TACOMA — The Pierce County medical examiner’s office has acknowledged it misidentified the body of a woman who died when she was hit by a pickup truck last week in Spanaway, Wash.
The medical examiner, Dr. Thomas Clark, says the victim had no identification. A local hospital reported the death to the medical examiner’s office. Clark says “a misunderstanding involving several members” of his staff led his office to identify the dead woman as Samantha Kennedy.
The News Tribune reports that Kennedy’s mother, Lori Baker, asked to see her 24-year-old daughter’s body Wednesday– and was both shocked and relieved to see the dead woman wasn’t her daughter. Baker says she has had only sporadic contact with her daughter in recent years.
Clark now says the dead woman is really 25-year-old Jade Aubrey-Peterson.
Clark says he regrets the error and his office is changing its practices to avoid a similar mistake in the future.
