KINSEY: 10:26 PM. Last evening Houston County 911 dispatched Kinsey Police, Kinsey Volunteer Fire Department, and Headland Fire – Rescue to a “person down” call. The location was Roney Road and East Grey Hodges Road.
A “person down” call ranges in what the situation fits; a person appearing unresponsive can be simply sleeping on the ground or in their car, or worse.
The call into Houston County 911 was a white Mercury passenger car in the middle of the roadway and on the wrong side of the roadway.
On arrival of the first emergency vehicles the doors were locked, the driver unresponsive. Emergency units broke the passenger window to gain access to the lone person in the vehicle. The driver was removed and law enforcement officers, Kinsey Volunteer Fireman initiated CPR followed by Headland Fire – Rescue on their arrival moments later.
All of the emergency responders did all possible to attempt to save this person’s life. After an extended period of time medical control ordered CPR terminated.
Houston County Coroner Robert Byrd was called to the scene. Kinsey Police Chief Jim Mock initiated an investigation. The person was dressed neatly, left the car running, and had no signs of injury or trauma. He was a 34 year old black male. Chief Mock had the deceased’s cell phone and identification. Coroner Robert Byrd wanted to call the emergency numbers on the driver’s license, and Chief Mock said absolutely not!. The Kinsey Police Department will not make death notifications by the way of a phone call but rather in person. There was a Dothan address and an Ozark address. Chief Mock told Coroner Byrd he will personally go to the Dothan address, and if he had no luck that he will physically go to Ozark; but he was not about to deliver a death message via phone unless distance-required and could not get law enforcement in that jurisdiction to make the notification.
Chief Mock said he did not know how Coroner Byrd normally did it, but in Kinsey, Alabama, it just was not going to happen notifying someone on the phone.
Chief Mock then called 20th Judicial District Attorney Russ Tarver. He gave him the circumstances of a 34-year-old male found dead in a locked car, sitting partially in the road, the deceased completely dressed, vehicle running, in park. No signs of any injuries. No medical history known as no next of kin notifications made as of that time. The 20th Judicial Circuit District Attorney Russ Tarver declined to have an autopsy done to determine the cause of death. Said if the family wanted one they could have one done at their expense.
Under Alabama Law the District Attorney has to order the autopsy. In another STUPID Alabama law, the Coroner who has to certify the death does not have the power to order an autopsy. When I served as Coroner, and after several fights with Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences that they only wanted to autopsy obvious homicides, they finally realized if I felt I needed one, I did what I could to get one.
