Important Questions of Identification & Custody of Body of Would-be Assassin
July 21, 2024
AbleChild posted an exclusive article on July 18th revealing that the Allegany County, PA coroner’s office had conducted the autopsy on Thomas Matthew Crooks and according to Jessica in the coroner’s office the manner of death was homicide, and the cause of death was a gunshot wound. However, the coroner’s office refused to provide any details about the date and time the body had arrived at the office and what tests had been conducted during the autopsy, such as a toxicology report which would include test for psychiatric drugs if the shooter had a mental health diagnosis.
Contrary to several news articles, including FOX News and TMZ, the Coroner’s office did not publicly provide information about where the shooter, Thomas Mathew Crooks, was shot…that is where on his body. According to Fox, TMZ and other news organizations, “Crooks died from a gunshot wound to the head.” The coroner’s office only provided the following information: the cause of death is gunshot and manner of death is homicide. The coroner’s office did not make public where on the shooter’s body the gunshot occurred.
It is unclear when the FBI will make publicly available the complete autopsy information, including where on the body the shooter was hit and any toxicology reports, but there are other pressing issues to consider regarding the on-going investigation.
For example, there are several news reports about the efforts taken by the FBI to identify the would-be assassin, including DNA. CNN reported on Sunday, July 14th that agents had “to run his DNA and get biometric confirmation.” However, there is conflicting information about when and where the shooter was confirmed dead and even when law enforcement learned of the shooter’s identity.
Why should the FBI have to conduct DNA analysis when the shooter’s identity had already been established within 30 minutes of the shooting. According to a July 17th article by CNN, “within 30 minutes of the shooting…federal law enforcement used a byzantine paper records system to track down decades-old gun sales records to help identify the 20-year-old would-be assassin.” The article continues, “results were provided to the FBI and Secret Service in less than 30 minutes.”
Based on the above information, it would appear that the FBI knew of the shooter’s identity literally within thirty minutes of the attack. But it is the whereabouts of the shooter’s body that is troublesome. According to the local Butler Eagle Newspaper, “The coroner and another Deputy later returned after 6a.m. to the American Glass Research (AGR) International building, where he climbed on to its roof to confirm the death of Thomas Matthew Crooks…”
Are you kidding? Twelve hours after the shooting, the coroner is on the roof of the AGR building confirming the shooters death? Was the body lying on top of that building for twelve hours? This is bizarre. What is the chain of custody on this body? Where is the video/photos of this body lying on this roof at 6 a.m.? It’s time for law enforcement to explain the chain of custody of this body and, if the Butler Eagle account is correct, why was this body still on the roof twelve hours after the shooting?
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