COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Columbia police have reopened the investigation into the death of man whose death was initially ruled an overdose.
Freddie McKee, 37, was found dead on July 8, 2020, outside a central Columbia home.
His mother, Doressia McKee, has consistently questioned the ruling and criticized the way Columbia police handled the investigation.
She argued police did not follow departmental procedures and treated the cause of his death as a foregone conclusion, The Columbia Missourian reported.
After Columbia Police Chief Geoff Jones rejected McKee's initial complaint, she filed an appeal with the Citizens Police Review Board on Nov 23.
She alleged that her son had multiple cuts and bruises, his cellphone and one shoe were not found, and two toxicology reports drew conflicting conclusions about whether Freddie McKee had drugs in his system. She also alleged police did not question potential witnesses.
On Nov. 30, the Citizens Police Review Board sent a letter to Jones asking him to reconsider reopening the investigation.
On Dec. 8, Jones told the board he would reopen both the death investigation and a department internal affairs investigation. He said he would assign a detective uninvolved in the original investigation to determine if any other actions were needed.