Body exhumed at request of relative


Thursday, May 1, 2008
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Body exhumed at request of relative

By SUE WATSON
Staff Writer

Courtesy photo

Investigation reopens
The body of Frank Alexander was recently removed from the grave for more testing.

The cause and manner of death of Frank Alexander, 59, of St. Louis, Mo., is being reinvestigated by the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department at the request of one of the deceased’s relatives, according to Sheriff Kenny Dickerson.

Alexander was found dead August 26, 2007, at his new home at 3224 Moore Road in the county, a home which he had just built.

According to Kelly McMillen with the sheriff’s office, deputies were called to the residence and coroner John Garrison also came to the house and pronounced Alexander dead, apparently of natural causes, according to the coroner’s report.

The body of the deceased was transported to a funeral home in Memphis, Tenn., and then from there carried to Jackson for autopsy, McMillen said. After autopsy, Alexander’s body was returned to Tennessee for burial.

On September 4, 2007, members of the Alexander family from Marshall County and St. Louis, said they were not satisfied with the determination of the cause of death in the autopsy report and asked the sheriff’s department to launch an investigation, Dickerson said.

McMillen said he spoke with Dr. Stephen Haynes, with the state medical examiner’s office in Jackson, discussing with him the families concerns about the cause and manner of death.

“During the conversation, I was advised by the medical examiner that Mr. Alexander’s body had to be exhumed for more tissue samples and testing,” McMillen said. “Then I went to work on getting an order to exhume the body in Shelby County.”

It took six months to get the order to exhume the body and it was removed from the grave in a cemetery on Horn Lake Road in Memphis, Tenn., on March 11.

McMillen said some new information relating to possible foul play and documents and possible forged information was the basis for the reinvestigation of the cause of Alexander’s death.

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