Seeking Answers Is Not Paranoia

Editor:

In response to Cedar County Coroner Danny Leo Green’s column, “Kororner’s Korner,” I feel compelled to address his characterization of people who question death investigations as paranoid, dishonest, or malicious.

Five years ago, my son died. I had to beg for information and investigate his death myself. Danny Green told me that when he asked the former deputy coroner why toxicology was not determined, the deputy replied, “Because he was just a druggy so I didn’t think it mattered.”

My son was a human being. His life mattered, what killed him mattered, and his mother deserved answers. Without toxicology testing, his death was not accurately certified and critical forensic evidence was not collected.

That experience is why I advocate for other families. For four years, I have served on the Board of Directors of Lost Voices of Fentanyl, a national nonprofit organization with more than 53,000 members. I also represent Poisoning of America, Inc. in Missouri, working with legislators to advance justice for drug death victims. I am now working toward reforms in death investigations and accurate death reporting at both the state and federal levels.

Yet when I helped another mother seeking answers about her child’s death, my actions were apparently placed in the same category as rumors, gossip, and the “black helicopter gang.”

I find that reference deeply offensive. Asking questions about an investigation is not evidence of paranoia. Helping a grieving mother seek answers is not spreading lies. There is a difference between presenting speculation as fact and asking whether the facts have been adequately established.

I also question the playful title, “Kororner’s Korner.” Perhaps the intentional misspellings are meant to be cute, like the backwards “R” in Toys “R” Us. But there is nothing cute about death. When my son died, I wanted answers. I did not want to be put in a corner on a beanbag with a juice box and treated like a child. I was a grieving mother asking serious questions and deserved to be treated with dignity.

Death classifications matter. Accurate investigations and reporting affect families, public understanding, and the statistics used to measure the drug crisis. Concerns about those processes deserve evidence-based answers, not dismissive labels.

I agree that spreading unsubstantiated claims can cause harm. But silencing legitimate questions can cause harm, too. Transparency means treating families with compassion and taking their concerns seriously, even when those concerns challenge official conclusions.

My advocacy comes from personal loss, not a desire for attention. I know what it feels like to fight for answers when your child is gone. I want other families to receive the dignity and care my son and I deserved.

Asking questions is not an attack on the truth. It is often where the search for truth begins.

Sincerely,

Laura Woody