Inmate's organs, including brain, missing from decomposing body; second case revealed
ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Ala. — ABC 33/40 News has obtained court documents revealing another case of a deceased state inmate's body found missing organs. The body of Charles Edward Singleton was returned to his family missing all organs including his brain.
Singleton who was 74 years old died on November 2, 2021 in the custody of the Alabama Department of Corrections. He had been housed at the Hamilton Aged and Infirmed before he was sent to an outside hospital for care prior to his death.
According to the statement by a family member, the University of Alabama at Birmingham's (UAB) Department of Pathology performed the autopsy. The family requested the body then be sent to a funeral home in Pell City. The funeral director told the family it "would be difficult to prepare his body for viewing" since it was already in a "noticeable state of decomposition." The funeral home characterized it as "advanced skin slippage."
The family according to the court filing was then informed there were no organs in the body. It was explained to them post autopsy the organs are usually placed in a bag and put back in the body. The family was also informed Singleton's brain had been removed.
Singleton's family requested UAB return the organs, but they reported they never received the organs. We have been unable to reach Singleton's family for comment.
UAB provided a written statement:
We do not comment on pending litigation. We only conduct autopsies with consent or authorization and follow standard procedures equitably for anyone consented to or authorized for an autopsy. The autopsy practice is accredited by the College of American Pathologists and staffed by credentialed physicians who are certified by the American Board of Pathology.
In an autopsy, organs and tissues are removed to best determine the cause of death. Autopsy consent includes consent for final disposition of the organs and tissues; unless specifically requested, organs are not returned to the body.
UAB is among providers that – consistent with Alabama law – conduct autopsies of incarcerated persons at the direction of the State of Alabama. A panel of medical ethicists reviewed and endorsed our protocols regarding autopsies conducted for incarcerated persons.
The issue of deceased inmates missing organs was first reported by the ABC 33/40 News I-Team concerning the case of Brandon Dotson. His family learned his heart was missing during a second autopsy the family had commissioned in Birmingham. The pathologist reported the heart was not in the chest cavity so he could not complete an exam.
- See also: Brandon Dotson's family files lawsuit over missing heart
- See also: Inmate whose family was outspoken over prison violence dies in custody
The Dotson family has filed a federal lawsuit. The information about Charles Singleton missing organs was part of the court filings in the Dotson case.
ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS RELEASED A STATEMENT THURSDAY:
The ADOC does not comment on pending litigation. Further, the ADOC does not authorize or perform autopsies. Once an inmate dies, the body is transported to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences or UAB for autopsy, depending on several factors, including but not limited to region and whether the death is unlawful, suspicious, or unnatural.
There was an evidentiary hearing in the Dotson case last week. The ADOC is currently awaiting the court’s decision following that presentation of evidence.
Last week a federal judge ordered ADOC and Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences to turn over documents concerning Dotson's state autopsy by Monday so she could review them. No state official could answer the question of what happened to Brandon Dotson's heart during a hearing in Birmingham on Friday.