After more than three months since a crash in Alabama, a woman discovered the body of her missing brother. She is now accusing law enforcement of inadequately searching the area at the time of the accident.
34-year-old Katie Lewis says she’s haunted by the road she discovered her brother’s body on.
“Honestly, I never want to drive down this road again,” she admitted to local outlet WAFF. “It’s just unfair that he had to sit here for three months.”
She further detailed the shock of seeing her brother’s body.
“It was awful. It was something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy,” she told The New York Post.
On September 2, Lewis discovered the body of her brother, 30-year-old Kody Martin, approximately 20 steps into the woods off County Road 55 in Cullman.
The Morgan County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the scene and verified the grisly discovery. Lewis reported Martin missing on July 26, stating that she last saw him on May 18.
The Events Leading Up to a Sister Discovering the Remains of Her Brother Following a Deadly Car Wreck
During Labor Day weekend, she finally received news from a vigilant tow truck company, which confirmed that they had removed her brother’s wrecked car from the location where it had crashed into a telephone pole on May 30.
Lewis realized she needed to investigate the scene herself.
“He had been actively missing 104 days. So there’s no way I could have not just went out there,” she told The Post.
Lewis and her brother-in-law spent approximately 30 minutes searching the woods before discovering the remains. The body was later identified through dental records.
The Morgan County Coroner, Jeff Chunn, confirmed to The Post that the cause of death will be attributed to blunt force injuries sustained in the automobile accident.
Alabama State Troopers arrived at the scene of the initial accident, according to Lewis. She criticized the first responders for not conducting a thorough search of the area and is now seeking legal counsel to further investigate the matter.
“He was not protected and they did not serve that day,” Lewis told WAFF. “My brother was right here. If they would have searched they would have found my brother.”
Lewis is also advocating for legislation that mandates a more thorough investigation of crime scenes to prevent similar tragedies from affecting other families.
“Either a K-9 or a foot search is made of the area and that they locate them,” Lewis insisted.