Inside the Investigation: 1965 death sparks statewide look at death inquests

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The mysterious death of a quiet, young girl haunts the town of Marble Falls, Texas, nearly 60 years after her body was discovered hanging by a jump rope in a shed behind her family’s home along Backbone Creek. Quickly ruled accidental strangulation by a local justice of the peace, questions linger not only about this case and others nearby — but also an antiquated process still used in most Texas counties, giving certain elected officials the power to determine cause and manner of death with scant training and often without autopsies or forensic expertise.

Investigator Josh Hinkle and his colleagues investigate efforts underway to strengthen and modernize this system, as their discoveries also reveal potential gaps in its oversight and prompt a new review of the last day Daynon Lewis was alive.

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Related reading:

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• EXPLORE: Who can investigate cause of death? Texas’ JP system unique in U.S.
• WATCH: Unraveling the autopsy expertise of Texas medical examiners
• READ: Texas leaders’ population pushback to resurface in medical examiner debate