Knoxville Girl

The continuing investigation into Henry’s death: autopsy results

Sep 022010

Shortly after my teenage son Henry died on May 31, the results of his preliminary autopsy were given to the press before we were even aware they were available. At that time, law enforcement authorities spoke to the media about the preliminary autopsy’s finding of no skull fracture, saying that this finding supported their belief that Henry had never sustained a blow to the head from a weapon of any kind. (In fact, the assailants have admitted assaulting Henry during a drug deal robbery; the only part they deny, really is that they used a weapon. Other, extensive medical and corroborating witness evidence contradicts the assailants’ claims of how the assault took place, and whether they used a weapon.)

I have now had Henry’s final autopsy in my possession for a week or two. Authorities and our family agreed that it was best to keep the details of the report under wraps while the investigation is ongoing. So I have not mentioned publicly that I have it, or what it says. However, it turns out that the ME’s office has provided Henry’s final autopsy to the Knoxville News Sentinel, at the newspaper’s request, and the ME has gone on the record with a reporter about the autopsy findings. The KNS will be running a story about this, and today, they asked for and got my response to the ME’s findings and statements to them.

Thus, I feel it’s now acceptable for me to comment here about the autopsy, and where things stand with the investigation as far as I am concerned.

First, I want to make it very clear that I absolutely understand and respect the newspaper’s responsibility to ask for Henry’s final autopsy from the ME – that is their job as journalists. And I understand that the ME was totally free to release the autopsy and speak directly to the reporter (Don Jacobs, an excellent and well respected journalist). However, now that my son’s autopsy is going to hit the Web and be reported in print, I feel like I have a responsibility to speak up as well.

Henry’s final autopsy was a nightmare for me to read. Imagine reading about how your child’s brain was removed for study, and how a Y shape was cut into his chest. His beautiful brown eyes were described clinically as “brown iride.” It was an extremely painful document to read. But I did read it very carefully.

Henry’s final cause of death was noted by the ME as hypoxic brain injury as the result of accidental opiate overdose. No evidence of any external head trauma or skull fracture was found. His toxicology report (from admission on April 27) revealed several different drugs in his system.

While some may believe that our family has some kind of dispute with the ME regarding what happened to our son – we absolutely don’t. We agree in general with her findings, and I have great respect for her expertise. However, there are some key points I want to make now that the autopsy and the ME’s remarks regarding it are going to be made public:

-Our family continues to believe, based on numerous conversations we have had with those who were with Henry the day he was assaulted, as well as the medical records from his 5 week stay in the hospital before his death that Henry was assaulted with some sort of weapon, likely a tire iron or something resembling a tire iron. I accept that the ME found no evidence of substantial head trauma on the day of his autopsy, but that doesn’t negate our belief based on ALL of the evidence that 5 weeks and 2 days before the autopsy, our son was assaulted with a weapon.

-We agree with the ME that Henry’s death was not DIRECTLY due to any head trauma sustained in the assault. However, we still don’t believe the people who assaulted him should be released from any liability just because the assault didn’t ultimately kill him.

-We agree with the ME that Henry’s final cause of death was hypoxic brain injury as a result of a drug overdose. What the autopsy does not and CANNOT show is the progression of Henry’s brain injury over the course of the previous five weeks before the autopsy. Henry’s actual, more specific cause of death was a very rare COMPLICATION from the drug overdose – a complication called Delayed Post Hypoxic Leukoencephalopathy. This is noted in his medical records. However, this distinction – which the ME does not note in her autopsy or mention in the interview she apparently gave to the newspaper – is ultimately meaningless with regard to potential criminal liability; the outcome of death from an overdose is the same, no matter how you pick apart the specifics. The bottom line is that my child died of a brain injury caused by the hypoxia (lack of oxygen) that came with a drug overdose, compounded by the fact that the people with him refused (not failed, but refused) to call for help for him for a significant period of time. The ME apparently believes that Henry was headed for death from the moment he entered the hospital, while his medical records demonstrate some improvement over two weeks followed by rapid decline after the DPHL process began. But again, this is nit-picking for purposes of potential criminal liability. My son would not be dead but for the overdose-related hypoxic brain injury he received. On this, we can all agree.

So here’s the main point I want to make: I don’t want to argue with anyone about the final autopsy results. There is no point in that and everyone is in agreement on the ultimate cause of death. Instead I want to focus on investigating the source of the drugs that caused Henry to overdose and the fact that he was in fatal distress for hours in a private residence with no call made to 911 until his brain was so badly damaged. I would also very much like to see a more complete investigation of the assault that preceded the overdose, but if I had to pick one thing (I shouldn’t have to pick) for authorities to focus on, it would be the circumstances surrounding the overdose and its aftermath – the 18 hours before Henry was finally taken to the hospital.

I know a great deal about what happened during that period. I can’t share any of it publicly because the investigation is ostensibly ongoing. I continue to believe that when all the facts are clear to Knox County authorities, they will choose to at least attempt prosecution.

Yes, my boy was a drug addict. Yes, he was involved in dangerous, risky, illegal activities. We’ve never denied that. But he didn’t intend to overdose and die, and he wouldn’t have but for the actions of certain individuals who have yet to be held accountable.

I know that nothing I do or say will bring Henry back. The reason that I continue to pursue this matter – even though it has led to a great deal of pain and hurt for me due to the way I’ve been characterized by some in authority – is because I simply couldn’t live with myself if I just let it go, and then another mother loses her child at the hands of the same people who were involved in my son’s overdose death, That’s why I won’t be quiet and go away. I don’t want to see any other family go through what we’re going through when I believe that it can be prevented via a thorough investigation and prosecution.

Additionally, it is my hope that my advocacy in this matter will fundamentally change the way overdose injuries and deaths are investigated and prosecuted in Knox County, which would go a long way toward helping to end the epidemic of opiate-related deaths that is currently ravaging our community.

Thanks to everyone for your continued support. It means a lot to me, and helps me stay focused when I get discouraged and feel like giving up.

Henry Louis Granju

October 7, 1991 – May 31, 2010

Something I find difficult to understand

Aug 262010

Why, when a nearly lifeless, heavily drugged teenager is found by paramedics at midday in the private residence of two adults with whom he has no identifiable relationship, and when the adults have no reasonable explanation for why the teenager was in their home in the first place, and when at least one of the two adults has a criminal record, is the residence not secured properly – at least in the short term – or given even cursory professional investigation as a potential crime scene? This omission strikes me as something our community would find problematic. I mean, wouldn’t this scene seem a little fishy to you, and especially if you were a trained law enforcement professional?

Perhaps an investigation would turn up no evidence of potential criminal activity at the scene where the teen was found. But shouldn’t local law enforcement treat this scenario as a crime scene until they know for sure how this high school senior ended up near death in these random adults’ residence at noon on a weekday? Wouldn’t you think they would WANT to know what the heck was going on in this residence, and determine for themselves precisely what the nature of these adults’ relationship to this teenager was?

According to federal authorities, yes…yes they should. To wit:

…officers should secure the crime scene (NOTE : the author is referring to the site of an overdose critical injury or fatality as the “crime scene”) as if it were the site of a homicide. They should direct nonessential personnel, such as emergency medical workers, and family members away from the area and document everyone who enters it. Homicide and drug investigators, as well as crime scene technicians, should be called to the site. Before anything is disturbed, the entire scene should be photographed, including the victim. Only then should the victim be turned over to the medical examiner for an autopsy. Finally, investigators should perform an organized search to gather physical evidence.

Drug crimes usually yield two valuable pieces of evidence not always present in other crimes. First, investigators should pay particular attention to any items of paraphernalia that could be used to package and store drugs, as well as to mechanisms that someone could use to ingest a drug. Heroin typically is packaged in small glassine or wax bags about the size of a quarter and then is ingested by either snorting it through the nose or injecting it into the body. During the search, investigators should look for cut drinking straws or rolled paper, such as dollar bills, used to snort heroin. To inject heroin, users must liquefy it, typically accomplished by heating the heroin and some water on a spoon with a candle or cigarette lighter. Therefore, investigators also should search for spoons, heat sources, and hypodermic needles used to inject heroin. Because prescription drugs can be crushed and snorted, investigators should look for pill bottles and devices capable of crushing hard pills into a powder.

Items of drug paraphernalia prove especially important because they may contain samples of the drug. Officers should carefully package objects suspected of containing drugs or drug residue in separate containers and transfer them to a laboratory for analysis to determine the specific drug, its purity level, and any adulterants or other substances combined with it. Advances in technology have enabled some laboratories to conduct a signature analysis of the drugs that provides its specific chemical composition, or signature,6 which then can be compared with that of another sample of drugs to help determine if both originated from the same batch. This test can prove crucial in linking the drugs found on an overdose victim back to the original dealer. In addition to chemical testing, investigators should request that the submitted evidence be examined for latent fingerprints.

(I know I am not supposed to even MENTION this stuff publicly. I am supposed to sit back month after month and continue to express total confidence that everything is being investigated thoroughly and aggressively. But I gotta tell you, this is becoming increasingly difficult for me to do. My child was hospitalized April 27th and died May 31. It is now August 25th.)

April 27, 2010

May 31, 2010

Please know that I have not made the decision to share these very upsetting, painful, intimate photos of my child lightly. I’ve agonized over it. But after a lot of thought, I decided that I want this community to see more clearly than my words can convey what happened to my child.

Some would argue, I know, that fatal overdoses from illicit drugs – or those leading to critical injury – should simply be treated as unfortunate accidents that don’t necessitate any criminal investigation or potential prosecution for anyone involved. Again, federal law enforcement authorities disagree and have some specific guidance for communities battling the scourge of opiate addiction and overdose, as we clearly are in Knoxville, Tennessee:

A drug overdose that drew national media attention inspired the creation of a law that now allows investigators to target drug trafficking organizations responsible for overdose deaths. In June 1986, the Boston Celtics’ first-round draft pick, Len Bias, was found dead in his college dormitory from a drug overdose. That same year, in response to Bias’ death, as well as to the proliferation of crack cocaine, Congress enacted new federal drug laws. One of the provisions, commonly referred to as the Len Bias Law, provides for a mandatory minimum term of incarceration for 20 years and a maximum life sentence for a dealer who distributes drugs that cause death or serious bodily injury.9 Therefore, drug dealers face a penalty of no less than 20 years in federal prison if it can be determined that the drugs they sold caused the overdose, regardless of the quantity. In federal, as well as most state, prosecutions, sentences for drug crimes are determined by the quantity of drugs sold. In cases involving an overdose, however, the quantity of drug sold is secondary, possibly even irrelevant, in determining a defendant’s sentence. It is not necessary that the victim die from a drug overdose for this law to apply. The Len Bias Law provides for the same punishment if death or serious bodily injury occurs as a result of the drugs.10 Federal law defines serious bodily injury as that which involves, “a substantial risk of death; protracted and obvious disfigurement; or protracted loss or impairment of the function of a bodily member, organ, or mental faculty.”11 If the victim suffers a drug overdose but does not die, investigators should consult with their prosecutor to determine if the overdose falls within the definition of serious bodily injury.

All law enforcement agencies should join in this effort to investigate these crimes. The benefit of investigating drug overdoses derives from the enhanced sentencing provision of the law. Faced with lengthy jail terms, as well as the desire not to be associated with a death, suspects and potential defendants may be more apt to cooperate with law enforcement than in other investigations. Cooperation may allow defendants to escape the mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years. To this end, investigators may be able to quickly garner the assistance of suspects, thereby rapidly identifying and targeting other persons working up the chain of supply. Rather than targeting a single dealer, investigations should aim to identify all individuals involved in the chain of distribution of the drugs to the victim, thus dismantling an entire organization.

Let me be as clear as I can: based on what I know with significant certainty about what happened to my teenage son – both with regard to the assault and the overdose he suffered – there is a HIGH likelihood that someone else’s teenage or young adult son or daughter in our community will also overdose and die in a similar fashion unless investigators and prosecutors treat Henry’s death as something other than an unfortunate accident attributable only to my son’s admitted drug problem. And that breaks my heart. Because I can’t ever have my child back, but no one else should lose their beloved boy or girl because no one in authority cared enough about this case to truly advocate for the very best investigation and at least an attempt at prosecution.

Henry with his little brother and sisters (he’s holding C), plus cousins at our annual family beach trip.

Yesterday Henry’s little brother, E, who is 12, asked me why the people who gave his big brother the drugs that hurt him haven’t been arrested. I told him I couldn’t really answer that. He asked me if the people who hit Henry in the head and chest had been arrested. I told him they hadn’t. Then he asked me if the grown-ups who refused to call 911 for a long while when Henry was lying unconscious and barely breathing right in front of them were in any kind of trouble. I told him no, not so far. He was very confused.

So am I.

First steps in what I know will be a long process

Aug 182010

This morning we have our very first meeting (E*V*E*R* – no one has ever offered or asked to meet with us, or even called us til now) with one of the investigator/prosecutors involved with looking into the circumstances of Henry’s death. I am very, very anxious to finally hear details of what the heck has been going on with the investigation and also hear directly from someone who knows whether the authorities actually plan to pursue prosecution against anyone.

I am dreading the meeting even as I am eager to hear what she has in the way of information for us. I know we have some information for them regarding witnesses who haven’t yet been interviewed. I also want to make sure they’ve seen Henry’s medical records which clearly indicate head and chest trauma when he was admitted to the ER of April 27.

Keep your fingers crossed for me that things go well.

Justice for Henry – an update

Aug 162010

With every witness or information source whom I track down, I am learning more details about what happened to Henry in the 24 hours before he was taken to the hospital. It’s terrible to hear the details of how our teenager ended up with critical injuries to his brain, a fractured skull, and heart damage, but it’s very satisfying to know that we are getting closer to having a full picture that will allow those responsible to be held accountable for what they did to my child.

I hope to regroup with the investigating agencies this week to share our family’s new information and also to learn what they have uncovered in the 8 weeks that we have patiently left them completely, 100% alone to do their jobs.

I hope that no one in our community has mistaken my relative silence during this period on the investigation into Henry’s beating and overdose as a sign that I have given up. I have not and never will; I am just trying to do as I was asked, and step back, be quiet and let the professionals do the work they are trained to do. I hope and trust that we will see some great progress on the investigation when we next talk to Knox County Sheriff’s Office and Knox County prosecutors..

Make no mistake; I will have justice for Henry from our legal system. The people who did this need to be prevented from hurting anyone else’s child. The fact that my son was addicted to drugs shouldn’t mean that the people responsible for his death get a free pass.

This was my child. And we loved him very, very much.

Henry Louis Granju – October 7, 1991 – May 31, 2010
Uploaded by laurelavenue. – Explore more family videos.

In case you’ve been looking for some of last season’s beef jerky at a low, low price

Aug 152010

Behold, The Beef Jerky Outlet in Pigeon Forge, TN.

(I wonder, do they stock last season’s beef jerky or perhaps beef jerky with minor flaws and such…)

Another blogger’s son

Jun 192010

A local blogging friend of mine, Rich Hailey (you will note if you visit his blog that we are as idealogically different as two bloggers can be, but we’re still friends) has an 18 year old son hospitalized right now with traumatic brain injury and other complications following a terrible car accident. Rich’s son Luke was being admitted to the hospital on the day Henry died, and Luke is still there. It’s been a rough road for this family. If you have a moment, stop by Rich’s blog and give him some support on this Father’s Day weekend. He’s a very loving father who is living through a truly terrible experience with his son.