DODD is trying to remove "accidental or suspicious death" from the official list of Major Unusual Incidents (MUIs) and replace it with "unexplained or unanticipated death." If you think this change lets people who commit crimes off the hook, now is your chance to speak up! Here's a link with details about how to testify in person, and here's how to send your testimony by email:
Open a new email. In the subject line, you could type "Opposition to the Replacement of “Suspicious Death” with “Unanticipated Death” in OAC 5123-17-02" or even just "Comment on OAC 5123-17-02."
In the "To" box, type becky.phillips@dodd.ohio.gov
For the comments, you can write your own comment, use our suggested comment, or a mix of both. These comments are public, so do NOT include private information.
The deadline is February 13, 2025. If you do it now, you won't forget!
Suggested Comment:
To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed change in Ohio Administrative Code 5123-17-02 that replaces “suspicious death” with “unanticipated death” in the classification of Major Unusual Incidents (MUIs). This revision is not merely a matter of semantics—it has profound implications for justice, accountability, and the safety of individuals with developmental disabilities.
People with developmental disabilities are often at extremely high risk of becoming victims of violent crime, abuse, and neglect. Their deaths should never be casually dismissed as "unanticipated" or "unexpected" when the circumstances suggest otherwise. These are human lives, not statistical anomalies.
By removing the word “suspicious,” the state is sending a dangerous and dehumanizing message—that the lives of people with disabilities don’t matter and their murders are so unimportant that they aren’t even worth mentioning. This change will only serve to reduce the urgency of investigations and make it easier to write off foul play as an “unexpected” event.
Imagine a non-disabled person found dead under unclear circumstances—would we call it “unanticipated”? Or would we immediately question what happened? By sanitizing the terminology used for some of the most vulnerable members of our society, the state is effectively lowering the standard for investigating their deaths, and that in turn lowers the standard for respecting their lives.
If the intent of this rule is to protect and uplift individuals with developmental disabilities, then the word used to describe deaths of foul play must be changed back to “suspicious.” Murder, abuse, and negligence should never be reduced to "unanticipated events."
We strongly encourage the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities to restore the term “suspicious death” in OAC 5123-17-02 and reaffirm the department’s commitment to protecting the lives and dignity of people with developmental disabilities. Anything less is unacceptable.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
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