INDEPENDENT FORENSIC CONSULTATION HAS BEEN CONDUCTED IN THIS MATTER

October 2, 2016

• Tara Lynn Klimez was found deceased in her home
• Gunshot wound to the non-dominant side of her head
• Coroner recorded cause of death as pending toxicology
• Southaven Police closed the case as suicide within approximately four hours
• Case marked “closed and cleared exceptionally”

October 2016 (Immediately Following Death)

• No autopsy performed
• No toxicology testing conducted
• No gunshot residue testing, trajectory analysis, or scene reconstruction
• No victimology assessment completed
• Body cremated shortly after death

Early 2017

• Family informed no investigation was underway
• Requests for clarification and records were denied or ignored

2017–Present

• Independent forensic professionals reviewed available materials
• Findings identified inconsistencies with a suicide determination
• These findings were dismissed without substantive review
• Only a limited number of scene images have been disclosed
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Requests for complete records from both EMS, the Southaven Police Department and Wells Cremation remain unfulfilled.

Additional legal and administrative issues persist due to the absence of probate proceedings for Tara’s estate.

On October 2, 2016, Tara Lynn Klimez was found deceased in her home from a gunshot wound to the non-dominant sideof her head.

The attending coroner recorded the cause of death as pending toxicology results.

Despite this, the Southaven Police Department classified the death as a suicide within hours and closed the case the same day.

No autopsy or toxicological analysis was performed. No forensic reconstruction, gunshot residue testing, or trajectory analysis was conducted. Physical evidence was not preserved to standard investigative levels, and no documented verification of the spouse’s alibi has been produced.

Tara’s electronic devices were not forensically examined.

In the days following her death, the family was informed that further testing was pending. It was later confirmed that no such testing had been completed. Tara was cremated shortly thereafter, eliminating the possibility of independent post-mortem examination.

In early 2017, law enforcement advised that the case was closed and that no investigation would proceed. Ongoing requests for records and clarification have not been meaningfully addressed.

Independent forensic reviews conducted in subsequent years identified findings inconsistent with a self-inflicted gunshot, including indications of post-mortem scene alteration. These expert findings have not been substantively engaged by authorities.

Prior to her death, there were reported incidents raising concern for Tara’s safety, including suspected poisoning events and a nighttime home intrusion while she was alone.

These incidents were not incorporated into any documented investigative framework.

This case reflects a failure to conduct a complete and competent investigation at the time of death, followed by a continued refusal to address credible forensic findings.

As a result, critical evidence has been lost, and the opportunity for a proper determination of cause and manner of death has been irreparably compromised.

We assert that these actions constitute a violation of Tara’s civil rights and are seeking legal remedy under applicable law.

Although the death occurred in 2016, the constitutional claims presented arise from (1) failure to perform statutory or professional safeguards in an equivocal gunshot death, (2) policy-driven premature closure without minimum investigative standards, and (3) continued obstruction of access to material investigative records, including EMS documentation, despite formal requests and professional notice. The accrual analysis therefore implicates denial-of-access-to-courts doctrine, continuing violation principles, and equitable tolling based on evidence foreclosure. For intake purposes, this matter requires constitutional accrual review rather than reliance solely on the date of death.