Family surprised by Cass County sheriff’s announcement man died by suicide in jail
Relatives of a Kansas City man who died in police custody say more than a month has passed and they still don’t know what led to his death in a Pleasant Hill jail cell.
Law enforcement officials concluded the man died by suicide.
But during a news conference Thursday, family members said they can’t fathom the idea that the 53-year-old took his own life.
Anthony “Tony” P. Garner Sr. died Dec. 19 while in custody of the Pleasant Hill Police Department.
Family members have said that Garner was arrested outside his mother’s home about 1 a.m. on outstanding warrants for unpaid tickets, mostly traffic-related violations.
Patsy Donald recalled officers knocking at her door hours after her son had been arrested, telling her Garner had died. Police indicated there had been a suicide, according to the family, but relatives said they’ve been left wondering what happened to Garner in the hours leading up to his death.
The Cass County Sheriff’s Office said it launched a criminal investigation into the matter with the assistance of the Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Meanwhile, the Pleasant Hill Police Department issued a news release more than three weeks after the death to say it reached out to an outside agency “to insure transparency.” It also said affected personnel were placed on administrative leave pending the conclusion of the sheriff’s investigation.
Earlier in January, the sheriff’s office said preliminary findings had indicated Garner died by suicide.
Hours before the family gathered to talk to local media Thursday, the sheriff’s office released a statement, concluding that “no crime had occurred and that Mr. Garner took his own life.”
“An investigation by the Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the findings and determined that the cause of death was asphyxia, by manner of suicide,” the statement said.
The Star requested Garner’s autopsy report from the medical examiner’s office earlier this week.
Around the same time the sheriff’s office released its statement Thursday, a Jackson County spokeswoman wrote The Star back, denying its records request and citing an ongoing investigation.
Garner’s sister, Michelle Robinson, pleaded for answers during the news conference at Church of Faith. Family members, alongside Damon Daniel, the president of AdHoc Group Against Crime, called on transparency from law enforcement and expressed disappointment.
“It’s been over 30 days and we’ve heard nothing. .... We just want answers as to what actually happened to Tony within four to five hours of being picked up off of traffic tickets, traffic warrants,” Robinson said. “I don’t see traffic tickets being a reason for suicide or whatever could have happened to him in there ... I can’t accept it.”
Daniel said relatives were unaware the sheriff’s office announced the end of the investigation and said family members have not been contacted by law enforcement since Garner died.
“Here’s the issue with that, they’ve released a statement, but they have not contacted the family before releasing that statement, and that’s the problem that we have in situations like this,” Daniel said. “This family has gone over a month without any communication. No word of concern. No word of here’s where the investigation is. Nothing.”
Daniel added that the family has requested a sit-down meeting with police to understand the investigation.
Follow-up questions sent to the Pleasant Hill Police Department and the Cass County Sheriff’s Office went unanswered Thursday night.
Robinson described her brother as “the family peacemaker,” a father of two adult children and a husband who took care of his loved ones.
“For something like this to happen to him within that short amount of time, I just want some answers,” Robinson said. “I can’t see anything my brother would have done to hurt himself.”
This story was originally published January 31, 2019 at 9:33 PM.
