Found Deceased MO - Titus Tackett, 3, Killarney Shores, 10 Feb 2016

[CoverMeCagney]

Sounds like this was nothing more than a horrible turn of events that ended in tragedy. I'd still like to know what condition his little feet were in, but I'm sure the coroner believes it checks out ok.

RIP Titus. Another Noah. Another grandparent feeling guilty. How awful

 

[CoverMeCagney]

The coroner knows the family? Wouldn't that be a conflict of interest?

Unavoidable in a small town.

 

[Deleted member 50844]

Will an investigation continue though to try and figure out how he got in the van?

Good question. We have cause of death stated but I haven't seen manner of death announced yet. I also haven't seen any specifics about the condition of his feet, etc. I guess we will have to wait and see an official statement if they make one.
Still some unanswered questions but who knows what they will or will not eventually release. I don't think they're under any obligation to do so, but maybe the family will ask them to in order to clear up any chatter out there, which there is plenty of. I know on one hand I might think "I don't care what the public thinks." But on the other hand I think I'd like the whole thing to be put to rest so I could attempt to go on with my shattered life as peacefully as possibly without whispers every time I'm at the grocery store.

 

[Tulessa]

Unavoidable in a small town.

Population 1,100 here, and yes our coroner knows us all.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=94MSe41Mvi0

Thanks for this. I'm still amazed the lake wasn't the immediate major concern (isn't that always our first worry), but she said something about footprints so I guess they knew which direction he went in.

 

[Hatfield]

http://www.kfvs12.com/story/3118659...f-hypothermia?clienttype=generic&sf20766345=1

Died of hypothermia

"IRON COUNTY, MO (KFVS/AP) -

The Iron County coroner said he believes three-year-old Titus Tackett died of hypothermia.

Coroner Tony Cole said the autopsy showed there was no internal bleeding or bruises on Titus Greyson Tackett's body. He said he's still waiting on toxicology results.

He said three-year-old Titus*was found dead in a van on Wednesday about a*.5 mile from his*house, on Highway 72."

JMO
Im sorry but there are still WAY WAY too many outstanding questions to be able to make that call yet. I am really surprised the coroner would even say that without all these questions below being answered.

Questions that remain:

-What is the time of death?

-What about the bottoms of his feet? Was there dirt, scrapes, or anything to show he walked/ran to that Van?

- What is the Blanket's origin ?
Was it already in that Van or not?
If not then I think it can be proven where it came from. Why are we not hearing more about where the blanket came from?
If it came from the boy's house, then it too should have had dirt or marks from being dragged to the Van because I doubt boy held it in his arms off the ground as he ran/walked to Van.

- What about the door handles to the Van? Could the boy even reach them? Was the door hard or easy to open? Would it be reasonable to assume the boy could do it?

-Toxicology results like they said. What are those results?


Lots and Lots of questions need to be answered IMO before I would be able to conclude the boy died from hypothermia.
I sure hope that LE is continuing to investigate these questions. If that is a small town my fear is they may not have the skills or resources to do a proper and full investigation.

 

[cobalt sky]

If Titus was alive when he entered the van his fingerprints should be all over it imo.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

JMO
Im sorry but there are still WAY WAY too many outstanding questions to be able to make that call yet. I am really surprised the coroner would even say that without all these questions below being answered.

Questions that remain:

-What is the time of death?

-What about the bottoms of his feet? Was there dirt, scrapes, or anything to show he walked/ran to that Van?

- What is the Blanket's origin ?
Was it already in that Van or not?
If not then I think it can be proven where it came from. Why are we not hearing more about where the blanket came from?
If it came from the boy's house, then it too should have had dirt or marks from being dragged to the Van because I doubt boy held it in his arms off the ground as he ran/walked to Van.

- What about the door handles to the Van? Could the boy even reach them? Was the door hard or easy to open? Would it be reasonable to assume the boy could do it?

-Toxicology results like they said. What are those results?


Lots and Lots of questions need to be answered IMO before I would be able to conclude the boy died from hypothermia.
I sure hope that LE is continuing to investigate these questions. If that is a small town my fear is they may not have the skills or resources to do a proper and full investigation.

I guess all those questions have already been answered by LE, they just haven't told us yet (and might never). They know roughly what time he died, they know how mucky/hurt his feet were, they know where the blanket came from, they know a heck of a lot more than we do. The tox reports will be back in a few weeks as is standard.

By nature we're suspicious because we've heard it all before, but there are times when it is just a horrible set of circumstances. I've definitely been wrong before (most recently on Rainn's case - to be continued) but we have to put some trust in LE/Coroners because they KNOW and we don't.

 

[Hatfield]

“He was smart and intelligent for a 3-year-old,” according to Cole [Iron County Coroner], who knows the family. “He knew how to open a car door. It’s not his first time, he’s done that a lot.”

Cole [IC Coroner] says Titus could start and ride a 4-wheeled ATV, so it’s not unthinkable that he could have wandered off on his own and climbed into the neighbor’s van seeking shelter.

http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2016/02/11/autopsy-finds-3-year-old-tyson-tackett-died-of-hypothermia/

I really don't want this to be any foul play at all but this statement bothers me a lot about the potential for being bias.

Its not like that house was exactly a "neighbor". The house was over 1/2 mile away down the highway.
This statement has me convinced he could be inadvertently biased. Not necessarily on purpose but since he knows the family and after reading that, I am worried now. Its not a fair statement. Wasn't really a neighbor.
There is no information they even knew that house over 1/2 mile away.

Maybe there is much more we are not privy to which is making them so sure of things.

 

[The Apparition]

JMO
Im sorry but there are still WAY WAY too many outstanding questions to be able to make that call yet. I am really surprised the coroner would even say that without all these questions below being answered.

Questions that remain:

-What is the time of death?

-What about the bottoms of his feet? Was there dirt, scrapes, or anything to show he walked/ran to that Van?

- What is the Blanket's origin ?
Was it already in that Van or not?
If not then I think it can be proven where it came from. Why are we not hearing more about where the blanket came from?
If it came from the boy's house, then it too should have had dirt or marks from being dragged to the Van because I doubt boy held it in his arms off the ground as he ran/walked to Van.

- What about the door handles to the Van? Could the boy even reach them? Was the door hard or easy to open? Would it be reasonable to assume the boy could do it?

-Toxicology results like they said. What are those results?


Lots and Lots of questions need to be answered IMO before I would be able to conclude the boy died from hypothermia.
I sure hope that LE is continuing to investigate these questions. If that is a small town my fear is they may not have the skills or resources to do a proper and full investigation.

Tox results will take weeks so that is not something to expect in the next couple of days.

I don't know (obviously) but if things seemed to check out dirty feet, time of death, fingerprints on the door, etc I don't think LE would necessarily announce that. I'm not saying it's case closed but if this really is just a tragic accident I don't think LE needs to announce all the findings to the public. Let's all hope and assume they are investigating all the angles and if things don't add up we will hear it, if not they will probably just let the family grieve and not announce all the gory details.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Tox results will take weeks so that is not something to expect in the next couple of days.

I don't know (obviously) but if things seemed to check out dirty feet, time of death, fingerprints on the door, etc I don't think LE would necessarily announce that. I'm not saying it's case closed but if this really is just a tragic accident I don't think LE needs to announce all the findings to the public. Let's all hope and assume they are investigating all the angles and if things don't add up we will hear it, if not they will probably just let the family grieve and not announce all the gory details.

It would be useful if they released a short statement though, wouldn't it? If they said "he died at 6am and his feet were filthy and sore consistent with walking half a mile" that would stop the whispering. As a parent I think I'd want that out there, rather than have people wonder. Still, not obligatory, we'll have to get what we're given.

 

[Hatfield]

If Titus was alive when he entered the van his fingerprints should be all over it imo.

A really good point. LE should have dusted the door handle for figerprints on the outside and should have seen his hands all over it.

Same with inside area if the door was shut back and if the handle was needed to pull it back shut.

These are simple basic investigating procedures and it just worries me that we are not hearing about some of these simple things. Like whose blanket it was and where it came from.

Just hope they are doing all the right things and we are just not hearing about it.

 

[Jamaica Me Crazy]

Just a general question. I'm not calling anyone out on it. Why are people always skeptical that LE isn't doing their job when it comes to things like this? Why would a small town force not know proper procedure and where to get help if they needed it? Is this lack of faith due to personal experience?

 

[Hatfield]

It would be useful if they released a short statement though, wouldn't it? If they said "he died at 6am and his feet were filthy and sore consistent with walking half a mile" that would stop the whispering. As a parent I think I'd want that out there, rather than have people wonder. Still, not obligatory, we'll have to get what we're given.

I totally agree. I think it helps a lot and helps the community feel their LE is working together as a partnership with them.

I also wonder if LE is continuing a thorough investigation and they may not necessarily be agreeing with what the coroner just said. For all we know LE could be at odds with the coroner's findings so far.

I would like to hear LE make a statement when they feel comfortable with their own findings from their investigation.
I hope we are privy to that.

 

[epiphany]

There would be medical examiner/s performing the autopsy not necessarily only the coroner:

Information is collected in different ways in each state, depending on the system in place. For example,
a state may have a medical examiner system, a coroner system, or a mixed system. The system may be
centralized (controlled by one state office) or decentralized (controlled by county or regional offices)...

More at link below:

http://www.sprc.org/sites/sprc.org/files/library/Medical Examiners and Coroners.pdf


Additionally, there are several agencies still involved in the investigation incl the FBI:

There is currently no explanation of how Tackett wound up in the van, and five agencies are now working together as the investigation moves forward. According to officials, there are no obvious signs of foul play at this point, but that conclusion is preliminary.

http://www.kmov.com/story/31186495/...ing-in-search-for-missing-iron-county-toddler

 

[epiphany]

According to Cole, examiners of Titus Tackett’s body found no injuries that would be consistent with foul play. Examiners did see superficial scratches and marks that could have been caused by a fall or if the boy walked through brush.

"It is not as unusual as everybody might think- how can a child walk? They have a better determination than we do when going somewhere," said Iron County Sheriff Roger Medley. "Pain, all that goes away. They are going to get to where they want to be."

http://www.kmov.com/story/31201735/...n-county-toddler-may-have-died-of-hypothermia

 

[The Apparition]

It would be useful if they released a short statement though, wouldn't it? If they said "he died at 6am and his feet were filthy and sore consistent with walking half a mile" that would stop the whispering. As a parent I think I'd want that out there, rather than have people wonder. Still, not obligatory, we'll have to get what we're given.

Oh yes of course it'd be great if they did that. I really don't know the usual procedure or if there really is one on cases such as this. I assume at some point they will make a statement if they feel there is no foul play, I'm not sure how specific it will be though.

 

[Hatfield]

Just a general question. I'm not calling anyone out on it. Why are people always skeptical that LE isn't doing their job when it comes to things like this? Why would a small town force not know proper procedure and where to get help if they needed it? Is this lack of faith due to personal experience?

JMO
I don't think it is "always" the case. I cant remember the case but it was a really good example of how to keep the public informed and they were great. They had press reports almost daily and they had a really good public information officer that kept the public informed. It gave everyone the confidence they needed that everything that could be done was being done.

I think its when there is a lack of information shared with the public. Then it makes the public wonder what if anything is being done. This case is way too early yet so they may still come out soon in the next day or so and give some answers to the basic simple questions that lots of the public have. Like where the blanket came from.

The LE officer yesterday sounded really good so maybe he is planning on doing a followup himself soon with the public.
Afterall they are public servants serving the community, being paid by the community, and I am pretty sure a lot in the community have the same questions we do and would appreciate more information so long as it does not harm the investigation.

 

[luvhockey]

Maybe, but the nearest town for "shopping" or "running an errand" is 10.3 miles to the west (in the opposite direction from where Titus was found.)

Arcadia is about 4 miles away. There's a Country Mart and numerous gas stations.

Its not like that house was exactly a "neighbor". The house was over 1/2 mile away down the highway.

Knowing this area like I do, "neighbor" would be the norm reference for this house. It's nothing in the rural area to drive 30 miles a couple times a week to the 'local' WalMart. 1/2 mile is a neighbor.

Just a general question. I'm not calling anyone out on it. Why are people always skeptical that LE isn't doing their job when it comes to things like this? Why would a small town force not know proper procedure and where to get help if they needed it? Is this lack of faith due to personal experience?

The sheriff immediately called in the Highway Patrol (not sure who called FBI). Not necessarily because they don't know what to do but because he probably needed the manpower and yes, not used to cases like this. He had no idea if Titus was abducted, killed, in the lake etc. The sheriffs dept in the rural counties of Iron and nearby Reynolds are stretched thin. There is no town police just county. I think he did a great job calling in all help instead of trying to do it himself. Maybe he was thinking of the lake but I doubt there are cold water divers he has access to, that may of been another reason for calling in the bigger dept.

 

[Hoosgirl]

Snippets from this NPR in depth story:

When someone dies unexpectedly or in suspicious circumstances it is the job of a coroner or medical examiner to investigate what caused the death. We rely on these death investigators to provide the autopsy report and a death certificate to settle estates, insurance claims and bring murderers to justice.

In the United States there isn't just one system. Coroners can be elected or appointed. Some are also sheriffs or funeral home directors. But many coroners aren't doctors.

But no matter what form it takes, the death investigation system in the U.S. is in trouble. A yearlong investigation by NPR, PBS Frontline and ProPublica has found a dysfunctional system short of qualified people, squeezed for resources and lacking in oversight.

Two years ago a blue ribbon panel created by the National Academy of Sciences pointed out the lack of mandatory standards for autopsies and the absence of oversight into the performance of coroners and medical examiners. It recommended that the goal of every state should be to move away from a coroner system, which is not based on medicine, and instead hire board certified forensic pathologists and put them to work as medical examiners.

Dr. Marcella Fierro, the former chief medical examiner in Virginia, is a member of the National Academies of Science panel that issued a report recommending an overhaul of the country's death investigation systems.

"Most errors are buried," she says. "If a death isn't recognized as being suspicious or is suspicious, say, for violence and it's released as natural death, [then] it's buried or cremated, whatever the family wishes, never to rise again."

Fierro sat on the blue ribbon panel when the National Academy of Sciences took a look at the death investigation system. The panel described coroners as the weak link.

"On their best day, if they do not have the training, the skills, the infrastructure, the facility, the access to forensic science, they can't do a good job. It's a question of competency. How can you train someone who is not a physician?"

Zumwalt says where you die makes a difference especially when your death is unexpected or suspect.

"It's certainly incredible to think that just the space of a few yards may mean the difference between competent death investigation and incompetent death investigation," he says. "But it may be the difference between what side of a state [or] border you're on. On one side of the border you have a statewide medical examiner and competent death investigation; the other side of the border may be a small county coroner with few resources and little training."

http://www.npr.org/2011/02/02/133403760/coroners-dont-need-degrees-to-determine-death

Iron County Coroner is elected and not a doctor or pathologist:

http://www.icsomo.org/page.php?id=14&PHPSESSID=8ed2b9a9211caefe6fcb5bada9fc7411