All parents want is the truth…not lies. There is utter shock, and everything that goes with it, when you find your child’s dead body, and there is certainly no handbook to prepare a parent for the questions they should ask, and the answers they should demand after their child has been murdered.  Here are just a few of the things that happened to us…we were shocked and appalled, but had no idea how to deal with the lies we were being told at the time.  We trusted those in charge of our daughter’s case.  Hopefully you will never be put in the same situation, but one of my main goals is to share information in this blog, so others do not repeat the same mistakes that we made, and with that in mind, I would like to share the following with you.

The forensic pathologist that performed and signed off on our daughter Morgan’s autopsy was Dr. Robert Kurtzman (no longer in Colorado doing autopsies after we filed a criminal complaint with the Attorney General’s office).  And what I would like people to know is that this contracted pathologist knowingly and maliciously broke the law by single handily destroying all of Morgan’s remaining samples that he had in his possession, and that wasn’t the only erroneous thing he did in Morgan’s case.

• The single most important thing for people to know is that the forensic pathologist that performed Morgan’s autopsy said over and over again (this was his excuse), “based on the information I have.” When you hear this demand to see exactly what information he is referring to, and what the information is that he is making his all important decisions from. In Morgan’s case the information he was referring to was all the false information that the deputy coroner wrote on the “Autopsy Request Form”, and this is the deputy coroner that years later we later found out wasn’t even a legal deputy coroner, and had no training (it’s was not required in CO).  Later we were told by the deputy coroner that he got all his information from Detective Glassmire, the detective assigned to Morgan’s felony stalking case.  The state law is clear that the coroner should have a separate independent investigation – but this never happened in Morgan’s case.
• The coroner never got involved in Morgan’s case, and never spoke with us…ever!  We called, we emailed, we came to his office in person, we were even blessed to have an FBI Special Agent try to facilitate a meeting with the coroner for us, but he was also unable to make it happen.  We wrote certified letters, requests, and then finally we sent him a CGI – still never a response.  We received 1 letter from the coroner, not even signed – that was it.  He allowed this fictitious deputy coroner to do his job for him.  He was an absentee coroner.  Hard to believe – but true.  In the state of Colorado, in order to be a coroner you do not need to be a doctor, or anything special – you just have a high school education, and as for the deputy coroner there are no requirements – unfortunately this is true…you can look it up.  We were shocked to find all this out years after Morgan’s murder, confirming this fact with the state coroner’s board, etc.  And to make matters even worse, and even more sinister, the man representing himself as the deputy coroner did no investigation at all – he got all of his information from Garfield County Detective Robert Glassmire (who by the way is now the new Garfield County Coroner – isn’t that interesting?), so it sure seems like the deputy coroner’s job, at least in Morgan’s case, was basically to write down what he was told, and never do an actual investigation. I know it is hard to believe, and yet that is true as well.  Just as one example – the deputy coroner didn’t even take a body temperature, perhaps one of the most basic steps at a death scene, wouldn’t you think?  But he then followed the Garfield County protocol and just wrote down whatever he was told to write that morning, which was whatever ends up justifying a cause and manner of death that was needed in order to keep Morgan’s suspicious death from being a homicide, and with that they were able to derail any investigation into her murder. Starting with the declaration that she died from natural causes – they knew this manner of death would officially keep her case from being investigated, but we did not understand it at that time. That’s how it works.
• So the information the deputy coroner wrote on his autopsy request form was false and yes, we have detailed evidence to prove that it is false, and again yes, other law enforcement agencies in the state of Colorado have been given this evidence, and most, not all, but most have chosen to ignore it – why?  Not because it’s not credible – it is very credible. I believe it is because if they actually investigate Morgan’s murder they would have to investigate why it was covered up, which would in turn show that her case is not the only case that has been covered up in Garfield County…not so good for the state of Colorado.  Then the forensic pathologist writes this false information into his notes and comes up with the wrong determination of the cause and manner of death (natural causes for 8 months), which was incorrect, but again I will reiterate, this incorrect determination kept Morgan from having an investigation into the cause of her death.  We did not see a copy of the autopsy request form until years after Morgan’s death (we had no idea that it even existed – we asked for all the documentation, but even our certified requests were ignored), so I would advise other parents in this situation to demand a copy of ALL documentation from day one, and don’t stop demanding until you get it.
• Morgan’s body was taken away for autopsy, and a few hours later I received a call from the Farnum Holt Funeral Home Manager asking me where they should bring her body.  I was shocked, and asked why they weren’t keeping her body until they knew what had happened, as we were told by the sheriffs that it was a suspicious death. I wanted to make sure everything possible was being done to find out what had happened to her.  He said the body had been released, had never been refrigerated, and they had no means now to refrigerate her body. He went on to explain to me that once the body is released that means they don’t need anything else, they already have all they will ever need.  He insisted we let them know ASAP if she was to be embalmed or cremated.  He explained to us how the death process worked and how her body was decomposing.  I was shocked!  I told him I needed to speak with detective Glassmire first.  What would you think if you were me?  They are so inadequately equipped in Garfield County they don’t even have the capability to refrigerate a body that died during suspicious circumstances.  Much later I would l learn that autopsies take many hours, bodies are kept in refrigeration, health data and records are collected, signs of strangulation many times can not even be seen until 24 hours after death. But the contracted forensic pathologist, Dr. Kurtzman, would have absolutely no records, or other documentation, from which to base his complete autopsy, yet he was already finished with the autopsy, and had released her body. If you are thinking this sounds something like a surgeon performing an operation before he knows what is wrong with the patient… well that is exactly the comparison that people have suggested.   In Morgan’s case her father, Steve, was asked by Detective Glassmire to write about anything that had ever been a medical concern in Morgan’s life, no matter how big a long shot. Anything that they should look for at autopsy. Which he did, but he didn’t send it until days after the autopsy was already finished, so then I ask, “How did Dr. Kurtzman know what to look for at autopsy?” Why did the detective ask Steve to prepare this document about Morgan after the autopsy was completed? Better yet why didn’t Dr. Kurtzman (the pathologist) talk to Morgan’s doctors, and request her records?  They have the authority, actually the responsibility, according to the law, to do these things, but Dr. Kurtzman did not, but still performed the autopsy and released her body. Other medical examiners voiced dismay and said this was not “how it is done.” For a parent it is so upsetting to hear things like this later on.
• I called Detective Glassmire about the sudden release of Morgan’s body and he repeated what the forensic pathologist, Dr. Robert Kurtzman, had told him, that he had everything he needed from the autopsy.  He said Dr. Kurtzman could not find a cause for Morgan’s death, so it was still a mystery, and we would have to wait for the toxicology results, which takes weeks.  He told me to go ahead and have Morgan’s body cremated if that was what our family decided.  When I got off the phone with the detective I was still worried, but again, I trusted him…why wouldn’t I?  He was a sheriff entrusted with a high level of responsibility, and if I couldn’t trust him who could I trust?  I think it is human nature to try to believe the best of people – it keeps us from feeling helpless to the ugliness there can be in life.
• So while we were waiting for the toxicology results we started to ask questions and we were then told by the forensic pathologist, Dr. Robert Kurtzman, that unless the sheriffs tell him to check for something during an autopsy on a “suspicious” death he is not allowed to check for it.  Does that make any logical sense?  Autopsy a 20-year-old, who died during an active investigation into her  felony stalking, a young women that has died under suspicious circumstances, but then don’t check for anything because the sheriffs told you there was nothing to check for?  Now I was starting to become very suspicious.  So again, Morgan died during an active investigation into her felony stalking case, under suspicious circumstances, and that is why we were told she was being autopsied…but even so Dr. Kurtzman:

1. Did not check under Morgan’s nails for DNA and did not mention her abrasions, which are all noted on her autopsy body diagram.
2. He was told that a sheriff’s officer detected minute spots on Morgan’s chest under the UV light, but he never reported seeing them, even though he supposedly had much better equipment in his lab. The bodily fluids on her chest are never  mentioned on the autopsy report, but are in the police report of her unattended death.
3. He did no rape kit, he said he was not allowed to check for sexual assault unless he is told by the sheriffs that it “appeared” to be a sexual attack, and he said he was not told that…seriously, he really said that, even though Morgan was found with her pants unzipped and unbuttoned, and it can be seen in the crime scene photos!
4. He said he was not allowed to test for chloroform or ketamine, or any other drug used for sedation that would have allowed her to be subdued so she could be injected, unless the sheriffs told him the crime scene looked like a struggle, and yet…the detective told us they did not “see” how she could have been subdued – another endless “loop” that kept evidence from being discovered.
   1. Her bedroom was the certain scene of a massive struggle – previously folded clothes, and stuff scattered everywhere, vacuum knocked over, and much more – the crime scene photos show this.
   2. 3 of her nails on her right hand had been torn at an angle and there were abrasions on the top and bottom of that same hand & wrist where her nails were broken (signs that she fought back) – crime scene photos and autopsy body diagram.
   3. There were abrasions on the top & bottom of her hand, inside of her lower arm and right breast (signs that she fought back and that there was a struggle) – crime scene photos
   4. She had a wound with blood on her forehead (a sign that she fought back) – crime scene photos
   5. She appeared to have a possible injection mark on her with a “bite” mark over it (sign that she was subdued and injected).  Dr. Kurtzman wrote that this was a healing wound – absolutely not – you can see the injection point! – crime scene photos
   6. She had a swollen lip with blood inside and outside of her lips and on her teeth (signs that she fought back), and a flattened nose – crime scene photos
   7. Her previously washed, blowed-dried, and curled hair was matted (a sign she fought back) – crime scene photos
   8. Her cell phone was found across the room under her bathroom door (sign of a struggle) – crime scene photos
   9. Her panic button had been torn off its mount on her nightstand and tossed into a corner of her room (sign of a struggle) – crime scene photos,  as well as found after crime scene tape taken down
   10. Her body had been moved and posed (with her blanket pulled over her as though she was peacefully sleeping).  Her body showed signs that she had died in a different position then where and how she was found, after lividity had already formed – we have been told bodies can not, and do not move on their own, and if her body had just been “pushed” over onto it’s side the lividity would have been completely different then it was – her body had to have been moved from a completely different position and location then where it was found. (sign that someone else was in her room and tried to cover-up, and stage the crime scene).  Her body was a “body of proof.” This can all be seen in the crime scene photos.
   11. Many items, as well as jewelry, were stolen and removed out of her room that same night (one item in particular is something a serial stalker/murderer would take as a trophy) – the detective knew of some that very morning, many more within the following days of her murder, and even more months later, I have emails and other paperwork that discusses it, but there was never a report of robbery filed – why?
5. Important to note that before Morgan’s murder, Colorado law had changed and now it specifically pointed out that the forensic pathologist (Dr. Robert Kurtzman) was legally responsible for the investigation, but we did not know that at the time, and we were being told by the forensic pathologist he can only take instruction from the sheriff or coroner’s office, and did not have to consider any information from Morgan’s parents, or doctors, etc.  This was a blatant lie that we did not know at the time – always be informed…I know it’s hard when you are an upset and grieving parent (trust me I know how hard it is – it is more painful then I can ever describe), but unfortunately people in authority are not always doing the right thing.
6. Then after a family friend, a retired OSI agent, offered to help with Morgan’s case, Detective Glassmire initially agreed to allow him to assist.  Then immediately following their meeting the sheriffs closed Morgan’s stalking case (this was 5 months after her death), all of a sudden acting like they never had a suspect – when of course they did (it’s all over the meager police reports)…we have all the documentation to prove that as well.  What we didn’t understand at that time, but we have come to understand now after all these years, is that if they could “pretend” there was never a suspect in Morgan’s felony stalking, then when they changed her to a suicide it would still preclude any investigation – but only “if” there hadn’t really been a stalking, which is ludicrous – Steve and I were also listed as victims, so of course they couldn’t say that.  Steve and I experienced incidents when Morgan wasn’t even there, and Steve and I were still alive as witnesses!  Well established state and federal law recognizes that a suicide can be the direct result of criminal actions towards a victim, so in this respect when they changed her manner of death to a suicide, it was the only way they could still keep her case from being investigated, but “only”  if they covered up the fact that she was honestly a victim of a felony stalking, which she was – read the police reports they are public record.  In Morgan’s case indisputable scientific evidence exists that completely precludes any remote possibility that she could have been a suicide, but because we were able to prove that she did not die from natural causes, suicide was the only other choice they had in order to keep her case from being investigated, so that is what they changed her to 8 months after her murder.
7. Morgan’s doctors had asked for more testing, and asked to be included in any future testing of Morgan’s samples, as they had told the forensic pathologist that she never had porphyria and he was wrong about her manner of death on her first PER.  But the forensic pathologist, after being told this, in secrecy, conducted a new test in a specific way that intentionally insured all her gastric fluids were exhausted, which in turn prevented any future testing – so after threats from the forensic pathologist to myself to stop Morgan’s doctors and other medical experts from contacting him, 8 months later he changed her manner of death to suicide from his first conclusion of natural causes…with no real factual evidence – just another convenient determination to guarantee her case could not be investigated by any other agency.  And to make it even more sinister, this testing of her gastric fluid actually supports the fact that she did not commit suicide – the results completely contradict the old, as well as the new manner of death that Dr. Kurtzman decided on.  All the drugs in her gastric fluid were sexual assault drugs, and none of them made it into her blood stream – her body had stopped digesting, she was dead or almost dead when they were put in her stomach. 
8. As a favor to our family, and at no charge, Michael J. Dobersen, MD, Forensic Pathologist, Coroner/Medical Examiner Arapahoe County, Colorado had already reviewed Morgan’s first PER, and toxicology results, letters from her doctors, etc. and even called the lab that ran her toxicology tests, and spoke with their forensic toxicologist, and he then told us that Dr. Kurtzman had gotten Morgan’s cause and manner of death wrong, Kurtzman’s interpretation of the results were wrong, and that Morgan had died from a massive dose of a sexual assault drug, at a level that could not have been ingested as less than 1/10th of that amount would have killed her, and the results actually confirmed Morgan had not been taking the drug, and this was a one-time massive dose.  This was before Dr. Kurtzman changed her to a suicide.  But Dr. Kurtzman at that time refused to change her to undetermined or homicide – insisting on natural causes. The result was that her death would not be allowed to be investigated.
9. Then after Dr. Kurtzman changed Morgan’s manner of death to suicide, Dr. Dobersen reviewed the 2nd PER and 2nd toxicology results, he said this made it even more suspicious, as she had 5 other sexual assault drugs in her gastric fluid that were not in her blood – this screamed foul play! And conveniently the incorrect decision to make her a suicide also completely derailed any future investigation.
10. At this point I no longer trusted the sheriff or coroner’s offices, so I called the lab that ran her toxicology reports myself to make sure we could have them saved.  I was told they keep them for a year, and they weren’t sure why, but her blood sample was scheduled for early destruction!!!  I was very upset, and went about filing the paperwork, sending certified letters, and then paid for extended storage.
11. Steve and I made sure in the very beginning to request in writing, certified and return receipt, including our demand to the coroner that he keep Morgan’s clothing in evidence, because Dr. Dobersen did not want them sent to him, as he wanted the chain of custody preserved, but then years later we received a letter in the mail saying they destroyed her clothing – this was intentional destruction of evidence!  This was beyond OUTRAGEOUS!

This is just a small sample of the horrendous cover-up of our daughter Morgan’s murder that Garfield County has perpetrated.  They have used pat answers to try to shut down the truth and for some people that don’t want to get involved, that usually works, but those false answers can no longer fly in the face of actual evidence we have accumulated over the past 4 years, by doing our own investigation and due diligence, with the help of medical experts, as well as criminal investigative experts – onward we go with no intention of ever giving up.  Morgan’s case will get opened, and all those that have sought to lie, mislead, and cover-up her murder will be held accountable – I promise you.