The family of a Washburn man has called for a review of their son’s autopsy.
Erik Foote, 39, went missing in January and his body was discovered near the river in Caribou in April. Last week, the medical examiner’s office reported his cause of death as undetermined.
For his parents, Brenda and Allan Foote, that’s not an answer to the questions they still have about Erik’s disappearance and death. They have asked Maine’s new medical examiner, retired U.S. Air Force Col. Alice Briones, to review the autopsy.
“Time, with no closure, doesn’t make things easier,” Brenda Foote said Thursday. “He deserves closure and it isn’t right that after suffering through an 84-day living nightmare we can’t have a cause of death.”
The missing-person case was first handled by the Washburn Police Department, which has since closed down. Jurisdiction was transferred to the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office when former Washburn police officer Chandler Cole was investigated and then arrested for allegedly falsifying records connected with the case.
Cole waived his initial court appearance and is scheduled to appear for arraignment at Presque Isle District Court on Sept. 11.
Foote’s cause of death is undetermined, said Lindsey Chasteen, medical examiner’s office administrator, on Aug. 13. The office released no other details due to privacy concerns, she said.
The office did not immediately respond on Thursday as to whether they have received or will act on the Foote family’s request for a review.
Although they aren’t sure what finally happened to their son, the family believes that Erik died because Cole, who they say fielded multiple 911 calls about Erik, didn’t call for an ambulance or take him to the hospital.
“Erik cried out for help the day he went missing. Multiple motorists called in with concern,” she said. “Fact: If he had been taken to a hospital, he would be alive. Fact: If he would have received the help he asked for, he would be alive. His death was senseless and unnecessary.”
The family is considering additional steps but those plans are not firm yet, she said. She declined to specify further.
She and her husband recognize the time and resources the sheriff’s office expended throughout the case, and appreciate the community support they’ve received, she said.
Foote was a U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq. The family set up a Disabled American Veterans fundraiser to honor him, with the goal of raising $100,000 to help veterans through the organization.
“Making a difference for other veterans is important to Erik and to us, and we ask anyone who cares about what happened to our son and what happens to veterans every day in our country, to please consider a donation,” she said.
