Chatham Co. DA says missed autopsy in Whitemarsh Island stabbing is ‘professional negligence’

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - The Chatham County District Attorney is calling into question the missed autopsy of 18-year old J.T. Schroeder following his death in October.

District Attorney Shalena Cook Jones said in a statement Friday, “The release of JT Schroeder’s body was not a “miscommunication”. It was oversight, failure and professional negligence."

Schroeder was stabbed and killed during an altercation at the Walmart on Highway 80 on Whitemarsh Island in October. Police arrested and charged Delano Middleton in connection to the stabbing death.

In a court hearing in November, it was revealed that Schroeder’s body was released to the funeral home before an autopsy could be performed.

Cook Jones went on to say in her statement that the failure to conduct an autopsy in this case is so egregious that “it is hard to believe it was not intentional.”

You can read her full statement below.

“The release of JT Schroeder’s body was not a “miscommunication”. It was oversight, failure and professional negligence.  The order from the GBI, Lifeline, and the coroner all indicated the body was to be held as is the case for all murder victims in the state of Georgia.  This is a serious failure so egregious; it is hard to believe it was not intentional.

An autopsy not only is used to determine the cause and the manner of death, but it is also a vital piece of the investigative puzzle used to learn the victim’s condition in the moments before death.  JT Schroeder’s body was evidence in a criminal trial. The people or person responsible for the premature release of his remains could be charged with a felony. 

This notwithstanding, evidence is still being gathered.  At the right time, The State will move forward with an indictment and prosecution as normal.”

Shalena Cook Jones, Chatham County District Attorney.

This lapse has raised concerns from law enforcement, medical examiners and defense attorneys about lost evidence in an active investigation.

Why this matters

Criminal defense attorneys warn that cremating a body before an autopsy can destroy physical evidence that might be critical to a murder trial.

Skye Musson, a criminal defense attorney with Dardin & Musson in Savannah who observed the case’s preliminary hearing, said procedural failures like this raise serious questions about what other protocols may have been missed.

“There’s a process, it wasn’t followed,” Musson said. “Why wasn’t it followed and what else was allowed to happen in this case that will allow for a defense attorney to get in there and create that reasonable doubt?”

Potential alternatives, and remaining questions

WTOC spoke with Shane Sheets, president of the International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners, who explained that while cremation eliminates the possibility of later exhumation, medical records and imaging can sometimes be used as evidence when an autopsy cannot be performed.

“You could have a plethora of imagery, X-ray, MRI scans. You could have blood work that could be utilized for toxicology. You could have exceptional documentation of the wounds,” Sheets said. “Might not be as great as what a forensic pathologist can offer, but you’re still going to have that documentation.”

Sheets also emphasized that cremation typically requires multiple sign-offs and careful authorization because, once completed, it is irreversible.

“Are you okay with this permit? Are you okay with us cremating this decedent? Do you have everything you need? Because cremation in a sense is, you can’t exhume them later on, should a question arise.”

Institutional responses

Memorial Health issued a statement saying the health system has processes to ensure proper handling of the deceased and that it reviews training and documentation whenever processes are not followed.

“The loss of a loved one is never easy, and we have processes in place to ensure proper handling of the deceased in our care. In the event these processes are not followed, we review our training and documentation with staff and work closely with external agencies to prevent similar issues.”

Memorial Health

The Public Defender’s Office provided WTOC with a statement noting that public defenders are not involved in medical or autopsy decisions and that their role is to protect the constitutional right to counsel for the defendant in the case. The statement reads in part:

“Public defenders are not involved in medical or autopsy decisions. Our role is to ensure that Mr. Middleton’s constitutional right to counsel is protected.”

WTOC has reached out to the Chatham County Coroner’s Office and the funeral home for comment and additional details about why the hold on Schroeder’s body was not upheld; those offices had not responded by publication time.

WTOC also requested records of communication between the coroner’s office, the police department and Memorial Hospital and will share updates if and when they become available.

What’s next

Investigators and legal teams will likely examine hospital release procedures, the chain of custody for the deceased, and any written authorizations that led to cremation.

If gaps in procedure or authorization are found, those could have implications for the criminal case and for institutional accountability.

WTOC will continue to follow this developing story and will update this story as new information becomes available.