My husband and I are the constituent family who brought the original matter to the attention of Rep. Glen Casada in December 2016 after we tragically lost our 24-year old son Alex on June 11, 2016. Alex was an MTSU senior who had battled with degrees of substance abuse for the better part of a decade. Unfortunately, Alex made the accidental mistake of taking Oxycontin and Xanex which he bought off the street without any understanding of the deadly combination it presented.
We tirelessly communicated with the Medical Examiner's office for the better part of the summer and fall, presenting them with significant information that countered their initial finding of suicide. However, they would not agree to meet with us or amend the death certificate to reflect that the more likely classification of manner of death should be “accidental” or “undetermined” given the substantial evidence provided.
Not wanting other families to suffer this same feeling of powerlessness, we approached Rep. Casada with our request to create legislation that would afford next-of-kin appeals options, and we are grateful that he took up our cause, along with his co-sponsor Sen. Jack Johnson, and successfully guided the bill through the entire process. As of this summer, Public Chapter 493 now affords families similarly situated with a voice to speak on behalf of their deceased loved one.
This page was created to be a place to disseminate information to next-of-kin in search of answers and information on their rights. Please feel free to message us should you have questions.