CLAY CO.—A former Louisville city clerk was found dead in her home on the morning of January 9, 2013.
Officials are saying in early statements that Jodi Daws, who was only 38 years old, died of possible kidney failure.
She was found by her mother, Barb Prather, in her home shortly after Daws’ 8-year-old daughter had stepped on the school bus; Daws’ mother was said by relatives to have actually passed the school bus on the way to Daws’ home. When she entered, she found Daws unresponsive.
Kidney problems
While Sheriff Jim Sulsberger reported that the county’s coroner, upon an autopsy being conducted, believed Daws’ death was due to “natural causes” as they related to kidney disease or failure, the fact remained that Daws had for at least some period of time recently had a problem with pills.
This was evidenced in her recent guilty plea: that drugs were a problem for Daws.
She was charged February 15, 2012 with Possession of a Controlled Substance (hydrocodone) dating back to October 27, 2011 and arrested.
Daws resigned her position at some point in time surrounding the charges and arrest.
On December 10, 2012, she entered a plea of guilty to the Class 4 felony and received a sentence that involved 24 months of probation with special conditions: 30 hours of public service, and that she must enter some kind of drug treatment program.
She was also sentenced to pay $2,417 in fines and fees, of which only $1,020 (out of her bond) had been paid.
Ex-husband also deceased
Daws’ associates in and around Louisville have also prompted questions as regards her recent doings.
Daws’ ex-husband, Travis, died in March of 2012.
According to official sources, this death, which went virtually unmentioned in local mainstream media, was a result of Travis Daws having a problem with “huffing,” as in canned air or other inhalant. His body was found at his rural residence in Clay County, and taken to a location up north, where his family is from and reportedly owned a funeral home.
There was no inquest into his death.
Associated with bank man
Jodi Daws had recently been associated with Louisville resident Troy Fender over the past couple of years. The two had a dating relationship when Fender was separated from his wife.
Fender is an employee of the Clay County State Bank in Louisville, and his name arose in connection with the incident in the late 90s involving Eric Lewis, who, a couple of years ago, was sent to federal prison over an issue with big seed company Crow’s, on Mail Fraud and Money Laundering charges.
The 1999 incident arose with Lewis in connection with a local farm service company and resulted in state charges against Lewis.
Sources in Louisville and north Clay state there is much more to the relationship between Fender and Daws, but now that Daws is deceased, the likelihood of it emerging in full is virtually nil.