Inclusion Daily Express -- Family Disputes State's Conclusion About Daughter's Death

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Family Disputes State's Conclusion About Daughter's Death
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
April 25, 2006

BREMERTON, WASHINGTON--The father of a woman who died suddenly last year at a state-run institution said Wednesday that he suspects an independent investigation is part of a cover-up attempt by the state.

"She appeared to be OK, and all of a sudden she started breathing heavily and within moments she dropped over dead," Denny Shannon told KOMO-TV about the July 2 death of his 29-year-old daughter, Kristina "Krissy" Shannon.

Last September, the Kitsap County coroner ruled that Shannon died of an acute overdose -- 5 1/2 times the normal amount -- of the antihistamine chlorpheniramine. Mr. Shannon said that his daughter, who had autism and intellectual disabilities, could not have taken the drug on her own.

But officials with the Department of Social and Health Services ordered the separate investigation, saying that the coroner's report did not match medical records kept by staff at Frances Haddon Morgan Center, the institution where Shannon has stayed for 20 years of her life.

The consultants who investigated Shannon's death on behalf of the state reportedly concluded that Shannon did not die of a drug overdose, but instead of "natural causes".

They noted that the amount of the drug in Shannon's body could have accumulated over the years, and that other people with much higher levels in their blood have survived.

"I'm just, I'm not buying it," said Mr. Shannon. "I think that somehow she was given a dose of antihistamines to calm her down."

Shannon's death was not reported to police until after the September 4 death of Jenny A. Jessup, 27, who was also a resident of the institution, which houses about 50 people. Jessup's death was later attributed to a blood infection caused by a ruptured bowel.

The institution's superintendent, Carol Kirk, said Shannon's death was not reported earlier because it was not considered unexplained or suspicious until Jessup's death.

Related:
"Parents Dubious About Adjusted Report On Child's Death" (KOMO-TV)
http://www.komotv.com/stories/43138.htm
"Review says woman's death at state home not an overdose" (KGW-TV)
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/06/red/0426c.htm
"Washington State Institutions: Frances Haddon Morgan Center" (Inclusion Daily Express Archives)
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/institutions/wa/fhmc.htm

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