Second Alabama inmate, Charles Singleton, was found with missing organs when his remains were turned over to a funeral home his family revealed after learning about a similar horror case where a 43-year-old convict's remains were missing his heart

Charles Edward Singleton, 74, died at the Hamilton Aged and Infirmed Center in November 2021His body was returned to his family without his organs, including his brain Singleton's loved ones spoke out about their dreadful experience after Brandon Dotson's family came forward in December when he was returned with no heart 

A second dead inmate in Alabama prisons had his remains reportedly returned to his family with missing organs.

Charles Edward Singleton, 74, who was being held at the Hamilton Aged and Infirmed Center when he died in November 2021, was returned to his family without all of his organs, including his brain.

Another inmate, Brandon Dotson, 43, who died at the Ventress Correctional Facility in Barbour County this November 2023 was sent back to his family without his heart.

Sigleton’s family members were informed that their deceased relative had no organs in his body after a funeral director told them that it ‘would be difficult to prepare his body for viewing’ since it was in a ‘noticeable state of decomposition’ and ‘advanced skin slippage,’ according to WBMA.

The distraught family then requested that his organs be returned to the funeral home in Pell City by the University of Alabama-Birmingham’s Department of Pathology, but have yet to receive them.

Charles Edward Singleton, 74, who was being held at the Hamilton Aged and Infirmed Center (pictured) when he died in November 2021, and was returned to his family without all of his organs, including his brain

Singleton’s family were informed of his missing organs by the funeral director. University of Alabama, who handled the autopsy at Alabama State prison said that consent was required for his organs to be returned to his body

Brandon Dotson’s family filed a lawsuit in December after the 43-year-old’s dead body was returned to them without his heart

According to court documents, Singleton’s loved ones were told that organs of the deceased are typically placed into a bag while the autopsy is performed, and are returned back to the body after.

‘We do not comment on pending litigation. We only conduct autopsies with consent or authorization and follow standard procedures equitably for anyone consented to or authorized for an autopsy,’ the University of Alabama told WBMA.

‘In an autopsy, organs and tissues are removed to best determine the cause of death. Autopsy consent includes consent for final disposition of the organs and tissues; unless specifically requested, organs are not returned to the body,’ the statement said.

Though Singleton died in custody in 2021, his family decided to come forward after they heard about Dotson’s similar story.

It is unclear why Singleton was in prison and how long he spent behind bars.

Dotson’s family from Tennessee sued the Alabama Department of Corrections in December after they claimed that his body was returned to them without a heart.

The inmate was incarcerated for 19 years as part of a 99-year sentence for a burglary and parole conviction in Lawrence County.

His apparent sudden death occurred on the same day he was set to be considered for parole.

Dotson’s suit alleges wrongful death and cites the failure of prison officials at Ventress Correctional Facility (pictured) to safeguard Dotson, neglecting his medical needs and mishandling his remains

Dotson was found dead in November 2023 in the Ventress Correctional Facility in Barbour County after serving 19 years for a burglary and parole conviction in Lawrence County

According to a federal lawsuit against the Alabama Department of Corrections, Dotson’s body was missing his heart and his corpse was so badly decomposed the family was unable to have an open-casket funeral.

The disturbing discovery was first noticed by an independent pathologist the family hired in Birmingham to determine his cause of death.

The pathologist noted ‘the heart was missing from the chest cavity of Mr. Dotson’s body’ making it hard to determine how he died.

The suit alleges wrongful death and cites the failure of prison officials to safeguard Dotson, neglecting his medical needs, and mishandling his remains. 

‘The Alabama Department of Corrections – or an agent responsible for conducting the autopsy or transporting the body to his family – had, inexplicably and without the required permission from Mr. Dotson’s next of kin, removed and retained Mr. Dotson’s heart,’ the complaint states.

The lawsuit, filed by Dotson’s daughter Audrey Marie Dotson and his mother Audrey South, also contends that Dotson’s body was not released to the family until five days after his death. An unspecified amount of money was also requested in the suit. 

The family also revealed that when they observed Dotson’s body they saw ‘bruising on the back of his neck and excessive swelling across his head.’ 

‘Defendants performed an autopsy on the deceased and removed the heart, thereby concealing the true cause of death. By taking this action, Defendants intentionally or recklessly destroyed or altered key evidence that deprived Plaintiff of the ability to determine how the deceased died through an independent autopsy,’ the lawsuit states. 

‘The heart is a vital organ that would provide critical evidence in assessing the cause of death. Without the heart, Plaintiff cannot obtain an accurate and complete determination of the circumstances surrounding the deceased’s death.’ 

Dotson family’s attorney Lauren Faraino called it ‘so grotesque and disrespectful and unacceptable’ to take a vital organ from someone ‘without the family knowing.’ 

The family believes the heart may have been given to the University of Alabama- Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine for medical research purposes by students.

When the family received their loved one’s body, court fillings said it ‘had not been properly stored and was severely decomposed’ and had ‘no choice but to hold a closed casket funeral service.’

The Datson lawsuit names ADOC Chief Deputy Commissioner of Corrections Greg Lovelace (left) and Ventress Correctional Facility Warden Karen Williams (right) as defendants

Dotson’s corpse was so badly decomposed the family were unable to have an open casket funeral. They also believe that Dotson asked for help days before he died, saying that another inmate was targeting him for violence

Smith told the Moulton Advertiser: ‘It was five days before the body was released. I got to see him on the sixth day but they didn’t want me to see him because they wanted to do something to make him look a little better because it was horrific.’

‘I wouldn’t even say that was human, how bad my son looked.’

The family is now looking for answers and suggests that two possible scenarios might have occurred. One was that Dotson was subjected to violence within the facility, or he had access to drugs.

His mother and daughter filed the suit to ‘seek the immediate return of Mr. Dotson’s heart’ so the vital organ ‘may be examined by an autopsy pathologist and then properly cremated or interred.’

The lawsuit details how Dotson asked for help days before he died, saying that another inmate was targeting him for violence.

The suit also notes that severe overcrowding in Alabama prisons also led to a lack of inmate supervision.

It went on to detail that when Dotson’s brother called the prison to retrieve his body, the warden ‘expressed surprise,’ adding many families do not collect inmates’ bodies and sometimes aren’t notified of their deaths.

The Dotson family’s attorney Lauren Faraino called it ‘so grotesque and disrespectful and unacceptable’ to take a vital organ from someone ‘without the family knowing’

The complaint named DOC Commissioner John Q. Hamm, DOC Chief Deputy Commissioner of Corrections Greg Lovelace, Ventress Correctional Facility Warden Karen Williams, Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences Director Angelo Della Manna, multiple unnamed prison employees, and the University of Alabama at-Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine as defendants.

In 2022, 260 inmates died in Alabama prison custody, according to the lawsuit. The figure is the highest in the department’s history and the death rate in 2023 was similar.

A week before the lawsuit was filed, Alabama officials released statistics showing assaults in state prisons increased by more than 41 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year.

Of the 2,073 assaults, 1,578 of them were between inmates, and 495 of them were reported as inmate assaults on prison staff.

In September alone, there were 137 assaults between inmates and 42 inmate assaults on prison staff.