A Death in the Congressman's Office...Does Anybody in the Press Care About Lori Klausutis?
uncartie
Does Anybody in the Press Care About Lori Klausutis?
By Denis Wright and Chris George
Once upon a time, the phrase "investigative reporter" actually meant
something. It usually involved hard work, possibly even mentation. Now, it
seems, they just make stuff up. Especially on the Fox News Channel, where
an
uninitiated viewer could easily think she/he had tuned in Comedy Central.
It's "Chandra-Chandra-Chandra" with the occasional "Condit is just like
Clinton" thrown in. Given our media's 24/7 obsession with the Gary Condit
"scandal", you might assume that there is a real dearth of hard news to
pursue.
In reality, there is indeed a news story percolating out there. The story
bears remarkable and ironic similarities to the Condit/Levy story. Both
involve Congressmen, rumors of infidelity, and the fate of a younger female
subordinate. The details are so similar as to remind one of two alternate
universes. The difference between the two stories? First, in the Klausutis
case as not in the Levy case, there is a real body, very dead. Second, the
Klausutis case involves a Republican.
The story had a brief flutter in the Northwest Florida press, which ran a
few
very short stories on Lori's death. With the exception of the Northwest
Florida Journal, they were of the
"Aw-what-a-shame/nothing-to-see-here-move-along-now-folks" variety. But
nationally, this mysterious death earned a mere one paragraph mention in The
Washington Post's NATION IN BRIEF column:
"FORT WALTON BEACH, FLa. - Lori Klausutis, a 28-year-old office worker
for Rep. Joe Scarborough (R-Fl), was found dead in the congressman's
district office. Police said preliminary findings from the medical
examiner's office showed no foul play or any outward indication of
suicide."
Unbelievably, that was it. The story was simply dropped. A young female
employee of one of Florida's Congressmen had died unexpectedly in the
Congressman's office. There were no witnesses to her death and the cause of
death was not apparent. Klausutis' boss, Joe Scarborough had recently
resigned from Congress prematurely and unexpectedly, amid rumors about his
marital fidelity and soon after a divorce. He had also abruptly resigned as
publisher of the Independent Florida Sun, claiming that resigning from
Congress and as publisher was necessary to spend more time with his sons.
Such circumstances make one pause. Sick to death of the clear bias of the
corporate owned media, and suspicious of the odd nature of this death, we
began to dig for answers. The more information we discovered, the more
unlikely, and the more newsworthy the story became.
Here are the facts. Lori Klausutis had a seemingly happy life. A devoted
husband who listed on his online homepage "being married to Lori" as one of
the honors he enjoyed, a new home in Niceville and a Catholic congregation
where she was a cantor and in whose choir she sang, were some of the
elements
of the Good Life she enjoyed. Her husband, Dr. Timothy Klausutis, did
research and development for the munitions group at nearby Eglin Air Force
Base, where he presumable made a good livlihood. Although Lori hailed from
the Atlanta, Georgia area where she had attended school, there were numerous
family members in the area. According to her obituary in the Fort Walton
Daily News, Lori had served as President and, later, Treasurer, for the
Emerald Coast Young Republican's and as a aide to Congressman Scarborough,
she was active during the Florida recounts. A former neighbor, Barbara
Cromer, said "Every morning, I would see her run while I walked. We'd wave
to each other as we passed. I loved Lori so much. She was wonderful. She
was a kind, generous person, so sweet.
Then, on Friday, July 20th, the body of Lori Klausutis, 28, was found
slumped
next to a desk on the floor of Florida Republican Congressman Joe
Scarborough's Fort Walton Beach office where Lori had served as a
constituent
services coordinator since May, 1999. Her body was found around 8:00 a.m.
on
Friday morning by a couple arriving for an appointment. She had been dead
for some time. A second employee, who would have normally arrived for work
at around the same time, was away on vacation. Police cordoned off the area
for investigation, later announcing that there was no reason to suspect foul
play, nor were there signs of suicide.
Scarborough's office released a statement several hours after the discovery:
"My staff and family are greatly saddened by the loss of Lori
Klausutis. I know Lori will be missed by the thousands of citizens
who regularly contact my office to seek assistance with a variety
of problems. May God grant Lori's family the grace, comfort and
hope that will get them through this difficult time."
The Congressman returned to Florida that same day, and his office was quick
to point out that it was not unusual for him to fly home for the weekend.
There was a great deal of ambiguity over whether Lori had suffered past
medical problems. Scarborough's press secretary, Miguel Serrano, made
mention of health problems in Lori's past, but could not be more specific.
In response, Fort Walton Beach Police Chief Steve Hogue is quoted as saying
"That's part of our investigation, checking into her medical history."
Associate Medical Examiner Dr. Michael Berkland said "She had a past medical
history that was significant, but it remains to be seen whether that played
a
role in her death". Soon after a member of the immediate family rejected
out
of hand that Lori had any significant medical problems. She was, in fact,
quite an athlete, having recently run an 8K with a very respectable time and
she belonged to the Northwest Florida Track Club.
The results of the mandated autopsy, however, were deemed "inconclusive" by
Dr. Berkland, who ordered more specific toxicology tests. These results
were
expected by the middle of the following week, around the first or second day
of August. Dr. Berkland commented at the time "This turns over several
puzzle pieces in the case of her death and reveals more of the picture".
Welcome to the Wheel of Fortune.
Michael Berkland, it turns out, has a very interesting background himself.
Recently relocated to Florida, it is a matter of public record that Dr.
Berkland's medical license in the state of Missouri was revoked in 1998 as a
result of Berkland reporting false information regarding brain tissue
samples
in a 1996 autopsy report. Berkland does not deny the charges.
It's also a matter of public record that he was suspended from his position
as Medical Examiner in the State of Florida in July, 1999.
Quincy, he's not.
Repeated requests to Dr. Stephen Nelson, Chairman of the Medical Examiners
Commission, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, have failed to verify
that
Dr. Berkland's suspension was lifted and that his licensure and disciplinary
record are clear at the present time. Dr. Nelson was appointed Chairman of
the Commission by Governor Jeb Bush.
As for Lori Klausutis, rumors began to swirl as time passed with no
resolution to the case, rumors that included whispers of suicide, some
emanating from inside the Beltway. Family members, angered at what they
considered unfair and exploitive coverage wrote the editor of the North West
Florida Daily News, Ralph Routon, saying "For those who knew Lori, the
thought of suicide, as your published reports suggested, is absolutely
unthinkable. Suicide was contrary to her faith and being. She did not
suffer from seizures, nor did she have a history of medical problems."
Meanwhile, the final report has been issued that Lori died as a result of a
blow to the head because an undiagnosed heart condition caused her to
collapse and fall, hitting her head on the desk.
The initial reports from the Medical Examiner's office denied any trauma to
the body that would indicate cause of death. But Berkland acknowledged on
Monday, August 6th, that Lori had sustained a "scratch and a bruise" on her
head and that his original denials were to prevent undue speculation about
the cause of death. "The last thing we wanted was 40 questions about a head
injury", he said.
And so, what we have here is the death of a healthy young woman who died of
a
blow to the head and a lie from the Medical Director's office about this
blow
which was quite obvious to the naked eye. They then had to go search for
some reason why she might have "fallen" and hit her head. And they have
found an "undiagnosed cardiac arrhythmia". But a number of questions
remain
to be answered, and we have requested opinions from Dr. Nelson, the Chairman
of the Medical Examiners Commission.
The questions are:
- Were Lori's medical records thoroughly examined for any evidence of the
pre-existing heart condition? It would seem that someone must have
examined her heart if she ran 8Ks.
- Did Dr. Berkland personally examine the site of death in undisturbed
condition in order to support his later conclusion that the physical
evidence was compatible with his later conclusions?
Presumably the heart valve condition alluded to is Mitral Valve Prolapse.
This may be associated with arrhymias, but rarely with VTach (Ventricular
Tachacardia) or VFib (Ventricular Fibrillation), the only arrhythmias which
would stop the flow of blood to the brain.
Generally, with syncope of whatever cause the "guarding reflex", wherein one
raises a hand to protect the head, is preserved.
There are several problems with the head injury. Generally, for a closed
head injury to cause bleeding inside the skull, there is a much more severe
injury on the outside of the skull. Do the autopsy notes, indeed, describe
such a severe injury on the outside of the skull? In fact, the only closed
head injury which usually may cause bleeding inside the skull involves a
fracture of the temporal bone, with rupture of the underlying artery. The
most important discrepancy that should be answered is how intracranial
bleeding could continue if the cardiac arrhythmia had caused a cessation of
blood flow to the brain!
- Were the toxicology studies entirely negative? Was there evidence of any
legal or illegal substance in the blood stream which could have caused her
to lose consciousness?
- Was she pregnant? If so, were fetal blood specimens obtained to determine
paternity?
These are the questions being asked by some in the medical community of Dr.
Stephen Nelson and Dr. Michael Berkland, and they continue to go unanswered.
Why is there a complete media blackout on this story? Why the complete
preoccupation with the similar but largely speculative Condit/Lefy story?
What does this say about the state of our press? What does corporate
ownership of the press do to what gets to be news? How much of what we
think
we know as fact is actually based on selective and distorted reporting? How
does that "fair and balanced" cable network explain the complete hypocrisy
and contempt for truth in their handling of these two similar tales? Will
we
ever know the truth of how Lori Klausutis died?
A recent check of the Young Republican's web site found no mention of Lori
or
her contributions, nor any tribute to her memory nor comments about her
passing. In fact, you will find no mention of her at all. If you go to The
Pensacole News Journal's online pages, one of the few papers that actually
covered the story, and search the site for "Klausutis" you will come up
empty, even though the same search will pull up numerous stories matching
"Scarborough". It seems as though someone wants to erase all traces of Lori
Klausutis from the record and bury the story with her.
It's an increasingly puzzling case. We are reminded of the famous Kitty
Genovese case, in New York, in DATE, where a young woman pleaded for her
life
over the period of 30 minutes, while neighbors ignored her cries. The
assailant returned three times to stab her. With Lori Klausutis, it seems
possible that a corrupt North Florida establishment is determined to keep
the
lid on the case, even if that means silencing the news. And our esteemed
news media, from the supposed mainstream liberal press stalwarts to the near
delusional on air shouters of the channel that just reports so that you can
decide, willingly turn the other way and ignore Lori Klausutis. But they
continue to chatter endlessly in speculation over Chandra Levy. In so
doing,
they ignore the cries of truth, they deny their viewers access to the truth
and they utterly, once and for all, betray our faith and trust in the media.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
This report was made possible by a devoted cadre of citizens who are
determined to bring Lori's story to the light of day. Their contributions
in
research and insight are more appreciated than we can say. Thank you from
both of us to each and every one of you.