Wukie at it again

An advocacy group wants to retire Sandusky County Coroner John Wukie after he ruled the accidental death last week of a Fremont woman a suicide."Yet another injustice in Sandusky County," a post at the J4J Facebook page states. "Wukie needs to be removed from office." Lisa Reed, 49, 1200 block of Liberty Street, shot herself with a handgun she had bought a few days before her death, according to information Wukie provided to a reporter with the Fremont News-Messenger. Reed did not leave a suicide letter, and Wukie doesn't know what her intent was when she shot herself. He ruled the death a suicide because Reed put a gun to her chest, and the gun fired. "The muzzle was right against her chest when it went off," he told the Fremont News-Messenger.Wukie, who is not a forensic pathologist, contends suicide rulings can include accidental deaths. This is not the first time Wukie has made the conflicted ruling, which many have called "accidental suicide," or the first time he's been called incompetent by the Justice for Jake group.In 2012, just days after the death of Jake Limberios from an accidental gunshot wound to the head, Wukie ruled he killed himself despite the evidence, witness statements and the investigative report that all stated it was an accident. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine later conducted a lengthy investigation after local officials were accused of wrongdoing at the scene where Jake died and in not collecting evidence and witness statements in a way that met professional standards. Jake's family contends DeWine stilted the investigation again, however, and whitewashed evidence even though a grand jury led by DeWine's team concluded Jake's death was accidental. The families involved with two other recent DeWine grand juries in Sandusky County raised similar claims about DeWine "whitewashing" evidence because he did not want criminal indictments against public officials. DeWine's three grand juries all returned no bill verdicts — meaning no indictments — in all three criminal investigations he conducted in Sandusky County during the last two years. Wukie never conducted any investigation into Jake's death, or ordered an autopsy, but he has refused to correct the death certificate or respond to calls for him to explain why his ruling trumps the findings of local and state agencies that did investigate and all came to the same conclusion it was an accident. Wukie is the only public official, witness or investigator to suggest it was a suicide. He did later order an autopsy, after Jake's parents, Shannon and the late Mike Limberios, were forced to contract their own autopsy when Wukie refused to return their phone calls or respond to their requests for one. They hired famed pathologist Cyril Wecht, who conducted the autopsy and returned Jake's body to Castalia Cemetery in one day. Six months after Wecht's autopsy Wukie ordered Jake's body exhumed again, and It took weeks before he finally released it, on Mother's Day weekend 2013.Lucas County assistant coroner Cynthia Beisser conducted the second autopsy and stated she did "not disagree" with Wukie about the cause of death. Her findings in Jake's case, and in previous cases, have been determined to be incorrect. Wecht ruled Jake was killed — the victim of a homicide, possibly accidental — because he could not have been holding the gun when it fired. There was no burn, or "stipling" at the wound in Jake's head, which would be there if the it was self-inflicted. It's not clear why Wukie provided the limited statement about Lisa Reed's death on Monday to the Fremont newspaper but refuses to respond to the Register. In the past he provides what amounts to an "official story," but when questions are raised about deaths, investigations or criminal charges he refuses to respond or provide any additional information. The county coroner is an elected position, and the responsibilities include responding to inquiries from the public. Wukie generally does not address those requirements. Justice for Jake and Ella was founded by friends of the Limberios family and its Facebook page has more than 21,000 followers. Supporters have demanded Wukie correct the death certificate, and the Register's editorial board also has asked why it hasn't been corrected. DeWine, too, suggested Wukie correct it, but he nor any other public official have pushed Wukie for the change, or an explanation why he won't change it to reflect what happened.DeWine was recently appointed as special prosecutor for the police misconduct investigation Ottawa County Sheriff Steve Levorchick launched after the Register reported complaints of police brutality, false arrest reports and more recently the alleged rape of a female cadet police officer seven years ago that Put-in-Bay police Chief Robert "Ric" Lampella allegedly covered up by intimidating the victim. It's also not clear why Wiersma, the Fremont police chief in charge of the investigation of Reed's death, refuses to respond to inquiries from the Register, although he too, in the past, has refused to respond to inquiries about certain investigations after an "official story" is provided.