UPDATE: 5:39 ET
Eric Paddock has received his brother Stephen Paddock’s cremated remains. Clark County Coroner John Fudenberg confirmed to reporters that Eric Paddock had been given the remains in Las Vegas on Thursday.
“Due to security concerns, we felt it was important to deliver the remains in a secure manner, which was accomplished,” Fudenberg said in a statement obtained by KLAS-TV.
“As you know, we recently released the cause and manner of death in the case. At this time, we are not releasing any additional information related to this case.”
ORIGINAL STORY:
Stephen Paddock’s remains have been cremated, and his brother Eric Paddock claims that authorities have been making it difficult to get access to them.
Eric Paddock told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he will be flying from Orlando to Las Vegas to pick up the remain himself since authorities in Nevada did not want to ship the cremated remains directly to him.
“The coroner seems to think that there has to be some chain of custody because of the criminal investigation,” Paddock said.
“But his remains have nothing to do with the investigation.”
Clark County Coroner John Fudenberg, who announced last month that Stephen Paddock had died from a self-inflicted gunshot to the mouth, gave a brief statement to the newspaper about the remains.
“We are working to deliver the remains in a secure manner to ensure the suspect’s next of kin receives the remains,” he said. “Due to security concerns, we will not be discussing any details related to this.
Paddock expressed frustration with the coroner’s office over his failed efforts to get the remains over the course of the last month, and said the family has not yet seen an autopsy report.
“I have no knowledge of the autopsy report, neither the content nor the release date,” Paddock said.
The shooter’s brother also said that once he gets the remains, he will put them in a secure place.
“I’m putting the ashes in a safe deposit box in a bank in order to make sure that there’s no hoopla around Steve’s remains,” Paddock told the newspaper.
“I don’t want someone to do something stupid.”
[Feature image: US Government/Stephen Paddock]
