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- [00:00]
Joshua Vaughn
When Lamont Jones learns that his young cousin died in custody just weeks after entering prison, his world shatters. The official report claims natural causes, but how does that explain the bruises covering his body? The missing teeth? As grief transforms into frustration, Lamont faces an impossible choice. Accept the story he's being told or risk everything to uncover the truth. From Wondery comes Death County, Penns, a chilling story of corruption, cover ups and one man's relentless pursuit of justice. But what begins as a search for answers soon reveals a pattern too disturbing to ignore. Lamont's cousin's death is just one of many in the county prison, and powerful forces are working to keep the truth buried. Through never before heard interviewers with whistleblowers and other shocking revelations, Death County, Pa. Pulls back the curtain on one of America's darkest institutional secrets. Hosted by award winning journalist Joshua Vaughn, Death County, Pennsylvania follows Lamont's journey as he exposes a web of suspicious deaths, institutional coverups, and confronts a reality TV coroner who claims to speak for the dead. This isn't just another true crime story. It's happening right now. And the fight for justice is far from over. You're about to hear a clip from Death County, Pennsylvania. Follow Death County, Pa on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [01:25]
Graham Hetrick
The body of Tyreek Riley lies on a table inside a coroner's office. A breathing tube from the hospital still hangs from Tyreek's mouth. IV catheters protrude from his neck and right hand. Tyrique was just 21 years old, a young black man whose death was unimaginable just two weeks earlier when he had been arrested and sent to the local jail. Now it falls under the broad category of a death of questionable circumstances. So in a sterile exam room in a generic office park a few miles southeast of downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the autopsy of Tyreek Riley begins. A forensic pathologist in a surgical mask examines Tyreek's body. In some ways he seems to have been perfectly healthy, the pathologist notes. Tyreek still looks well nourished and well built. But Tyrek's body also shows signs of injury. The pathologist jots down what he contusion to the mid forehead, contusion to the tongue, abrasions on the lips, a quarter inch cut encircling the right wrist, cuts on the knuckles, bruising on a forearm, abrasions on the legs and feet, and a 6 inch bruise on the right hip. The pathologist examines the internal organs too. He sees hemorrhaging in the lungs, oxygen deprivation in the brain it would be up to the pathologist to stitch together these findings into an official report. But another man would be responsible for actually deciding Tyreek's cause and manner of death. Graham Hetrick, the county coroner. Graham is there in the exam room during the autopsy, and he looms over the proceedings. In many ways, he looms over Harrisburg and all of Dolphin County. He has an unmistakable look. A neatly cropped white beard, tortoiseshell spectacles, often a white lab coat. He has his own TV show, a true crime reality series on ID Discovery, named for his catchphrase, I speak for the dead. And in real life, it was Graham Hetrick's job to solve the mystery of how Tyreek's time in jail led to his death. Graham had ruled on thousands of deaths before. His findings were rarely challenged. But this time would be different. Graham's conclusions about why Tyreek died would unleash a furious response and expose a fact that local officials were trying hard to hide. Tyreek's death was part of a pattern. Something very bad was going on inside Dolphin County Prison.
- [04:51]
Lamont Jones
This is serious. This is family, and I want to know what happened.
- [04:54]
Unnamed Inmate
I knew I was going to die in there. I could feel it. And I was like, you gotta get me outta here.
- [04:58]
Dauphin county is the worst jail ever. How they treat us dead people rather die.
- [05:05]
Shame on every single person responsible for the death of so many people inside of this building here.
- [05:14]
Why you gotta die, die, die, die, die. Oh, so young.
- [05:23]
Joshua Vaughn
Binge all episodes of Death County, Pennsylvania, early and ad free on Wondery. Start your free trial in the wondry app, Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
- [05:33]
Unnamed Announcer
Follow Ghost Story on the Wondery app. You can binge the entire series exclusively and ad free right now by joining Wondery plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Before you go, tell us about yourself and why you listen by completing a short survey@wondery.com survey.