|
|
| Two months after inmate’s death, prison officials request autopsy |
| By lasvegassun.com- Ana Ley |
| Published: 01/18/2014 |
|
The state's corrections department has requested an autopsy for a prison inmate whose body went unexamined for more than two months because officials delayed an investigation into his death. Richard Ferst, 52, was found dead Oct. 5 inside a cell at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City. His family was told he likely succumbed to a hepatitis C condition, but for more than two months, the Nevada Department of Corrections didn’t request a postmortem examination or offer definitive answers about Ferst’s death. Carson City Coroner Ruth Rhines said the autopsy was performed Dec. 24, several days after prison officials requested it. Results won't be available for about three months. The body should have been examined earlier, Rhines said, citing a new state law that went into effect June 2 requiring prison officials to request autopsies for all inmates who die under prison care. Prisons director Greg Cox, who openly endorsed the new law during the 2013 Legislature, has not responded to inquiries about Ferst’s death via the department's public information office. Rhines said Ferst's case “fell through the cracks.” The body was transferred directly after death to Walton’s Chapel of the Valley in Carson City, where Ferst was to be cremated at the state’s cost once relatives consented. The family never submitted paperwork to consent to the cremation, and instead they requested his body be kept inside a cold chamber while they considered a private autopsy and reviewed medical records. Read More. |
MARKETPLACE search vendors | advanced search
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
|
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think