DISTURBING VIDEO OF A NOW FIRED EMPLOYEE DRAGGING A DEAD MAN SENT SHOCKWAVES THROUGH NEW ORLEANS, WDSU STARTED INVESTIGATING WHAT WE UNCOVERED MAY SURPRISE YOU. EXCLUSIVE RECORDINGS FROM A TOP STAFFER. WE DON’T HAVE THE STAFF TO WRITE PROTOCOLS RIGHT NOW. A LACK OF WRITTEN PLANS FOR HURRICANE SEASON. THIS NEEDS TO BE BROUGHT TO LIGHT, AND LAWSUITS. LEAVING GRIEVING FAMILIES OUTRAGED. WHILE THE CORONER IS DEFENDING HIS TIME SPENT AT THE OFFICE. I’M NOT BROKEN. WDSU INVESTIGATOR AUBRY KILLION SHOWS YOU THE DESPERATE PLEA FOR IMMEDIATE CHANGE. WE LOVE YOU. THERE’S NO GREATER PAIN THAN LOSING A LOVED ONE. FOR SIDNEY SMITH, THAT PAIN IS LOSING HIS SON, JUSTIN. IT’S A LOSS THAT CANNOT. BE EXPLAINED. AND THIS IS A NICOLAS CAGE AND JUSTIN. JUSTIN’S PHOTOS AND ARTWORK STILL UP INSIDE OF JUSTIN’S BEDROOM. HE WAS AN AMAZING ARTIST, SMITH SAYS JUSTIN LIVED WITH A MENTAL ILLNESS AND DRUGS KILLED HIM. HE WAS MY ONE AND ONLY CHILD. WHAT HAUNTS ME THE MOST IS ALLEGATIONS ABOUT THE NEW ORLEANS CORONER’S OFFICE AND THEIR HANDLING OF JUSTIN’S BODY. SMITH HAS FILED A LAWSUIT CLAIMING JUSTIN LEFT HOME IN 2023, COLLAPSED IN THE FRENCH QUARTER AND DIED. DESPITE HIS EFFORTS TO SEEK HELP AND PROVIDE INFORMATION TO THE CORONER. SMITH CLAIMS THAT JUSTIN’S BODY WAS ALREADY THERE WITHOUT HIS KNOWLEDGE. HE ALLEGES HE WAS NOT INFORMED OF JUSTIN’S DEATH UNTIL NEARLY A MONTH LATER, AND FINGERPRINTS WERE NOT PROPERLY PROCESSED. THE LAWSUIT ALSO ACCUSES THE CORONER’S OFFICE OF CAUSING IMPROPER DECOMPOSITION BY FAILING TO REFRIGERATE JUSTIN’S BODY ADEQUATELY. THE CORONER DENIES THE ALLEGATIONS AND FILED A DEMAND AGAINST THE CITY, SAYING THE BUILDING PROVIDED BY THE CITY HAS HAD SIGNIFICANT AIR CONDITIONING PROBLEMS, SUCH AS THE APPROPRIATE TEMPERATURE FOR THE STORAGE OF BODIES, AND THAT THE CITY’S FAILURE TO PROVIDE NOPD WITH PROPER FINGERPRINTING EQUIPMENT CAUSED THE DELAY IN IDENTIFYING SMITH’S BODY. THE CITY HAS DENIED THE ALLEGATIONS IN THE CORONER’S DEMAND. SMITH’S ATTORNEY, RICK TRAHAN, ASKED ABOUT WRITTEN PROTOCOLS WHEN BRIAN O’LEARY, CHIEF INVESTIGATOR FOR THE CORONER, IS UNDER OATH IMPLEMENTING SOME WRITTEN PROTOCOLS. DO YOU REMEMBER THAT? YES. HAS THAT EVER BEEN DONE? NOT YET. NO. CAN YOU TELL ME WHY NOT? I DON’T HAVE THE STAFF TO WRITE PROTOCOLS RIGHT NOW. THERE’S NO MANUAL WRITTEN MANUAL FOR DEATH INVESTIGATIONS. ET CETERA. I’M NOT BROKEN. DON’T FIX ME, DOCTOR DWIGHT MCKENNA MAKING IT CLEAR HE’S STANDING BEHIND HIS STAFF. THIS OFFICE DOESN’T NEED FIXING. WHAT? WE COULD USE MORE RESOURCES. REPORTER. WHEN IT COMES TO POLICIES, DOCTOR MCKENNA SAYS THEY FOLLOW THE STANDARDS FOR THE NATIONAL MEDICAL EXAMINERS AND STATE LAW. YOU’RE NOT GOING TO IDENTIFY EVERYBODY IN 24 HOURS, IN TWO DAYS OR THREE DAYS. IT MAY TAKE MONTHS WHEN IT COMES TO ADDING POLICIES SPECIFIC TO HIS OFFICE AND STAFF. THAT’S MY DECISION. OKAY. I’M NOT SAYING IT’S A BAD IDEA, BUT I THINK IT’S UNNECESSARY. WHY SHOULD YOU REINVENT THE WHEEL? THE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES THAT WE NEED TO FOLLOW ARE NATIONAL STANDARDS, AND WE ALREADY DO THAT. AND WHEN IT COMES TO HURRICANE SEASON, THE CORONER’S OFFICE SAYS THEY HAVE A PLAN. THERE, A DOCUMENTED PLAN ON PAPER. WE WILL BE HERE. THERE’S THERE’S NOTHING ON PAPER, PER SE, JUST TO MAKE SURE I’M NOT I MEAN, I MEAN, IT’S INFATUATION WITH HAVING IT ON PAPER. WE KNOW WHAT WE HAVE TO DO. WDSU INVESTIGATES ALSO DUG INTO THE DEATH OF BENJAMIN FONTS. SO. SO YOU THINK YOU CAN TELL FONT. HIS PARENTS ALLEGE IN A LAWSUIT THAT ALTHOUGH HIS BODY WAS SENT TO THE MORGUE, STAFF DENIED HIS BODY WAS THERE FOR EIGHT MONTHS. HIS PARENTS SEARCHED. THEY ALLEGE A CALL BY HIS MOTHER REVEALED AN EMPLOYEE, STATING WE HAVE HIM. WDSU FONTS HAD BEEN CREMATED WITHOUT THE FAMILY’S KNOWLEDGE. IN THAT CASE WAS ALSO QUESTIONED. IN GENERAL. MR. O’LEARY, YOU WOULD AGREE WITH ME THAT IT’S BETTER TO HAVE DOCUMENTED PROTOCOLS THAN JUST WORD OF MOUTH. CORRECT? AND WOULD YOU ANSWER? IN GENERAL, YES. IN THE FONTS CASE, JUDGE KERN REESE NOTED THAT NOPD OBTAINED FINGERPRINTS AND PROVIDED THE CORONER WITH BENJAMIN’S DATE OF BIRTH. STATE ID NUMBER, BUT MISSPELLED HIS LAST NAME. FONTS AS P E A N. HE FOUND THE CORONER’S FAILURE TO CONDUCT A FURTHER INVESTIGATION TO IDENTIFY BENJAMIN. RECKLESS AND OUTRAGEOUS MISCONDUCT. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE FACTS OF THIS CASE THAT WE STARTED WITH A BAD NAME, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT GAVE US INCORRECT INFORMATION. HE DISPARAGED ME PERSONALLY AND THE PEOPLE IN MY OFFICE. WE ARE APPEALING HIS DECISION. I DISAGREE WITH EVERYTHING HE SAID. I DON’T KNOW WHAT HIS MOTIVES WERE. HE’S NOT GOD. HE’S NOT THE POPE. HE’S NOT INFALLIBLE. THAT OPINION WAS DISGRACED AS FAR AS I’M CONCERNED. DOCTOR MCKENNA ALSO SAYS HIS OFFICE OPERATES WITH A SMALLER BUDGET THAN OTHER SURROUNDING PARISHES, AND SAYS THEY OPERATE WITH A SKELETON STAFF. THE CORONER IS ALLOWED TO PERFORM OUTSIDE WORK, AND DOCTOR MCKENNA HAS A PRIVATE PRACTICE. HOW MANY HOURS A WEEK ARE YOU AT YOUR PRIVATE PRACTICE? I WORK AT MY PRIVATE PRACTICE ABOUT FOUR 4 TO 5 HOURS A DAY. HOW MANY HOURS A WEEK ARE YOU WORKING HERE AT THE CORONER’S OFFICE? AS MANY AS IT TAKES. I LEAVE HERE AS MANY AS IT TAKES. 4 TO 5 HOURS, MAYBE LONGER, MAYBE LESS ON SOME DAYS. I DON’T HAVE A SET SCHEDULE, BUT I COME TO WORK EVERY DAY AND I DO MY WORK. MAYBE WORKING 40 HOURS A WEEK WOULD HELP WITH THE SKELETON I WORK. NOBODY CAN SAY DOCTOR MCKENNA DOESN’T WORK. I WORK AND GET MY JOB DONE. I WORK FROM HOME. WE WORK ON COMPUTERS, GETTING DEATH CERTIFICATES OUT, THE CORONER’S TRUST IN OUR INTERVIEW, THE GOOD WORK THEY DO, PROVIDING EXAMPLES OF TENS OF THOUSANDS OF CASES WHERE THEY’VE PROVIDED CLOSURE FOR FAMILIES, BUT THEY’RE STILL CONCERNED FOR PEOPLE LIKE SIDNEY SMITH LOSING A CHILD IS THE WORST. AND I HAVE EXPERIENCED THE WORST. PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO PROFITEER AND IMMORTALIZE THE DEATHS OF THEIR LOVED ONES. I HAVE ALL THE SYMPATHY IN THE WORLD FOR THEIR LOVED ONE, BUT WE DIDN’T KILL THEM. AND IF YOU HAD SPENT THE TIME YOU’RE TAKING NOW TO GO AFTER US AND HAD SPENT THAT TIME WITH THEM, MAYBE THEY WOULDN’T HAVE WOUND UP ON MY. MORGUE. HIS ASHES OR INTERNED IN HERE. BACK AT SMITH’S HOME. HE KNOWS SHARING HIS STORY WON’T BRING JUSTIN BACK, BUT WHAT HE WANTS MOST IS CHANGE. JUSTIN DIED ON JUNE 18TH, 2023, WHICH HAPPENED TO BE FATHER’S DAY. THIS SMILE NEVER LEFT HIM. AUBRY KILLION WDSU INVESTIGATES. WELL, WE ASKED JUDGE REESE FOR A COMMENT ON THIS STORY. HIS OFFICE SAYS DUE TO PENDING LITIGATION, THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO COMMENT, AND THE CORONER IN HIS INTERVIEW SAID THAT COOLERS ARE WORKING AND THEY HAVE NO BACKLOG OF IDENTIFYING BODIES. TO SEE MORE OF