Taking pet monkey to death scene among complaints about South Arkansas coroner

By JOE MAY | The Southern Standard

Carrying a pet monkey to a death scene was one of the more bizarre complaints made recently concerning Pike County Coroner Dawn Friedman at the regular meeting of the quorum court.

Kimberly Cowart, who had asked to be on the agenda to discuss the coroner’s recent conduct, did not mention Friedman’s name during the meeting, but did address the alleged conduct of the elected officeholder.

In September, Cowart stated that her brother, Jim Petty, 50, was found deceased in his camper in Antoine. The position of his body seemed to indicate that he had “dropped dead,” Cowart stated, adding that “a 50-year-old man in good health just doesn’t drop dead.”

Cowart, a nurse, asked that the body not be removed until she arrived. When she got there, she was met by Friedman whom she described as not acting or dressing professional.

“She kept trying to tell us what happened,” she said, adding that the coroner refused the family’s request for an autopsy saying the victim had died of natural causes. Because the family did not have $7,000 for an autopsy, the body was embalmed.

Later, learning that her brother had purchased some opioids, she wanted to know if he had possibly died from a drug overdose. Because he had been embalmed, the only option was to use material from his eyes.

Cowart then said Friedman did not submit her report on the incident to obtain a toxicology report for “seven weeks and two days. All she had to do was type it in and hit send.” With the help of contacts in the field, Cowart was able to get an expediated toxicology report from the state crime lab, which showed that Petty’s death was not due to drugs.

“We will never know my brother’s cause of death,” Coward said, adding that she wanted to know because Petty was adopted and has a daughter who needs to know her family medical history. What further hurts, Cowart said, is that two weeks later the same situation was played out in Delight and this time, she said the victim was sent for an autopsy. “What’s the difference?” she asked. 

In another incident, she said that Friedman showed up to a death scene in Murfreesboro with a monkey on her shoulder.

“A live monkey?” Justice Johnny Plyler asked.

“A live monkey,” Coward replied. “And the police had to tell her to go put it back in her car. It was very unprofessional.”

Telling the court that she realized Friedman is a separate elected official and as such the court has no direct authority over her, Cowart stated that she was making them aware of the situation.

“Our county is going to be in a fix if she messes something up and has to be on the stand in court. Our county deserves better than this. It’s just wrong.” Cowart said she intends to bring the situation to the attention of Prosecuting Attorney Jana Bradford and the state attorney general.