Coroner Seeks Families of Five Recently Deceased in Jefferson County

The Search for Kin in Jefferson County

The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office is currently seeking the public’s assistance in locating the next of kin for five individuals who passed away in October. The search involves four men and one woman who died recently within the county.

According to reports from WBRC and ABC 33/40, the office is working to identify family for three men and two women.

The Five Individuals Identified

The coroner’s office has released the following details regarding the deceased:

Coroner Seeks Families of Five Recently Deceased in Jefferson County — Photo: abc3340.com

Barbara Carlton, 85, died on October 8 of natural causes. She was a resident of Civic Center Health & Rehabilitation and a patient under the care of Adoration Hospice. No photograph of her is available.
Henry King, 83, passed away on October 21 of natural causes while at Arlington Health & Rehabilitation. He was a patient of Pro Health Hospice. Records indicate that as recently as 2024, he maintained a residence in the 3900 block of Walnut Avenue SW in Birmingham.
Clarence Wallace McCoo, 81, died on October 23 of natural causes at Princeton Baptist Medical Center. He had been living in a private apartment in the 2200 block of 6th Avenue North in Birmingham since at least 2008.
Ronnie Dewayne Bailey, 61, was discovered unresponsive in the yard of a private residence on 34th Street North on October 29. While investigators have found no evidence of trauma or foul play, his cause of death remains pending. Records show he had ties to Roanoke in Randolph County between 1995 and 2007, and he previously listed an address on 3rd Avenue North in 2012. Before his death, Bailey was experiencing homelessness in Birmingham.
William Eugene Bennett, 74, died on October 31 at Princeton Baptist Medical Center. A resident of Princeton Towers and a patient of Southern Care Hospice, he had previously lived in the 600 block of 2nd Avenue North as of 2022.

The Human Stakes of Unclaimed Deaths

Caregivers for Carlton, King, Bennett, and McCoo all reported that they had no listed family contacts, and initial attempts to reach out to potential relatives have so far come up empty.

The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office has requested that anyone with knowledge of these individuals or their families contact them at 205-930-3603. As of this morning, the status of these five cases remains open, with the office continuing its investigative efforts to locate next of kin.

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