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- [00:00]
Joshua Vaughan
When Lamont Jones learns 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 accept the story he's been told or risk everything to uncover the truth about what happened to his cousin. From wondery comes Death County, Pennsylvania, a chilling true story of corruption, coverups, and one man's relentless pursuit of justice. What begins as one man's search for answers soon reveals a pattern too disturbing to ignore. Lamont's cousin's death is just one of many in Dauphin County Prison, and powerful forces are working to keep the truth buried. Through never before heard interviews with whistleblowers and shocking revelations, Death County, Pennsylvania pulls back the curtain of America's darkest institutional secrets. Hosted by award winning journalist Joshua Vaughan, 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. I'm about to play a clip from Death County, Pennsylvania. Follow Death County, Pa on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [01:39]
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 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 Tyreek's body also shows signs of injury. The pathologist jots down what he sees. 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 Tyrique 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.
- [05:05]
Tyreek Riley's Family Member
This is serious. This is family. And I want to know what happened.
- [05:08]
Inmate
I knew I was gonna die in there. I could feel it. And I was like, you gotta get me out of here.
- [05:12]
Tyreek Riley's Family Member
Dauphin county is the worst jail ever. How they treat us there? People rather die.
- [05:18]
Advocate or Activist
Shame on every single person responsible for the death of so many people inside of this building here.
- [05:28]
Tyreek Riley's Family Member
Why you gotta die, die, die, die, die. Oh, so young.
- [05:37]
Joshua Vaughan
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