700+ pound man sits in same chair for seven months, S.C. sheriff says

Sad story from Greenwood, S.C., where a 700-pound man died Wednesday. He apparently sat down in his recliner back in March, following knee surgery, and didn't get up once during that time. Only 33 years old, Tillmon Claude Daniel Webb was a former pastor who was embarrassed about going outdoors, the authorities say. When he finally needed to go to the hospital, emergency workers had to take the chair apart -- he was reportedly stuck to it. The local law enforcement won't press charges, but it's not clear if their social-services department will investigate the man's wife. She say that people had offered to help, but that her husband had refused.

Parents hope son's heroin overdose

From KMBC:

Dorman and Debbie Hayes of Johnson County hope the death of their son Brett from a heroin overdose can be used to warn others. The drug is making its way into the suburbs. About 18 months ago, officers around Johnson County started finding heroin with more of the overdose victims being high school students.

"There has to be something good out of Brett's death." Debbie Hayes said. "If we can help other parents, if we can help another kid not lose his life, then that's what we're going to do."

| Bob Cronkleton

Was census worker's death really a suicide?

Just a quick update about the case of Bill Sparkman, a census worker whose bound, naked body was found in a Kentucky forest back in September. The case was especially puzzling because the word "fed" was written on Sparkman's chest. His family have said the death must have been murder, but an unnamed source is telling the AP that authorities are leaning more towards the suicide theory. They note that Sparkman's hands, though bound, had some room for movement.

The walking dead shows up at his own funeral

In Rio de Janeiro, a man believed to have died in a car crash showed up at his funeral ... to let his family know he wasn't dead. He was just out partying.

His family had identified a mangled body and proceeded with the funeral the next day, as is customary there apparently.

Police explained the mix-up: "People are afraid to look for very long when they identify bodies."

|Meredith Rodriguez

Mo. man charged in friend's hunting death

From AP: A rural Granby man has been charged with first-degree involuntary manslaughter in the death of a man during a nighttime hunting trip. Newton County authorities say 25-year-old Jacob D. Shamblin was charged in the Oct. 18 shooting that killed 19-year-old Steven Cox of Granby. Shamblin was arrested Monday and later released after posting a $10,000 bond.

According to a probable-cause affidavit, Shamblin, Cox and Cox's brother-in-law, Shane Schmelzer, were in a wooded area northeast of Granby after dark. Shamblin and Schmelzer told authorities that they heard something in the woods and Shamblin fired his rifle at a figure the he thought was a deer. The shot hit Cox in the face.

UPDATE: Private eye died of natural causes

In Newton, Kan., police are investigating the death of Richard Schroeder, a former U.S. marshal who worked as a private investigator. His wife found him lying in their driveway last night with serious head injuries. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. The Eagle notes that Schroeder was a principal in a proposed work-release center in Wichita. In addition to his detective work, he had done security work for the late Dr. George Tiller, both as a marshal and a p.i.

UPDATE: An autopsy now says that foul play was NOT involved.

Family awarded $16 million in radio-contest death

In Sacramento, the family of Jennifer Strange, a woman who died from apparent water intoxication during a radio station contest, has been awarded $16 million from a wrongful-death lawsuit. Strange was trying to win a Nintendo Wii for her kids. She and other contestants were told to drink water and see who could go the longest without going to the bathroom.

Was this really a suicide?

In June 28, a man named Charles McNeil was found sitting in his car near 22nd and Lydia, dead from a gunshot wound to his head. The wound was in the left side of his head, the gun was in his left hand. The authorities ruled it a suicide, and the investigation ended.

Only McNeil was righthanded. And there was no gun residue on his left hand. (There was some on his right, though.) Yesterday, McNeil's family asked the police board to have KCPD take another look at the case, Christine Vendel reports.

Okla. man burns himself alive to avoid jail, authorities say

In Tulsa County, a man named Johnnie Joe Hobbs, a convicted sex offender, reportedly lit himself on fire when authorities tried to serve protection orders against him and revoke his suspended sentence, the Tulsa World reports. Hobbs was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities say he had "indicated he would do anything to avoid capture," the paper adds.

KCPD investigating 2 deaths in 5400 block of Ridgeway

From KCPD: On 10/25/09, at approximately 12:30 p.m., officers were called to the 5400 block of Ridgeway on a check the welfare. Upon arrival, officers located two people deceased inside the residence. The victims are a female in her 70's and a male in his 50's. Detectives are investigating the incident as a death investigation.

The not-so-great escape

In East St. Louis, a man jumped through a window to get away from the police, who were trying to execute a search warrant. It sort of worked: He died from injuries related to broken glass. But he didn't have to go to jail.

Awful Ways To Die, No. 440

Mauled by an ice-skating Russian bear.

KCPD investigating man's death

Gilbert Butch Dixon, a 60-year-old from Lexington, was staying with relatives earlier this month when he woke up in the middle of the night and ran screaming into the street. A neighbor called Kansas City police, who showed up and tussled with Dixon while trying to restrain him. (He might have had some form of PTSD.) He was eventually handcuffed and sat down on the curb, but became unresponsive and later died. His family wants to make sure that officers didn't cause his death while trying to restrain him.

UPDATE: Drunk woman accidentally strangles herself

Not sure if you remember this case, but a few years ago, a woman named Carol Anne Gotbaum -- who was flying to rehab -- was arrested at Phoenix's Sky Harbor International because she was acting "erratically," i.e. running through concourse and yelling "I am not a terrorist." Somehow, the intoxicated Gotbaum managed to strangle herself when police left her alone. Her family blamed the police and sued for $8 million, then $5.5 million. Phoenix has now decided to settle for $250K.

"Halloween decoration" was actually corpse

In Marina del Ray, a man who committed suicide on Monday wasn't reported to police until Thursday because people thought his body, lying on a balcony, was a Halloween decoration.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, JUNGLE JIM!

Man encouraged suicides -- is that a crime?

In Minnesota, a man is accused of frequenting suicide chatrooms, befriending trouble people and talking them into committing suicide. Police have found two cases, but are looking for more. It's not clear if they'll be able to bring criminal charges. The man allegedly gave specific advice on killing oneself, but didn't physically help with the suicides, The AP reports.

Body found in burned KCK home

From Meredith Rodriguez: A man was found dead Wednesday in the charred remains of his home in the 4000 block of Sortor Drive. Crews were called to the one-story wood-frame house around 4:15 p.m., and the structure had partly collapsed by the time the fire was extinguished 30 minutes later, according to Assistant Fire Chief Craig Duke. Firefighters found the body inside and launched an investigation along with police. The victim was the only person in the house at the time.

National Guardsman kills himself in movie theater, Ind. police say

What a terrible case. A man named Jacob Sexton, 21, had gone to theater in Muncie, Ind., to watch "Zombieland" with some friends. When he was asked to show ID, Sexton told a theater employee that he'd killed 18 people while in the service. A little later, in the theater, he asked a friend to hand over a 9mm handgun (which the friend did, God only knows why) and then Sexton shot himself in the head. Sexton's family say they hadn't noticed any signs of stress. He was on leave at the time of his death and due to return to Afghanistan.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, You're A Mean Drunk R2D2

Does this grieving dad have a case?

A New York man is suing several college students for $2.5 million for giving his son too much booze during a hazing event for an unsanctioned fraternity. The son, age 19, died after three days of drinking.

The REAL bridge to nowhere

USA Today has a piece here about "suicide bridges" -- structures that are so scenic that a lot of people decide to kill themselves there. In many cases, officials want to add either nets or extra railing to prevent people from jumping, but they're running into opposition from people who, well, are more concerned about whether the bridge looks pretty. Snip:

Rather than prevent suicides, he said, a barrier would "merely divert occasional suicides from the bridge to other places in the community."

That's right -- the suicides are going to happen anyway, so why not have them on our beautiful bridge?

The perfect way to die?

In South Pasadena, Fla., police say a 48-year-old man apparently died after he spent the day watching football and drinking in a hot tub.

Man kills fiancee night before wedding, Fla. cops say

The police are treating this as a terrible accident, not something that was intentionally planned. The man, 62-year-old John Tabutt, heard noises in the middle of the night, got his gun and went to check on what was happening. He shot a figure in the hallway, not realizing it was his fiancee -- he thought she was still in bed.

UPDATE: Girl freezes to death walking to Mom's house on Christmas

Not sure if you remember this story, but an Idaho man was driving his two kids to their mother's house last Christmas when their truck broke down in freezing weather. The girl and the boy tried to walk to Mom's house, which was 10 miles away. The boy survived, but only because he found a bathroom to take shelter in. A search dog found the girl.

Their dad was charged because he reportedly let the kids walk off. And a jury has now acquitted him of involuntary manslaughter.

Body found in house with 8-foot-tall trash piles

In Jacksonville, Fla., police were dispatched to the home of a 71-year-old woman who hadn't been seen for weeks. Inside, they found giant piles of trash throughout the home. They searched for 20 minutes, couldn't find anything and requested that firefighters in breathing apparatus help out. The woman's body was eventually found by cadaver dogs, who almost touched the ceiling as they walked on the trash piles.

Oktoberfest claims another victim

A British man, visiting Munich for its famed Oktoberfest, died after he allegedly climbed onto a sixth-story ledge so he could urinate, only to fall from the building instead, the Mirror reports. He was believed to be very, very drunk. And then there's this:

Police say his trousers had been undone when he plunged but were torn off by the speed of the fall.

That's right: It's not enough to be killed while going No. 1 -- he had to meet his Maker sans pants.