Fort Lauderdale Police Found Missing Man's Body but Never Told Family
On November 26, Fort Lauderdale Police found Bob Karpinen slumped over dead on a bench at Colee Hammock Park. Identifying the body wasn't difficult — the 58-year-old had an ID in his wallet and a pill bottle with his name and his doctor's name listed on the side. Officers Jesus Gonzalez and Scott Bellinger filled out a report, jotting down contact information for Karpinen's 77-year-old mother in Delray Beach.
But for some reason, neither officer bothered contacting her or anyone else in the family. Within hours, Karpinen's body was hauled off, his property seized, and the report closed out.
Eight days later, Bob's brother Jim walked into the Fort Lauderdale Police Department and tried to file a missing person report. He told Officer Christopher Kuras he hadn't heard from Bob since he was released from a detox center more than a week earlier. Their mother could see he hadn't spent any money, and Jim was concerned that Bob — an on-again, off-again drug addict — missed a doctor's appointment where he would have gotten more pain pills. Bob never skipped those appointments.
Stunningly, police missed a second opportunity to notify the family about Bob's death. Instead, Kuras filled out a skimpy report with just six sentences. He failed to enter Bob into a missing persons database or follow up on any possible leads. It wasn't until January 4, when an aunt called the medical examiner's office, that relatives learned Bob's body had been recovered 41 days earlier.
Read more: http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/fort-lauderdale-police-found-missing-mans-body-but-never-told-family-10019857
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