NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Jeffry “Kelton” Skaggs was just 15-months-old when he died nearly 15 years ago.
Kelton died in Maury County on January 21, 2001. His death was first ruled an accident by the medical examiner at the time. However, investigators and doctors said there were suspicious signs.
Now the the 22nd judicial district attorney, Brent Cooper, wants to get permission from a judge to exhume the body for another autopsy.
“When a child, especially a child that young, suffers an injury that severe at the hands of another person then that person needs to be brought to justice,” said Cooper.
“Kelton deserves for someone to pay for what happened to him,” he continued. Cooper said he was approached by the current and former directors of the TBI shortly after taking office last year. They asked him to take a fresh look at the case.
“We’re hoping that our investigation will give us enough proof to bring that person to justice,” said Cooper.
Cooper said in order to do that another autopsy must be performed, so he filed a “Petition for Disinterment to Perform Autopsy” in August.
According to the petition his mother’s boyfriend said the toddler fell off the bed.
The medical examiner at the time, Dr. Charles Harlan, ruled the death an accident. In 2005, the State Board of Medical Examiners stripped Harlan of his license to practice medicine.
The ruling came two years after a state investigation got underway into his shoddy handling of autopsies. “You look at the autopsy that was performed back then and a lot of the procedures and tests that are just common to every autopsy weren’t done,” said Cooper.
So now he is hoping to have another one performed.
Reporter Talia Kaplan will have the full story on News 2 at 10.
Source: news2
Boy’s body may be exhumed 15 years after death
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