{"id":1492,"date":"2012-09-29T16:40:27","date_gmt":"2012-09-29T22:40:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/morgansstalking.com\/?p=1492"},"modified":"2012-10-05T03:11:14","modified_gmt":"2012-10-05T09:11:14","slug":"whos-minding-the-death-scene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/morgansstalking.com\/?p=1492","title":{"rendered":"Who\u2019s minding the death scene?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Branch after a rain<\/p><\/div>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s, 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Enter Thomas Walton, not just The Garfield County Deputy Coroner, The Chief Deputy Coroner. Here is his card:<\/p>\n

\"Thomas<\/a>

Thomas Walton Business Card<\/p><\/div>\n

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:<\/p>\n

COLORADO REVISED STATUTES<\/p>\n

TITLE 30. GOVERNMENT – COUNTY – COUNTY OFFICERS<\/p>\n

ARTICLE 10.COUNTY OFFICERS<\/p>\n

PART 6. CORONER<\/p>\n

30-10-619.<\/strong> Conflicts of interest of county coroners<\/em><\/p>\n

(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.<\/em><\/p>\n

(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.<\/em><\/p>\n

(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.<\/em><\/p>\n

(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.<\/em><\/p>\n

(5) This section shall apply to county coroners who take office after the general election in 1982.<\/em><\/p>\n

So in my opinion, because I never was involved in the decision of where to take Morgan\u2019s body, there was absolutely a conflict of interest. But that is petty, a proper investigation of my daughter\u2019s 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

Here in Garfield County we do have something like that right? Well no, we don\u2019t, as a matter of fact we don\u2019t 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:<\/p>\n

II. COLORADO CORONER\u2019S ASSOCIATION <\/strong><\/p>\n

The Mesa County Coroner\u2019s Office requires each Deputy Coroner\/Investigator to be a member in the Colorado Coroner\u2019s Association (CCA). The CCA sets standards for minimum training to become a member and requires continuing education to maintain membership.<\/p>\n

III. AMERICAN BOARD OF MEDICOLEGAL DEATH INVESTIGATORS <\/strong><\/p>\n

The American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators (ABMDI) \u00ae 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.<\/p>\n

Here in Garfield County we have. . .you guessed it \u2013 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\u2019s death was investigated. Thomas Walton is listed as the investigator on Morgan\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Then more laws for Colorado:<\/p>\n

COLORADOREVISED STATUTES<\/p>\n

TITLE 30. GOVERNMENT – COUNTY COUNTY OFFICERS<\/p>\n

ARTICLE 10.COUNTY OFFICERS<\/p>\n

PART 6. CORONER<\/p>\n

30-10-602.<\/strong> Deputy coroner – duties – oath – bond – insurance<\/em><\/p>\n

(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.<\/em><\/p>\n

(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.<\/em><\/p>\n

30-10-603<\/strong>. Deputy coroner – appointment<\/em><\/p>\n

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.<\/em><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n