THE TOE TAG
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Respecting the dead DEATH INVESTIGATORS COME INTO CONTACT WITH MANY RELIGIOUS RITES AND PRACTICES THE GENERAL PUBLIC MAY NOT BE AWARE EXIST. By Sarah Atwood-Cotton
When I became a death investigator, for prosecution or in cases where there I had to learn a lot, not just in the field of is no known medical history of the deforensics but the specific beliefs and receased, an autopsy is the only way to ligious practices that determine cause and exist amongst denominamanner of death. tions in Oklahoma. I am One Ok la homa not religious, but the inChristian cong regatersection of death and tion, The Church of religious practices has the Firstborn, I found always fascinated me. e sp e c i a l ly u n ique . Oklahoma is a melting Founded as an offshoot pot of religion and culture of the Latter-day Saints and investigators and fo1857 by Joseph Morris, rensic pathologists enthey have roughly 40 counter some form of churches and about religious requests and 40,000 members (also oppositions. For example, known as Morrisites) most Muslims and Joseph Morris, Photo provided. within the state of Judaists object to autopsy Oklahoma. Over the or any anatomical intrusion of the body. years as an investigator, I worked a Some believe the body can feel pain after handful of deaths of members of this death and an examination could delay congregation. They have extreme opthe custom of burial within 24 hours. position to medical intervention, One young lady who died in an auto doctors, and medicine. If one of their crash. Soon after arriving back at the members or children fall ill, they simply office with her body, the parking lot was put their lives and the lives of their chilfilled with her family members, all from dren in “God’s hands.” the Kickapoo tribe. I went outside to Because these cases have no known speak to them about the process of exammedical history or medical diagnoses to ining and then released the remains of determine cause and manner of death, their loved one. They asked if they could they fall under state jurisdiction and the perform a ceremony in the parking lot Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in and remain until her body was ready for Oklahoma must take responsibility for release. I agreed. The family told me that signing their death certificates. Most of the Kickapoo believe that, after death, the cases are natural in terms of manner the deceased will wander the afterlife as of death, but some have been determined they left this life. They do not believe in accidental. However, this does not negate preserving the body, preferring to inter any legal repercussions should the their loved ones in the state they died. manner of death be determined homicide. Forensic pathologists and investigaDeath investigators hope to honor tors try their hardest to honor these the dead by respecting their religious beliefs, but in some cases, like homirites but our duty is to honor the law cides, where autopsies are necessary above all. TOE TAG O KGA Z E T TE .CO M | F E B R U A R Y 9 , 2 0 2 2
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