Is there a "Mop-up" Crew from the Mortuary Affairs that enters a serviceman's private residence when a Suicide occurs?

Diane Junk — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 09:01:42 -0400

My Active Duty USAF Son committed suicide in Dec 2019, in his off base, non-military housing. He was a MSgt with nearly 20 years service.

The Investigative Report into his suicide was the shoddiest piece of detective work I have ever seen? I have been trying to get his medical records and all I get is lies, obfuscation and misdirection. Even a FOIA by my US Senator did not produce the information.

As his mother and eldest next of kin, I have a right to this information - by law. He never married or had issue. Unfortunately, I do not have the financial means to hire a lawyer. I am 71 and live below the poverty level. I was not the beneficiary of his estate, nor his "contact person". All the information I have been able to uncover I have ferreted out myself.

His Death Certificate was also a botched job. His father's name, my name and the spelling his sister's last name was incorrect. My son and I were adamant about "truth" and hated liars. North Dakota Dept of Health said that they could correct the spelling of the parents names from my son's Birth Certificate, but they could not correct my daughters.

The Death Certificate stated an incorrect time of death. I wanted that corrected too because it was not the time that was stated in the police report. I was told that it cannot be changed, so I wanted to know where that time of death came from. I was 1 hour before the police were ever called to his private residence.

On the second day that he did not show up for work, someone from the military went to his house for a "wellness check". They entered his off base housing illegally. The proper protocol is if the serviceman is expected to be home, (Brian's Truck was present and the TV was on) and he doesn't answer the door, the local police are called and together they enter. Obviously, that is not what happened. Hence, my question for anyone with experience in Mortuary Affairs. Does the military have a Mortuary "Mop-up Crew" including someone who has the power and authority to pronounce him dead? Does Mortuary Affairs conduct a separate search of possessions and takes an "inventory" things that would indicate the true cause of death?

For instance, my son's $6,000 apiece hearing aids were missing in the police report. He was in Munitions and I believe his brain was severely acoustically concussed multiple times. Beginning with his last 2 deployments, he began cutting family members out of his life. I just happened to be the first. His behavior was similar to that of Mike Webster of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the book/movie. "Concussion". Yes, the brain can be concussed by sound and that is something that the military has known for years. They acknowledge the ever climbing suicide rate, yet they don't correlate it with Traumatic Brain Injuries. Another obfuscation. Has anyone ever heard of any cutting edge technology to help heal the brain of TBI's caused by IED's? NO! That would be the right thing for the military to do - Instead of spouting lip-service. They pooh pawed Agent Orange too. Reminds me of the stupidity of building nuclear power plants all over the globe yet we don't know how to safely store radioactive waste. Waste that will still be active for a million years. Dah!

It would help if someone could tell me just what an Active Duty Mortuary Mop up Crew's job entails. Thank you. They stole his hearing aids, yet they did not tear down the brown paper bags he attached to his bedroom windows to keep the light out. I do know he had a "sleep study" done, but no facts were given.

It is also strange that the Death Certificate listed the correct name of the local "on call and weekly rotated doctor", who is not a coroner, yet acts in that capacity because Ward County does not have a Coroner. A huge NUCLEAR military base in the county and they don't have a coroner who can perform autopsies? How strange. There is no such thing as coincidence. Does this explain the angry email I received from the state's Dept of Health when I dared to ask why an autopsy was not performed.

How do I get to the truth?

Response by SSgt Christophe Murphy made Apr 18 at 2022 9:33 AM

SSgt Christophe Murphy — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 09:33:04 -0400

First, I am extremely sorry for your loss. Where did you get the terminology for "Mortuary mop up crew"? Never heard that terminology used in this context and wondering where it came from. From what I can tell Military Mortuary affairs wouldn't have much cause being onsite unless brought in through an agreement with local authorities. But if you are referring to the Command sending personnel to collect personal effects that is common. I'm not familiar with how it works with off base effects on off base property but the normal process is that they catalog and box everything and store it before turning it over to whoever is listed as the Next of Kin in their record book. Being off base and not related to military operations should make it a civilian matter with civilian authorities but there may be some spots where they work with the Military side. The biggest question in all of this is who your son listed as his next of kin. It would clarify things and if it wasn't you would explain why they aren't working with you as you would like.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 18 at 2022 10:31 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 10:31:43 -0400

The biggest issue you have is that if you were NOT listed as his Next of Kin on military documents, then that is the main reason why you are not getting where you want to get. If you can find out who that is, you will need to discuss with them. Also, who was listed as the Beneficiary on the Will that the Air Force had on your son? Listed POA? As for "mop up crews," no...there is no such thing. I recommend, if you have not done so, is a few things: 1) Contact the base JAG office to see if they can retrieve for you the name of the listed NoK, the POA and the Beneficiary; 2) Submit an SF 180 to the National Archives for ALL military documents on your son. Plus, I am not finding a Mortuary Affairs unit located at Minot AFB. If that is the case and there is no unit there, then all mortuary affairs and actions would be taken over by civilian entities.

Playing Devil's Advocate here, how do you know the hearing aids were stolen? Just because they were not listed in the report, that does not mean they were stolen.

Unfortunately, you may have to find a way to scrape up the means to afford a lawyer for this. Since the death occurred on the civilian side of the fence, that means that's where all the information is.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 18 at 2022 11:51 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 11:51:12 -0400

.... Um... Well in full disclosure I am not 100% sure I am following this story... But I will add this piece of information for you.

If your son did in fact pass away while living off post and not during an active mission the civilian authorities would be handling the death and securing the scene. Clean up of the location falls on the owner of the property; whether that be a spouse, next of kin, landlord or bank (if there was one owner listed on deed of records and now will to transfer ownership and there is a mortgage on the property)

The only involvement the military would have is to obtain any property that is owed to them; such as issued gear or electronics.

Seeking out the USAF for this matter is part of your issue, the other is that you self admit you were not listed as next of kin.

Best of luck on "How do I get to the truth" ....

Response by SSgt Mathew Cummings made Apr 18 at 2022 2:17 PM

SSgt Mathew Cummings — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 14:17:51 -0400

My condolences. I have dealt with this type of matter in my own specifics. Please reach out to a Veteran Service Officer at the Fargo VBA Regional Office. There are law firms that do case work for Veterans and their families. It's no charge, that's your best start. Department Service Officers are with VFW, American Legion, etc... This is a no charge service and I suggest it to those that need the help.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 18 at 2022 3:39 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 15:39:01 -0400

I’m interested in finding out what company produces hearing aids that cost $6,000 a a piece. Also, even as next of kin, you aren’t legally entitled to any medical records.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 18 at 2022 5:33 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 17:33:28 -0400

From what I've read, you want access to your son's medical records. You can, and have already accessed his service records. Under HIPAA, you are not authorized access to his medical records without him releasing them, even if you are the next of kin - and it sounds like he removed you as the next of kin, otherwise you would have received a $100k death gratuity and a $400k life insurance payment.

Unless someone specifically released their record to you, it is illegal for the medical clinic to release it. I couldn't even get a copy of my wife's negative covid test results needed to fly out to a new duty station, without her written consent on a form. Once my kids turned 14 I couldn't access any of their medical records or information. It is illegal for the AF to turn over your son's medical records to anyone who doesn't meet the legal definition of need-to-know. Under federal law you are not entitled to this information as you stated. Under federal law, his Protected Health Information remains protected for 50 years.

As for the coroner, you don't need a coroner to pronounce a death. A medical doctor is authorized to legally declare the death, and they may use the time the paramedics gave as the time, if that's what the doctor chooses.

Minot is not a "huge nuclear military base". Minot is out in the middle of nowhere, and Minot AFB is out past there. The whole base has a population of about 5,000 basically one Army infantry brigade. A place that small barely has enough staff for a chow hall and a gym. The entire county population is 67,000, that's like the size of fort Bragg.

Mortuary affairs doesn't do anything except handle dead bodies. They have nothing to do with anything other than once the body is handed to them. They don't handle the autopsies, they certainly don't handle the investigation, or any cleanup at the residence. They handle the remains of the fallen, that is their job.

As to the people who found your son and cleaned up, it's off post so it's a civilian matter. Most likely someone from his work walked in because the front door was unlocked. The unit is responsible for collecting his items, but the place is still owned by the owner who is now responsible for emptying and cleaning up a residence. The owner or property manager most likely called the unit, asked someone to come out and collect his belongings. Hearing aids are small and can get lost easily. I don't know the manner of death, but it's possible the hearing aids were broken or not fit to keep and were disposed of by the crew cleaning up and cataloging all the possessions.

Just to be clear, there is no such thing as a mop up crew. A few guys from the unit get the unenviable task of going over to their comrade's house and packing it up. People are sad, people are distraught, crying, and disoriented. There is no person or entity who has this as their job, but it has to get done. Things get lost and mistakes get made. It doesn't sound like anyone is trying to hide anything from you. It was an unfortunate death. He removed you as the next of kin and death beneficiary before he died. His landlord and people from his unit had to come clean up afterwards. If there wasn't an autopsy then there probably wasn't a good reason to have an autopsy, as determined by a qualified medical physician.

What is the information that you hope to uncover? It clearly sounds like you are alluding to a conspiracy or cover up. You said there's no such thing as a coincidence after mentioning that there is no coroner. Do you think a base that probably sees about one death every 5-10 years is hiding something by purposely not employing a coroner? Do you think there was some secret to your son's suicide? It sounds pretty straightforward to me, depression from repeated TBI, leading to suicide. An autopsy isn't going to prove or disprove that. What is the truth you hope to expose by gaining access to your son's records?

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 18 at 2022 7:02 PM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 19:02:03 -0400

No, there is no mop up crew from Mortuary Affairs.
If you really question the death contact AFOSI Detachment 228 at Minot AFB and see if they reached out to the local authorities.
Sorry for your loss.
R.I.P. Master Sergeant

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 19 at 2022 10:37 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 10:37:17 -0400

Ok, let me straighten this out for you since you aren’t understanding it. You are not and will not ever be entitled to receive his medical records unless prior to his suicide, he signed an authorization for release of medical records to you, which he clearly didn’t because you haven’t gotten them. Second, you can’t FOIA the military for medical records. You can only request his military service records and nothing else.

To me, your post seems to be leaning towards the “I know about the life insurance and want to know why I didn’t get it” type of post. If he committed suicide, and that was the listed cause of death, then that’s what happened unless the local police suspected foul play.

Sorry for your loss, but you weren’t listed as Next of Kin in his records nor were you an approved recipient of his medical records. There isn’t anything you can do.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 19 at 2022 12:41 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 12:41:16 -0400

First, I would recommend you read about what a casualty assistance officer is. I have attached the link.

Secondly, I have dealt with situations like this. There is no conspiracy that is trying to hide something from you. This isn't Hollywood. If you have not been contacted by the casualty assistance officer then it was intentional. It was his decision. I have seen a Soldier leave his wife off his documents and keep his mother as his next of kin. His mother made all of the decisions for his arrangements. When there is a suicide it is usually handled by law enforcement. If they do not think there is something criminal in nature in the death then they will not conduct a autopsy. That is what happened in the last one I was involved with. I know you want answers but son chose not to provide them to you. It is not the military that chose what was to happen after his death.

https://www.militaryonesource.mil/family-relationships/gold-star-surviving-family/support-after-loss/understanding-the-role-of-the-casualty-assistance-officer/

Casualty Assistance Officer for Military Families • Military OneSource

A casualty assistance officer is to assist the primary next of kin. Separate assistance officers will also be assigned to the parents of married service members, who are considered the secondary next of kin.

Response by GySgt Kenneth Pepper made Apr 20 at 2022 11:08 AM

GySgt Kenneth Pepper — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 11:08:06 -0400

I am truly sorry for your loss and another SM who was unable to find help in time to prevent taking their own life. I understand your need to find answers, but you may be very disappointed when you get them.
First, a "weekly rotated doctor" would typically be much more qualified than a coroner. Being elected or appointed a coroner requires no medical background or certification. Our local coroner was a furniture salesman for 30 years.
Secondly, it is very unfortunate that your son cut you out of his life. Mental illness makes people make rash decisions. However, that ship has sailed. You will likely not get much more information than you already have. That is completely out of your control at this point. Pushing it further will only cost you more frustration and anguish.
Grieving the death of a loved one is tough. Especially under these circumstances. Please reach out and get some help processing your feelings. You may be substituting a quest for truth for actually accepting the loss and moving on.
God bless.

Response by SFC Cynthia Eyer made Jun 25 at 2022 11:16 AM

SFC Cynthia Eyer — Sat, 25 Jun 2022 11:16:09 -0400

MiLady,
There is much that weighs heavily on you in your deep sorrow none other than another mother who has experienced their child’s ascension can comprehend.

I will not comment on your questions. They are not the source of your pain. Your own death that has occurred as a result of your son’s ascension has placed you in the darkest recesses of your heart’s loss. Seek counseling so you may speak your truth in your own death of who you now are and the depth of your pain. I am writing a book for parents whose child has ascended. It will bring you greater understanding and assistance in the transition in life you are now confronted with. Hopefully by the end of the year. Entitled “Living-Death to Honored-Life.”
May you find comfort in your memories and peace in your heart as you traverse this dark journey you are on.
Much Loving Kindness to You.
Cynthia Eyer

Response by SFC Cynthia Eyer made Jun 25 at 2022 11:28 AM

SFC Cynthia Eyer — Sat, 25 Jun 2022 11:28:30 -0400

All who come to answer this grieving mother’s inquiry—please be kind, compassionate, professional and honorable in answering. Keep your answers to the questions asked and ensure it is correct, not your opinions of her or her inquiry. A parent’s experience is not like any other death experienced. That parent’s life no longer exists as she has known it. Her very DNA is altered upon her child’s ascension. Please do not pretend to know the depth of her pain. Simply hold compassion with kindness.
Thank you,
Cynthia Eyer
SFC, Army, Retired
Graduate degree, Psychology
Mother of her only ascended son,
J.S. Callahan II, Navy, AO3, BUDS Trainee

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 25 at 2022 11:46 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 25 Jun 2022 11:46:00 -0400

I am sorry for your loss. I can't imagine the heartache you are going through, nor do I possess the words to properly consul you. Lots of good answers given already, but may I recommend you talk to someone. Grief is a powerful and destructive thing. Please discuss with your health care provider if grief counseling services are available to you, and covered by your insurance.

Response by Diane Junk made Sep 27 at 2022 9:52 AM

Diane Junk — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 09:52:53 -0400

Update 9/27/22: My 13th Submission of SF-180, "Request Pertaining to Military Records", conveniently disappeared like several of the earlier requests. More specifically I requested the medical records of my deceased son. Using this same form I used to obtain his personnel records and I received them within 6 months of his death. Because of the lack of accountability of the USAF, this time I sent SF-180 with accompanying documentation via Certified Mail with a Return Receipt Requested. According to my postmaster, it was last scanned at the Post Office in San Antonio, TX that receives USAF mail, when it disappeared.

With the ability to scan, sort, and "dead letter" every piece of mail, I believe the USPS is now colluding with the USAF not to deliver mail from people they wish to ignore. To all those uninformed service personnel who think a mother is not entitled to her son's medical records after his death, if you took the time to download the form, you will see that I am completely within my legal right.

The VA Rep at my local US Congressional Office is also getting the run around by the USAF-Congressional Liaison. The last lie he was told was that my son's medical records were in the National Archives. According to the National Archives, the USAF hasn't sent medical records to them since 1994.

Response by MAJ Steve Warnerski made Oct 23 at 2022 5:48 PM

MAJ Steve Warnerski — Sun, 23 Oct 2022 17:48:32 -0400

Golly gee - there were a FEW TRIVIAL admin errors...inconsequential. And HOW MANY "Investigative Reports" have you read? (Cop shows don't count...) Sounds like you are ticked off you weren't the recipient of his life insurance. Better luck next life. :)

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 23 at 2022 6:20 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 23 Oct 2022 18:20:07 -0400

Short and simple answer, as much as you might not like it:

You don't have rights to ANYTHING of his, unless he put you in place as PoA, BoE, EoE, or explicitly stated your benefits in his will.

Being his mother does not automatically give you ANY sort of right or "need to know" for his medical records. You don't get access to military personnel for you to go and harass because you're unhappy with the information you were given.

Your son has passed. Let him rest, and let this go. The little shit is inconsequential and is only gonna make you crazy. Stop it. Let the past die, move on with your life, and stop obsessing.

Response by MSG Lonnie Averkamp made Oct 23 at 2022 9:39 PM

MSG Lonnie Averkamp — Sun, 23 Oct 2022 21:39:32 -0400

As a retired law enforcement officer, I want to be respectful of your hurt, but I also must keep it "real".

I have investigated suicides, homicides, accidental deaths, and natural deaths. MOST deaths end up being exactly what they appear to be. The most obvious evidence jumps out at you, and then you do a second (and third) examination to see if there might be any conflicting evidence. When there is, it can often be explained (like a suicide with a "jammed" gun in the victim's hand, but the jam was caused by the back-pressure of the first shot, when the gun was against his body).

The vast-vast majority of police investigations are correct. If a report has typographical errors in it, it does not necessarily mean that the officer is a poor investigator; it just means that he/she is a poor typist.

It is not uncommon for family members to doubt the conclusions of an investigation, when they are so emotionally vested in the situation. Even though the major conclusion may be obvious, they may focus on minor details that they say can make the entire investigation invalid. I know, first-hand, of a fatality in which a student pilot took his friend to the airfield after bar-closing time, stole an airplane from the flying club and fatally crashed the airplane. The crash was at 4:30 in the morning, the student pilot had an excessive blood alcohol content, and the victim's father wanted to know why the FAA didn't do an entire work-up on the aircraft looking for electrical system failures and structural defects of the aircraft. Because they didn't chase details that he thought was important, he couldn't accept the (obvious) conclusions of the investigation.

We are too used to watching episodes of "Columbo" in which there was a red hair stuck under the victim's shoe that changes the entire investigation. I would have up to 30 open felony investigations on my desk, and my lieutenant would tell me to take the 7 or 8 most solvable cases and close out the other files (even though I knew that, with enough time, they could all be solved). But even if I could locate and refer the offender to the D.A.'s Office, the chances of the District Attorney charging it and the chances of a jury refusing to convict makes you have to prioritize your investigations. Meanwhile, there's another 10 cases coming on to your desk this week, and 10 more next week.