Letter to the Editor – “My dad deserved better”

 

January 31, 2026

I’ve tried to stay quiet, but I’ve decided I’m not going to.

Your political affiliation doesn’t matter to me.
What DOES matter, is how you treat people, both living, and deceased.

Your vote matters.
Who you vote for, matters.

Friday, December 19th, 2025, Tommy Dunagan came to my house a few hours after my dad died.
My family and I were gathered around the table,  my children crying.

This man asked how we felt about an autopsy, and presented it as a choice.
I stated, “My dad wouldn’t want that.”

This isn’t the first time I’ve been a spokesperson for a deceased family member, and I have no holds speaking for them and upholding their wishes.

Tommy went on to speak about how he is “curious” and that he “can’t just put heart attack on a death certificate, because if you think about it, everyone dies from a heart attack.”

Dumbfounded, I verbally disagreed.

He said, “Well, I’m really curious to know what happened. I can’t just put heart attack on a death certificate. I could put COPD caused a heart atta…”

“How could you justify one, and not the other? Make that make sense. My dad didn’t seek medical care when he was alive, he wouldn’t want you cutting him open when he’s dead, just for your own “curiosity.”

He went on to say that at the end of the day, it’s  HIS decision.

At this rate, I made sure he knew he was on the last nerve I had left. I got up from my table, and wet outside.

I called my step-mom, who then came over.

We sat back at the table, and he re-spilled his whole gimmick.

He then went on to say that he wanted to make sure there was no “important medical information” that my family and I needed to know, and to check for poisoning.

My step-mom made sure to make him aware that my father didn’t have a life insurance policy…

I firmly reminded him that my dad’s wishes and our rights as a family didn’t just stop where his curiosity began. I said, “At the end of the day, it doesn’t f****g matter (word edited by Editor with permission of writer)  what you put on the death certificate.
It doesn’t change anything. My dad is still going to be dead.”

My sister was here with me that day. She was by my side when we lost my dad.

As Tommy insisted, my sister said, “Why don’t you give us the weekend, and touch base with us on Monday.”

Monday came…. Nothing.
Tuesday. Nothing.
All week long. Nothing.
Friday- viewing… nothing.
Saturday, December, 27th – I buried my dad…. And nothing.

Still, to this day, January 31st, 2026, I have yet to hear from Tommy Dunagan, Prowers County Coroner.

And an autopsy was performed on my dad anyway.

Want to know how I found that out? ….
Donor Alliance.

Donor Alliance is how I found out that Tommy Dunagan had ordered an autopsy on my dad.

I don’t have enough good things to say about Donor Alliance.
They gave me reassurance that my dad wasn’t alone during his time in Denver.

From Denver, he was taken to the State facility in Colorado Springs, where the autopsy was performed.
And then getting him back was hell, but the director of the funeral home we chose to work with made sure my dad was brought back home to Lamar that night.

You see, this isn’t about an autopsy itself.
It’s about an elected Public Official coming into the home of a freshly grieving family, and presenting something as a choice, then going behind their back, and doing the exact opposite of their choice, and never notifying them.

You see, if an autopsy is preformed, the coroner has to sign the death certificate… which gives him the leverage he needs to have a p*ss*ng  (word edited by Editor with permission of author) match with the County Commissioners about his  hours and his salary.

MY DAD DESERVED BETTER.
If he’s doing it to my dad, and my family, he’s done it to others and will continue to, until someone speaks up.

If you want a coward as a coroner, vote for Tommy. You couldn’t be any more disappointed than me.

Karleigh Bencomo,
Daughter of the late Harold Ray (JR) Day