Family: DPD called father's death natural, hours later changed to suspicious

DETROIT (WJBK) - Family says police told them dad died natural death, later calling it suspicious. 

A Detroit apartment on Telegraph was found in disarray and a 64-year-old man lying dead on the kitchen floor.

Although Detroit police were called there because of a disturbance the family of Michael Williams says they were told their father likely died of health issues associated with his diabetes. 

"The house was just like this my father just here dead," said Dajuan Horton. "It took them about 10 minutes they went inside for about five minutes, came out and said he died from a health problem. They didn't turn him over, didn't touch him or anything."

According to sources, it was first believed to be a natural death with no signs of trauma.

"They said he probably slipped and fell from cooking but there was nothing on the stove," said Horton.

An investigator with the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office released the body to the family, who rushed to the scene and immediately knew something wasn't right.

They claim their father had blood coming from his face, a swollen lip and blood coming from underneath his body. The family called 911 and say after a half-hour, convinced dispatchers to send homicide detectives to investigate the scene.

"The homicide lady's exact words was 'I'm putting this in my hands, do not call the funeral home, something is wrong,'" daughter Whitney Parker said.

In addition to the bloody scene, they say their father's wallet, phone and money were gone.

They believe Detroit police, EMS and the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office dropped the ball. And because it took detectives more than four hours to return to the apartment - if the medical examiner determines their father was murdered, they it is likely the crime scene is now contaminated.

"I just feel like for the police in Detroit, it was bogus to leave my father there," Parker said. "Leaving him mistaken like that, they could have just flipped him over and let us know what was going on."

A Detroit police spokeswoman says there was a call of assault and battery but once officers arrived, there was no signs of foul play. The family had concerns, which is why police went back out. Now the body is at the medical examiner's office awaiting an autopsy which should reveal just how he died.