Killeen’s mother wants answers after officials gave her five days notice of her son’s death

KILIN, Texas (KWTX) – A mother is wondering why authorities took five days to report her son’s death. Rhonda Denise Taylor’s 38-year-old son, Kevin Roderick Gordon II, was killed in a fight on Oct. 2 on Fort Hood Street.

Initially, the Killeen Police Department did not release the victim’s identity due to pending notification of the victim’s next of kin.

Taylor told KWTX News 10 he didn’t get a call from Justice of the Peace Bill Cook until Oct. 7, five days after the incident. She told him that she had performed an autopsy on her son and that he had been involved in a fatal fight down the street from their apartment on Fort Hood Street.

Gordon has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, Taylor said. His mother said he sometimes experienced what she described as “hallucinations.”

“Hallucinating, saying things that weren’t real,” Taylor said. “He said that he is in the navy. He must go to Dallas and report. “

Her son loved walking to the Chevron gas station across the street from their home. He traveled there on October 2 and never returned home.

“He’s mentally challenged,” she recalled. “I was afraid someone would take advantage of her hallucinatory state to hurt her.”

Over the next few days, she made phone calls and drove around Killeen trying to find any information about her son’s whereabouts.

“I was just upset and upset because I didn’t like him not coming back,” Taylor said.

After several days of searching, a justice of the peace contacted him and delivered the news.

“They threw my son in a bag as if he was nobody,” he said. “But he was someone.”

Taylor still wonders why authorities took five days to notify her, especially when she said at the time of her death that she had documents that identified her.

“He had documents in his backpack that he always carried with him,” Taylor said. “He felt he had these important documents, and one of his so-called ‘important documents’ had my address on it.”

This grieving mother is now praying that this does not happen to anyone else.

“I know they can’t bring my son back, but just try to make it right,” Taylor said. “So this way, mother, son, daughter and father-to-be don’t have to go through what I went through.”

Killeen Assistant Police Chief Alex Gearhart released the following statement to KWTX News 10:

“It is our policy to notify next of kin during a death investigation. Every case has its own unique circumstances and finding next of kin can sometimes be difficult. In this particular case, the identity of the victim is being released to the coroner, who is awaiting positive confirmation from the Southern Forensic Science Institute. was western, was not immediately known. This resulted in Ms. Taylor not being notified in time. Since then, our crime victim liaison has been working with her to request any services or possible victim benefits.”

The department is asking anyone who may have seen or has information about this death to contact the tip line at 254-526-TIPS (8477) or online at get in touch www.bellcountycrimestoppers.com.

You can also download the P3Tips app for IOS or Android and give anonymous tips.

All information is confidential and confidential, and if your tip leads to the arrest of the person(s) responsible, you may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.

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