Body of man who died in Alabama jail is returned to family with heart missing

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The family of an Alabama inmate who died in prison was forced to have a closed-casket funeral after the body was returned "severely decomposed' and missing its heart, according to a federal lawsuit.

Brandon Dotson's family spent five days attempting to get his body released from the Alabama Department of Corrections, but when the remains were finally turned over to the family, they noted there was "bruising on back of [his] neck and excessive swelling across his head," according to Fox News, which cited the lawsuit.

The family then hired a pathologist to conduct an independent autopsy, which revealed that the man's heart had been removed from the chest cavity, the lawsuit claims.

The family say they do not know where the organ is or who took it. They also do not know exactly what caused Dotson's death.

"[The Alabama Department of Corrections] performed an autopsy on [Dotson] and removed the heart, thereby concealing the true cause of death," the lawsuit claims. "By taking this action, Defendants intentionally or recklessly destroyed or altered key evidence that deprived Plaintiff of the ability to determine how the deceased died through an independent autopsy."

The family is seeking the return of Dotson's heart so it can be examined by the independent pathologist.

"At this time we do not know where his heart is. It is the state’s responsibility to keep those who are in its prisons safe from harm," the family's lawyer told Law & Crime. "The ADOC failed to do that for Brandon, as they have for dozens of other individuals this year."

Dotson was convicted of burglary and sentenced to 99 years in prison. He had served 19 years at Ventress Correctional Facility before his death.

The lawsuit claims that the alleged misconduct of prison staff was "tantamount to a death sentence."

The filing goes on to claim that Dotson had complained to prison staff that another inmate was threatening him with violence. The staff reportedly moved Dotson from the "segregated housing" portion of the prison to its general population, which may have put him at additional risk, the lawsuit claims.

The suit names the Alabama Department of Corrections, the warden of the Ventress Correctional Facility, the director of the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences and unnamed prison employees as defendants.

It also names the Alabama Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine as a defendant, claiming it was a "possible intended recipient" of the heart. The suit justifies the claim by pointing to the state’s Department of Corrections, which has previously provided “human organs and tissues” to medical students for use in lab work.

The Independent has reached out to the Alabama Department of Corrections and the medical school for comment.