Widow, brother agree on pathologist to do autopsy on body of man pulled from Pearl River

After weeks of multiple court filings, the widow and brother of Dau Mabil have agreed on a pathologist who can perform an independent autopsy of the body Dau that was pulled from the Pearl River near Brookhaven weeks after he went missing in Jackson in March.

Hinds County Chancery Judge Dewayne Thomas wrote in a Wednesday order that Dr. Daniel Schultz , president of Final Diagnosis Inc. based in Florida, may perform the autopsy.

In a July 2 court filing, Dau's brother Bul Mabil argued Karissa Bowley , Dau's widow, was preventing the second autopsy by vetoing his choice of a qualified forensic pathologist, Dr. Matthias Okoye of Nebraska. In response to Bul's motion, Bowley asked the court to provide her, as surviving spouse, with the ability to consent or reject any proposed pathologist.

Thomas denied Bul's request, thus, ruling Bowley does have a say in who can conduct the second autopsy.

“Although the independent autopsy is to be conducted at the direction and expense of Bul Garang Mabil, this court did not exclude Karissa Bowley from the process,” Thomas wrote in the order. “As the surviving spouse of Dau Mabil, Karissa Bowley has a legal right to be included in all matters concerning this process.”

Dau, a Belhaven man in his 30s, disappeared in late March after leaving his home to go on a walk. Three weeks later, authorities recovered Dau's body from the Pearl River in Lawrance County.

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According to Lawrence County Sheriff Ryan Everett, an initial autopsy did not uncover signs of foul play in Dau's death. But Bul questioned those findings and filed a motion for a preliminary injunction preventing Dau's remains from being released until an independent autopsy could be conducted. Judge Thomas granted Bul's request on April 18.

Then in late June the State Medical Examiner released the first autopsy report finding Dau died from drowning , but the manner of death was undetermined. Thomas ordered an independent autopsy would need to happen 30 days after the conclusion of any law enforcement investigation.

The selection of Schultz as the forensic pathologist came a week after Bowley disagreed with Bul's choice of Okoye due to "significant issues in Dr. Okoye's background."

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In a July 10 court filing, Bowley said that Okoye faced a lawsuit that questioned the pathologist's findings in an autopsy report that occurred over a decade ago. Bowley proposed several other pathologists in that filing who could perform Dau’s autopsy.

According to court records, Bul rejected Bowley’s alternatives and provided two more before they agreed on Schultz.

In Wednesday’s ruling, Thomas said Schultz met all requirements set by the court, but he did not make a determination regarding “allegations of incompetency and partiality” raised about Okoye.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Widow, brother agree on pathologist to do autopsy on body of man pulled from Pearl River