The sad saga of Carl DeBrodie's death and his loved ones' attempts to find answers and get closure is continuing.
Last April, police found the decomposed body of the mentally challenged man wrapped in plastic and encased in concrete. His body was inside a trash container and a wooden crate in a storage unit in Fulton.
Since then, few details of the investigation have been released, and no one has been charged.
Callaway County authorities have faced public criticism over the pace and lack of information released, the Fulton Sun recently reported.
Last week, Callaway County Prosecuting Attorney Christopher Wilson issued a news release, saying he has reasons for being tight-lipped. He cited Missouri Supreme Court rules of ethics and prosecutors' "obligation to refrain from making statements that jeopardize" investigations. They also must "refrain from making statements that heighten public condemnation of the accused," Wilson said.
No one expects him or other officials to skirt court rules and ethics. But after close to a year, DeBrodie's family, as well as the public, simply want assurance the case isn't being dropped, that leads are being followed, that progress is being made.
"Carl DeBrodie has not been forgotten," Wilson promised.
Meanwhile, DeBrodie's mother, Carolyn Summers, isn't waiting any longer for answers. She has filed a civil lawsuit naming more than a dozen defendants, including: Second Chance Homes and Rachel Rowden, who owned and operated Second Chance; Sherry Paulo, a "qualified disability professional" employed at Second Chance; the Callaway County Public Administrator's Office and Callaway County Public Administrator Karen Digh Allen, who was appointed DeBrodie's legal guardian in 2008.
The suit alleges eight counts: wrongful death, three civil rights violations, two civil conspiracies, negligence and right of sepulcher.
Rudy Veit, Summers' attorney, said: "Certainly, we know there was a grievous wrong done here somewhere. It's a matter of finding out who was responsible and who dropped the ball."
For Summers, the lawsuit is more about finding answers than anything else.
In that vein, we hope she succeeds.