under this part 6.

(2) Nothing in this section shall prevent a person from taking the body of the deceased to a funeral establishment in which the coroner has an interest if such person decides to do so without the suggestion of the coroner.

(3) The provisions of this section shall not apply if an emergency situation exists and the coroner acts in good faith to prevent a health hazard.

(4) Any person who knowingly violates subsection (1) of this section commits a class 2 misdemeanor and shall be punished as provided in section 18-1.3-501, C.R.S.

(5) This section shall apply to county coroners who take office after the general election in 1982.

So in my opinion, because I never was involved in the decision of where to take Morgan’s body, there was absolutely a conflict of interest. But that is petty, a proper investigation of my daughter’s death is far more important to me than if you should try to steer our business your way. What qualifications does Thomas Walton have? That is what is important here, and that is established by the State of Colorado, isn’t it? Well no, as a matter of fact, it is not. For Coroners yes, training in death scenes, for Deputy Coroners it is a bit of a loophole. It is left up to the County to set the standards for the Deputy Coroner. Like over in our neighboring County, Mesa County, they have a 100+ page document called the Standard Operating Guidelines with 9 appendixes. An impressive package to guide the Coroners officers and treat crime scenes with the utmost respect, both for the victim and the victims surviving family.

Here in Garfield County we do have something like that right? Well no, we don’t, as a matter of fact we don’t seem to have anything. How can that possibly be? You might ask – I did, over and over. And I was always told they do not have one. But it gets far worse than that. Over in Mesa County the Standard Operating guidelines spell out the two associations that the Deputy Coroner must become a part of as minimum training:

II. COLORADO CORONER’S ASSOCIATION

The Mesa County Coroner’s Office requires each Deputy Coroner/Investigator to be a member in the Colorado Coroner’s Association (CCA). The CCA sets standards for minimum training to become a member and requires continuing education to maintain membership.

III. AMERICAN BOARD OF MEDICOLEGAL DEATH INVESTIGATORS

The American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators (ABMDI) ® is a voluntary national, not-for-profit, independent professional certification board that has been established to promote the highest standards of practice for medicolegal death investigators.

Here in Garfield County we have. . .you guessed it – none. The man in charge of my daughter’s death scene was not required to have any training, any credentials, any education, nothing. That was the conditions under which Morgan Ingram’s death was investigated. Thomas Walton is listed as the investigator on Morgan’s paperwork. If you call the Coroners office and ask, they will tell you the our Coroner Trey Holt is on vacation, at least that is what they have done for us on over 15 occasions that we have called there to schedule an appointment with him. And they also will tell you that Morgan Ingram was not Trey Holt’s Case, it was Thomas Walton’s, and he will be put on the phone.

If you check with the Colorado Coroners Association they have lists of Coroners, and Deputy Coroners throughout the state of Colorado that have completed training courses. But for Thomas Walton there will be none – zero hours of courses and training completed.

Then more laws for Colorado:

COLORADOREVISED STATUTES

TITLE 30. GOVERNMENT – COUNTY COUNTY OFFICERS

ARTICLE 10.COUNTY OFFICERS

PART 6. CORONER

30-10-602. Deputy coroner – duties – oath – bond – insurance

(1) The coroner of each county is authorized to appoint a deputy. Any such appointment shall be in writing and shall be filed in the office of the coroner. The coroner of each county may delegate any of the coroner’s powers to one or more deputies who shall then have the same duties with respect thereto as the coroner has. Any act of a deputy shall be done in the name of the coroner and signed by the deputy performing such act. A deputy coroner shall hold office during and subject to the pleasure of the coroner. Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, each deputy coroner, before entering the duties of office, shall file with the county clerk and recorder of the county the bond and oath of office required by law to be filed by the coroner.

(2) In lieu of the bond required by subsection (1) of this section, a county may purchase crime insurance coverage on behalf of the deputy coroner to protect the people of the county from any malfeasance on the part of the deputy coroner while in office.

30-10-603. Deputy coroner – appointment

Every appointment of a deputy coroner and every revocation thereof shall be in writing, under the hand of the coroner, and shall be filed in the office of the county clerk and recorder of the county wherein such appointment or revocation is made.

Once again in Mesa County there are documents recorded with the clerk and recorder for their Deputy Coroners, but here in Garfield County there are not any I could find. Surely we thought it was a simple paperwork error and our Deputy Coroner at the crime scene was not breaking the law just by being there. So we called Trey Holt, to talk to him on the phone, or meet in his office, or just answer a letter. But he has never done this and we are forced to assume that what seems to be true Is indeed the case.

The Deputy Coroner has no training, no special qualifications, does not file documents required by the state of Colorado before he can enter into the duties of office and directs business to his Funeral Home in violation of Colorado Revised Statute. What Steve and I expected for Morgan at this most unbelievably painful time was decency, respect – a first class investigation – Morgan not only was not afforded this bare minimum, she has received quite the opposite. Outside experts that review Morgan’s case are incredulous.

  • Her pillow cases were not collected, and therefore not processed as evidence.
  • Her pillows were not collected, and therefore not processed as evidence.
  • Her sheets were not collected, and therefore not processed as evidence.

Had she been forced to drink a Date Rape Cocktail and spilled some on her bed. Or had there been DNA from someone else in her room – no worries, it would never be discovered. Is it true that if you process a crime scene with no effort to discover how the crime was committed, you won’t even discover there was a crime? Evidently!

After his investigation The Deputy Coroner Thomas Walton could not produce a report that correctly:

  • Reported the location and position of her body when it was discovered.
  • Stated which, if any, prescription medications she was talking, then, rather than come back and ask us, they just guessed, and of course got it wrong.
  • State her current doctors.
  • State any medical conditions she had – she had none – but that didn’t stop them from stating she did.
  • Stated she was tired and stressed from four months of stalking – which she most definitely was.

We are sorry Morgan. We are sorry that we did not know better. We are sorry that what we thought was CSI was a few rungs below that, maybe quite a few. You deserved so much better then that Morgan, and for that your father and I will always be sorry. But we will try to right this wrong, so it doesn’t keep happening over and over again to innocent families, and it doesn’t keep this County fertile ground for criminals.

There is the overwhelming cascade of feelings, searching…just who is responsible for a crime scene, when there is a dead body there? Why do us parents, at a time when we are in the most indescribable pain, have to figure out what is going wrong with this investigation?

September 30, 2011 – Day 60 of Morgan’s stalking – How is he doing this? All of this?

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Before any of us leave the house this morning a friend in the neighborhood is walking her dog at 5:15 am and sees Keenan drive into the cul-de-sac, and pull into Brooke’s dad’s driveway, where he is living with Brooke & her father James Harris. Based on a feeling, our friend stops and watches him sitting in his car. Keenan is aware he is being watched by our neighbor and a standoff of sorts ensues with neither of them willing to make a move for a long while. Finally Keenan gets out of his car, and goes directly to the rear door of his car and opens it. He pulls out what is described to me as a “range bag” and goes directly into the house with it. Our friend explains to us that the bag is used to transport pistols, ammunition and related gear to a shooting range, hence the name range bag. There is concern, and this information is passed on to me, and I agree that it should go right to the detectives.

I felt that if there were ever a confrontation, knowledge of the existence of this bag could be important. The next day I told Detective Rob and he agrees completely and is very thankful this information has been passed on. He says that in any situation the knowledge of the existence of firearms is very important in order to respond correctly and safely. He encourages me to pass along any additional information, and wonders if I have an accurate description for the bag. I do not and I give him the neighbors phone number who has a willingness and desire to speak with him about this, and other incidents that have been whiteness Detective Rob thanks me for the number and says he will call soon as he can. But as one thing led to another, he never did call to speak with this individual.

Just before 5:55 am, it is still dark out, and Morgan is awakened by a loud scraping noise on her windows. Morgan alerts us with the panic button and Steve is immediately running down the hall to her room, and once he found out what had happened, he goes outside with a mag light in hand and goes directly around to her windows. Steve does not see anything there and continues through the back and over the berm, checking in both directions for any movement. But he does not see anything.

I go out the front door also, locking the door behind me, and out into the street. I check the neighborhood in all directions and the only light on in any of the houses is the front room at Brookes’s dad’s house. We were still not sure what that room might be, but that the light was on and that Keenan’s car was in the driveway was recorded in our book. It would be much later in the day before we learned of the incident in Brooke’s dad’s driveway at 5:15 am.

Steve has circled all around the neighborhood and returned to the house and we were standing in the kitchen, certain we had just missed him by inches. I tell Steve that while he was gone Morgan came out to tell me that her lights outside her window went on and off when he passed by on his way out to the berm, and then a while after that it happened again and at first she thought it was her father coming back by her room, but then heard me talking to him on the phone so she knew it was not him.

This sent Steve back out the front door and out into the street to see exactly what I had – Keenan’s car in the driveway, the light on in the front room, and the rest of the neighborhood still sleeping. He came back in and joined me in the kitchen again. It was not a minute before Morgan came out of her room to tell us that it had just happened again with the lights outside.

Steve and I poured mugs of coffee and sat in front of the monitor replaying the cameras for Morgan’s window over and over. No animals, just the light going on, then off, then Steve running by, and the light detecting his motion, going off, then coming on again for apparently nothing. No animals, was written in our notes for the morning by Steve three times, darker each time, and underlined the third time.

We all had busy days ahead and that was the end of a busy morning. Morgan was babysitting in Aspen until late and my meeting that evening was over before expected and at 7:20 pm I texted her “Got out early. I’m comin’ home now”. A half minute later Morgan answered, “OK”.

Steve was already home looking at the video when I arrived, searching for an answer he had yet to find. He told me that he had decided he would move the cameras, not to a different place, just rotated a little. Every day he would go outside and go to each camera and maybe move that one or maybe not. That way no matter if someone was watching or not a spot that was safe for the stalker the day before would not be safe anymore.

Morgan was finished babysitting before expected and was home just before 8:30 pm. She was in her room and winding down when there was a loud noise at 10:41 pm. She didn’t know what it was. It was not her windows, it could have been in the garage and Steve went to check. Nothing. Trying to explain the noise the best Morgan could do was call it the house, but it was too loud to be the house.

Steve and I sat out on the couch and watched our favorite series at the time with the volume tuned all the way off. Two episodes before we were feeling like whatever it was it was over. I checked in on Morgan and she was sleeping. Her puppy Wylah, lifted an ear without moving, and looked at me.

Today it is September 28, 2012 Today the lawyers are in as much indecision and disbelief at what has happened as we were a year ago – especially on that day. Our notes speak loudly, not by the words, but by the darkness and underlining therein. Back then we could not for the life of us figure out what was going on. Today we now know someone was on the roof, and it makes perfect sense. We had no idea during the stalking how the stalker could be tripping the motion lights, but not getting caught on camera – after Morgan’s murder we knew…he was on our roof!  How else could someone have done what they did that day – lying, sitting, hiding, and watching from up on the roof, simple. The noise at 10:41 pm, could that have been someone jumping from high up on the ridge of the roof to a lower spot with the resounding boom that would cause perhaps? And ask me again if “law enforcement,” was ever up there after, to like search for clues, you know they were not before you ask. Just as surely as you know that Morgan was murdered, by a date rape cocktail, her body moved into a different position and “staged,” and that her jewelry stolen – – and now all Steve and I have to do is prove it, piece of cake. . .right?

Click here to read about the 61st day of Morgan’s stalking https://morgansstalking.com/?p=1501

September 29, 2011 – Day 59 of Morgan’s Stalking – What kind of help do we really need?

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Morgan has no school today.  She takes her time in the morning and then heads into Glenwood Springs early in the day.  She shops and meets with friends and tries to have a day to herself.  This is why she minimizes what is going on when she talks to her friends.  She wants to drive away and feel like it is not happening.  What sane person would not?  If all of her friends were constantly asking her about her stalker it would be her entire life, and she wanted to maintain Morgan time – time that was hers and not invaded by her stalker.  I am not saying she didn’t tell her friends what was happening – they knew and were worried, it’s just that she didn’t want her stalker invading her entire life…even though that is exactly what happens.

Steve has another new plan and it involves recording the status of the neighborhood when Morgan comes home, in addition to all other events.  He is dedicated to give this new detective enough information so that an end is reached. He has recorded this information for today, and wants me to forward it to the detective.

Morgan got home at 8:30 pm – Steve did a drive of the neighborhood, and Keenan’s car was not in Brooke’s dad’s driveway.  We all go to sleep, and starting at 11:00 pm Morgan’s motion lights go on and off at least 5 times.  That motion light going off has recently always been precipitated by the MBR rear motion light going off (or on really).  Five times this morning and four the evening:

  •  9/29    23        34        MBR Rear Light
  •  9/29    23        22        MBR Rear Light
  •  9/29    23        14        MBR Rear Light
  •  9/29    23        14        MBR Rear Light
  •  9/29    4          39        MBR Rear Light
  •  9/29    4          7          MBR Rear Light
  •  9/29    3          31        MBR Rear Light
  •  9/29    1          33        MBR Rear Light
  •  9/29    1          32        MBR Rear Light

She does not hear noise, but at this point the lights put her into the “ready” mode, waiting for a tap or a BANG that may never come.

We tell Morgan that with the detective on board we must really strive to give him the best information we can.  The sheriffs will work this out, and then it will be over.

Morgan is very animate that the detectives do not start from zero with suspects and then we go through another 2 month process again.  She is certain it is Keenan and will report every little incident, as long as they agree to investigate every little incident.

the storm is about to end

Morgan wants the storm to be over

Morgan is also very distraught, she feels that they, the detectives, have no idea what she is living through and are treating it like it is some “ding, dong. ditch” game when it is anything but that. She wants the detectives to come and spend a night in her room so they can experience first hand just what is really going on.  Of course there is the chance that they will somehow know it is not really Morgan in the room and lay off for the evening.  But Morgan is confident that if we do this correctly her stalker will not know, and something really constructive will happen.

Steve and I agree to bring this idea up with the detective right away and we also are alarmed by the spike in motion detectors going off. Our week or so of quiet that came with the new video system is gone – replaced by a concentrated series of alarms going off in specific areas and at specific times.

We have only to corral him into a pattern and then turn the detectives loose on him.  Steve and I explain to Morgan that this is our short term goal.  She must be vigilant, stay safe and report the slightest thing.  This is how we will catch him.  Morgan is in agreement and will do just that.

I also call an old acquaintance who owns a security company and he is sympathetic to what is going on.  He is willing to cut us a deal, but a case like this requires four men overnight, for however many nights it will take. At $90 an hour, per man we are looking at $3,600 per night to cover us, a few nights and it is over $10,000.  We can not afford that much, so I tell him we have just gotten two detectives, and they have plans for two stakeouts.  We will see how those go first and then decide about bringing him in.

(Police reports later show the “suspect” was not working this evening.  On 9.29.2011 he worked from 1:00 am – 6:05 am & then from 6:32 am – 9:47 am… so he was free this evening to continue his torment)

Today is now September 27, 2012 and all of a sudden things that just came into view are important.  Who will I support in the next election?  Morgan was so excited when she was old enough to vote, and took it very seriously.  Looking over all the information, and then asking me who we were going to vote for – I told her that it was really important for her to decide on her own who she thought would do the best job…of course Morgan said, “I was planning on that Mom, I was just wondering who you were leaning towards voting for.”  That was then and this is now.

The question of who to vote for now takes on special meaning for me this year.  It is simple, someone with common sense and integrity, who understands that stalking is a serious crime, the most underreported and insidious threat to our communities.  Someone who wants to work with the citizens of this County – not just to make their own decisions and forget about the people they are supposed to represent.  Steve and I will just have to ask ourselves who would Morgan have thought was best, who cared, and would care about protecting her from her stalker.  The news crews are priming for round two of what really happened to Morgan Ingram, and we are so thankful for that.  Oh, and a TV series wonders if they should come here to film, or we should go to Los Angeles, that’s easy.  Come to where it is beautiful, then film…just don’t die while you’re here, our coroner is questionable at best.

Daddy missed you so much today Morgan, Wylah was on the lookout constantly too.  We feel you, and want to do the best we can for you!!!  And yes, I keep breathing, although there are times I wish I wasn’t – I wish I could be with you.

Click here to read about the 60th day of Morgan’s stalking https://morgansstalking.com/?p=1482

This song by Pink is everything we feel, we cried, and cried after it was sent to us anonymously, but we so appreciated that someone took the time to send us this beautiful song – thank you!

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P!nk – Beam Me Up (Official Lyric Video)
The Truth About Love available on iTunes NOW http://smarturl.it/talMusic video by P!nk performing Beam Me Up. (C) 2012 RCA Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment