He died on my mother's bed!

I thought I should weigh in here. Actually it prompted me to register as a user. Let me introduce my self: tooxox which is pronounced as Two Socks. It is the Aztec word for "Oh! My feet are hot, i'd best step away from the fire." Born and raised Tyronian grad mid '80s. Brat Pak era!

My purpose for this post is to defend a a person I knew. I do consulting work for clients in the Central PA area, so on the afternoon of February 9, 2004 my cell rang and I was told to take a breather and rush over from State College to Tyrone because a mutual friend had "met his maker". It was kind of a mop-up thing because the police had been called and were now gone. An unresponsive male on the 1400 block of Pennsylvania had, indeed, died. Body gone. House empty. The lady next door and I put things in place while the owner in Jersey could come and change the locks. Pretty house, I have to say.

Now the "still on a slab" body does not exist that was described in the previous post. Cremation took place within two days of the incedent and said male had a joint funeral before the month was over because his mother colapsed in Huntingdon when the police came to inform her of his death. She had lost her two other sons the year before to cancer and an accident. 82, God bless her soul.

Thus, to shorten this thread, dead person was not "hooked on coke". That phrase is so! outdated. Said dead person was taking a medication at the time that prevented him from being strung out on anything. All of his friends knew this. There was a full bottle of Vodka with only one shot missing. It is possible that he did a one-time thing that was a mistake. We will never know. Nor, is it our business.

Two things I will say. Does a "hooked on coke" dude get out rolls of wall paper and tools to brighten his house? Does he buy six gallons of fresh paint for his rooms two days before Saint Peter's appointment? So, does he go out and shovel snow for his two neighbors. Does he roast a chicken make a sauce and brown potatoes then share it with the neighbors hours before his death? I don't know. This was the state of things when I got to the house. I would think he would spend all of his time snorting and clutching a remote with a glassy-eyed stare while horror flicks play on his 13 inch TV!

Also, the reason the (officer?) in charge told you nothing, is because you are a third party individual who is not entitled to information in regard to a person who died and may be part of an on-going criminal investigation.
You gave your name, and, checking with his friends, you are a stranger to the deceased. There would be no information available to you.

This much I am permitted to say. The police department asked me, and
a few others to come and be interviewed. A neighbor or two submitted information. But, since we are not blood relatives we are not entitled to anything more, and realize this is how people in a free society are protected, live or dead. And, at the time the police were investigating many leads concerning dealers working out of Altoona who were operating in Tyrone. One actually had done kitchen work for the deceased because he had been married to a friend. Worker man was trying to open a legitamate business in Tyrone. Maybe tatoo parlor or smoke shop. Who knows. At the same time there were also three others within spitting distance of that block that the police were hoping this tragedy would fence some closure. The news and chats were full in early 2004. That is probably why the kind police officer let you sit and rant (while he was thinking about what he was going to order for lunch). Officerman is geared to listen to anybody (in the event something of importance might be spilled). He at the same time keeps a tight lip on
his own business. I see it on on every episode the "cop shows" that you reference.

So, in memory of a friend of many, many people, who died way too young and influenced a number of hearts, I will say this much, he was far too giving and saw the good side of everybody. This may have been his downfall. We will never know. But, I do know he would not write a blog describing a stranger's untimely death as lothsome and drug induced.

Happy trails to you..... Tooxox




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This is in reply to tooxox. You and I probably know pretty much of some of the same details, but your info is wrong. Anyway you probably should not come off as some type of "Mr. Know it all" until your facts are straight. Not that I really care (your personality comes on very strongly through your quite through email). And . . . I don't think that Bobby Gorin is holding interviews any time soon.

My question: (see if you can answer it in 30 words or less please) is this: if the man had a fatal HA, (I know they would do an autopsy) but why the toxicology? Is the new protocol for Tyrone Police to order a tox screen on every dead person regardless of how they died? And . . . whey did it take over two years to get the results when it was done in Johnstown, PA? Are the Tyrone police diverting their funding for tox screens on the dead instead of controlling the crime and drugs that are rampant is this little community? You tell me.

I know the man in question had a medical condition, but what about the convict? What happened to him before the police were called? WHY was the house cleaned out before the police and my family arrived? Maybe you should take over the investigation. You seem to have a keen eye for domestication concerns and how they come into play.

Just a thought

I guess the main part of my blurb was missed.

What caused a stranger to bite the bullit 'taint no mans business unless that person left instructions to the contrary or........... his family said
they chose to share in the cause of his passing.

The police department is under no obligation to release any information
on an unresolved situation to anyone. If the investigation reaches a wall... it stops there. We are all third party. Dead Person left no kin and person who started thread did not even know Mr. Dead Person. We are treading on the private path of Mr. Dead Person and the iron gate should not be open. 'Tis none of our business. That is why Mr. Policeman was so kind. He removed himself from the situation so he would not seem rude. That is his job. He has to uphold the Privacy Act of 1973. That law give everybody protection. Case closed. As far as we are concerned, except for the fact that many of my friends were very close to Mr. Dead Person, is he did not exist and it is simply not any of our business. This was not published information, it was not in an obituary in the Tyrone newspaper and he owed us nothing and we owe him nothing. These are the facts. So out of respect to Mr. Dead Person I will use words from his memorial ... "it too late, too late to chase the rainbows that we are after" let the poor man rest with the ages and those that shared in his goodness take comfort in his blessings.

Maybe something has changed in the years since I left Tyrone PD and PA altogether - but the police probably had little to no say in many aspects of this matter.

Based on the information provided, it would have been an "unattended death" - making it a "Coroner's case".

The Coroner would be the person who directs the greater part of any inquiry in such matters. If there was suspicion of foul play, it would be COORDINATED with a law enforcement investigation.

In addition, any situation that becomes apparent to be of serious magnitude would certainly result in Tyrone PD consulting with the District Attorney for additional direction, and possibly PSP for their more definitive resources.

I agree pretty much about what tooxox remarked about the PD officer's actions and responsibilities, but it goes a step further.

If someone had questions about such a situation or input to contribute to such a matter - it would be the Coroner's office that would provide and handle the ultimate direction.