![Brandon Clay Dotson.](https://media.nbcnewyork.com/2023/12/231214-Brandon-Clay-Dotson-al-1242-84dfc8-e1702614519521.webp?resize=320%2C180&quality=85&strip=all)
The family of an Alabama inmate who was found dead in his bed filed a federal lawsuit alleging that his heart had been removed before the facility returned the body to them.
Brandon Dotson's relatives also said they are still waiting to find out how he died on Nov. 16 at Ventress Correctional Facility in Clayton.
"Plaintiffs were a grieving family searching for answers in the wake of Brandon Dotson's untimely death," said a lawsuit filed on Dec. 7 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. "Defendant's overall mistreatment of Mr. Dotson's body and the Dotson family amounts to outrageous conduct that needlessly and recklessly intensified the family's emotional distress."
Dotson, 43, was found dead in his bed at the prison, according to the suit. He had been serving 99 years for a burglary offense, according to NBC affiliate WMTV of Madison, Wisconsin.
The warden called Dotson's brother on the evening of Nov. 16 and informed him of the death. The brother told the warden that the family wanted the body to be released to them, according to the suit.
Read the full story at NBCNews.com here.
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