MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A state autopsy has ruled that a Black man found hanging in an abandoned Alabama home in late September died by suicide — a conclusion that contradicts a private autopsy commissioned by his family, which found no definitive evidence he died by suicide.
Dennoriss Richardson’s body was discovered in September in rural Colbert County, far from his home in Sheffield, Alabama, a small town of nearly 10,000 nestled along the Tennessee River.
A state autopsy released to law enforcement in late December ruled the 39-year-old’s death a suicide, Colbert County Sheriff Eric Balentine told AL.com.
Despite the state’s official findings, the case has sparked intense suspicion and outcry in a community with a long history of racial injustice and a deep-seated distrust of local law enforcement.
Balentine called for an FBI investigation into Richardson’s death in October. Richardson was one of numerous Black men who had recently filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against local law enforcement alleging a pattern of abuse.
Balentine said that the most recent report confirmed what the preliminary autopsy found.
“They get those preliminary results back pretty quick, we had those within the week” of Richardson’s death, Balentine said to AL.com. “It’s taken three months to get the official (report) back.”
The Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences did not immediately provide a copy of the autopsy, which is classified as public information unless there is a pending investigation into the death.
Leigh Richardson, Dennoriss Richardson’s wife, has not seen the official document and maintains that she does not believe her husband killed himself.
The sheriff’s department has “been saying he committed suicide from the beginning within five days of investigation,” Leigh Richardson said in a statement. “This is why we are fighting for the truth. This has not been easy by any means. However, we know that “NaNa” did not kill himself.”
A private autopsy released to Richardson’s lawyer in late December said that “A thorough and meticulous investigation should be carried out to rule out staged suicide.”
The private autopsy conducted by forensic pathologist Dr. Adel Shaker affirmed the state’s findings that that Dennoriss Richardson died from “Asphyxia Secondary to Neck Compression,” which is consistent with hanging.
But the report noted that the hyoid neck bone, which is sometimes fractured in deaths from hanging and strangulation, wasn’t present when Shaker examined the body. Shaker’s report said this made it impossible for him to determine whether Richardson was killed or committed suicide.
The hyoid bone does not always offer conclusive evidence about the manner of death, according to forensic pathologist Dr. Thomas Andrew, who has worked in the field for over 40 years.
“You cannot opine on manner of death based on the hyoid bone alone,” Andrew said. The hyoid bone breaks in approximately a quarter of all hangings and half of all strangulations, Andrew added. Instead, “the manner of death determination is based largely on evidentiary and circumstantial information.”
Andrew said that it was his standard practice to remove the hyoid bone in cases like Richardson’s, and that he would only give it to private pathologists performing secondary autopsies upon request.
Richardson did not have any bodily injuries except for on his neck, and his toxicology report was normal, Shaker said. Andrew said those were “important observations.”
In the report, Shaker said that it was impossible to conclude how Richardson died without photographs of where his body was found or the rope that killed him. Neither were provided with the body, according to Shaker.
Roderick Van Daniel, the attorney who represented Dennoriss Richardson in his civil rights lawsuit against the Sheffield Police Department, said he also does not have photos of the scene.
“This whole investigation is suspicious,” said Van Daniel. He added, ”This family and community are tired of the evasive answers and lies being told to them.”
In November, approximately 100 people marched from city hall through the quiet streets of Sheffield into the neighboring city of Tuscumbia where the county sheriff’s department is located, to demand transparency from law enforcement.
“We can’t continue to allow the same things to continue to happen over and over and over and over, and we not stand up and do something about it,” march organizer Eartist Bridges said.
The march was “not just about seeking answers, but about securing a future where our minds and bodies are valued, heard and safe,” said Trinda Owens, a social worker from Sheffield who spoke at the march on the steps of the courthouse. Owens also encouraged marchers to de-stigmatize conversations about mental health.
Sheriff Balentine called for a federal investigation into Richardson’s death following public outcry. The FBI investigation is still ongoing, according to Balentine. A spokesperson from the FBI declined to comment on a pending investigation.
