Delays Add To Grief Family Of 7-Year-Old Meningitis Victim Frustrated After Weekend Of Waiting For Autopsy

Relatives of a 7-year-old Seattle girl who died in Spokane on Friday said Sunday they were “held hostage” waiting for the coroner to arrange an autopsy.

Spokane County Coroner Dexter Amend said he tried every avenue to get the autopsy done over the weekend, but no one was available to do it.

Randi Robertson died of meningococcal meningitis, a rare, fast-acting disease that has symptoms similar to the flu.

The family agreed to the autopsy Friday night, assuming it would be performed immediately, said Ken Robertson, the girl’s grandfather.

But to the Robertsons’ surprise and frustration, autopsies are rarely, if ever, done on weekends in Spokane.

“We just want to go home and put it behind us,” Robertson said. “But we’re not willing to leave her behind. We’re not leaving ‘til she goes.”

Randi showed symptoms of the disease while at a family reunion in Republic. She was taken to a Republic hospital, then airlifted to Sacred Heart Medical Center on Friday, where she died.

After receiving the results from a culture showing meningitis Saturday morning, relatives assumed they could make arrangements for a mortician to transport the body back home.

But when they called the hospital, they were told they had to contact the coroner’s office to gain release of the body.

That led to a wild chase of phone calls trying to track down Amend, who was out of town. By Sunday morning, the family had made at least 195 phone calls trying to resolve the matter, Robertson said.

All the while, Robertson, his wife, and Randi’s parents sat in a hotel near Sacred Heart. Every few hours a medical helicopter flew overhead, reminding them of Randi’s last flight - the one they had hoped would save her life.

“This has been pure hell,” Robertson said.

Amend contacted the family around 5 p.m. Saturday, saying he would see what he could do about an autopsy, but would not release the body, Robertson said.

Then on Sunday morning, the family got a message from Amend that his attempts were fruitless and an autopsy would be performed this morning.

“We would have preferred to do an autopsy as soon as possible,” Amend said Sunday night. “But this all happened on a weekend where all hospitals are at minimum staff arrangements.”

Amend said the law requires the coroner’s office to conduct an autopsy in cases that are “of significance both in terms of criminality and societal protection.”

This case falls under societal protection because of the seriousness of the disease, Amend said.

Robertson questioned why the county would delay an autopsy if Randi’s illness posed a threat to the public.

But the delay of an autopsy until today did not increase the risk to the public, because the form of mengingitis that killed Randi is not easily transmitted, said Paul Stepak, epidemiologist for the Spokane Health District.

Asked why there was no system in place to handle autopsies on weekends, Amend blamed part of the problem on the fact that the county contracts for its autopsies.

“There has never been an autopsy done in Spokane County on a weekend for 15 years or more,” Amend said.

Amend’s portrayal of how the family was handling the lack of an autopsy was far different from Robertson’s comments.

“They are very considerate given the fact it is a community threat and a very serious risk factor and I think that made (the family) be sensitive to our requirements,” Amend said.

But Robertson was furious with the delay and doesn’t understand why there isn’t a system for weekend autopsies.

“I am certainly considering a lawsuit,” Robertson said. “It is not about money, it is the fact we’ve been held hostage by his failure to do his duty.”

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