There is nothing more sorrowful than the death of a child; but compound that death by the fact that it happened as a result of a suicide, and that does indeed make it all the more sorrowful.
However, in the case of one Edwards County family, they are facing both.
And worse, as of the article presented in the current issue, September 2014, there is no resolution to the case, meaning that authorities haven’t ruled the death of Maxwell Elliott a suicide…and that means that at least someone in charge thinks there might have been something other than suicide—death at the hand of another, or an accident—as the cause of death.
What the family is going through is outlined in this noontime Read the Lead, Family questions authorities’ hesitation in releasing the body of son after suicide:
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Maxwell Elliott
WEST SALEM—The death of a 14-year-old boy in West Salem this past June remains unresolved, and sources close to the family have reported that his family is disturbed by the delay.
The family of Maxwell Kirk Elliott, the West Salem eighth grader who was found dead in his room at his father’s house June 7, has not been able to bury the boy: His body has been held in a morgue by the Edwards County coroner, Mark Curtis, since that time, with Curtis telling the family that “It’s up to the court system now” when they make inquiries as to what will happen next.
However, Edwards County State’s Attorney Mike Valentine has said that there is nothing to indicate that Maxwell’s death was anything other than a tragic suicide, and that no charges are being considered against anyone over any aspect of the boy’s death.
The situation arose at about 4 in the afternoon of Saturday, June 7, when the Elliott boys, Sam, 15, and Maxwell were at their father George Elliott’s residence on Pinhook Street in West Salem.
Sam was on the phone to his mother Regina Cashmore, who was reportedly in Mt. Vernon at the time; George Elliott was at work at the Walmart Distribution Center in Olney.
Reports indicate that the two boys were quarrelling about listening to music on their father’s computer through the Pandora music service website, and were fighting about Sam having taken the remote…..
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To read the rest of this intriguing article, click the headline link above the excerpt if you have an online membership to the e-Edition; if you don’t, click this link here to get started on your subscription today! The e-Edition gets you EVERY article, EVERY photo, in the hard copy print edition, delivered right here to your computer in an easy-to-read format, for only $5.99 a month, or a one-day pass for $2.99, which is a VERY popular and growing feature of the site. Or if you prefer a print copy, head on out to our Edwards County vendors, Bruce Lee in Albion or Liquor Barn in Grayville, as well as Grayville Shell Mart on up the road, or, in the other direction, CJ’s in Allendale to the was tot West Salem, and to the north, in Richland County, MotoMart and Marilyn’s Liquor Cabinet in Olney, and Bottle Hut of Noble. Hurry! This issue is off the stands NEXT WEEK, when the October issue hits…don’t miss out!!