bella
12-24-2003, 03:06 AM
Inmate Misidentified as Suicide Victim
By KEN MILLER, AP
OKLAHOMA CITY (Dec. 23) - Kevin Wyckoff's family held a funeral and a burial for him before learning that prison officials had misidentified an inmate who had hanged himself behind bars.
The mistake came to light when Wyckoff telephoned his father in Sallisaw from the Lexington Assessment and Reception Center on Monday evening. The burial had taken place earlier in the day.
Corrections Department spokesman Jerry Massie said Tuesday he did not know why Wyckoff's family did not recognize the body as someone else.
Wyckoff's father, Charles Wyckoff, told radio station WKY that he is relieved his son is OK but wants to know how the mistake happened.
Wyckoff, 23, is serving a five-year sentence for offenses including kidnapping and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
The name of the man who hanged himself Friday and was buried was not immediately released.
Wyckoff and the other man had both entered the prison on Dec. 5 and are similar in appearance, Massie said. He said the identification of the dead inmate was apparently made by prison officials, who then notified the medical examiner.
The two men may have switched cells, Massie said.
"Whether they just did it without us knowing it, or whether it was approved and paperwork didn't get done, is what we're trying to determine," he said.
12/23/03 14:27 EST
By KEN MILLER, AP
OKLAHOMA CITY (Dec. 23) - Kevin Wyckoff's family held a funeral and a burial for him before learning that prison officials had misidentified an inmate who had hanged himself behind bars.
The mistake came to light when Wyckoff telephoned his father in Sallisaw from the Lexington Assessment and Reception Center on Monday evening. The burial had taken place earlier in the day.
Corrections Department spokesman Jerry Massie said Tuesday he did not know why Wyckoff's family did not recognize the body as someone else.
Wyckoff's father, Charles Wyckoff, told radio station WKY that he is relieved his son is OK but wants to know how the mistake happened.
Wyckoff, 23, is serving a five-year sentence for offenses including kidnapping and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
The name of the man who hanged himself Friday and was buried was not immediately released.
Wyckoff and the other man had both entered the prison on Dec. 5 and are similar in appearance, Massie said. He said the identification of the dead inmate was apparently made by prison officials, who then notified the medical examiner.
The two men may have switched cells, Massie said.
"Whether they just did it without us knowing it, or whether it was approved and paperwork didn't get done, is what we're trying to determine," he said.
12/23/03 14:27 EST