Jefferson Co. Coroner seeking assistance in locating families of five deceased individuals

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ala. (WBRC) - The Jefferson County Coroner/Medical Examiner’s Office is requesting the assistance of the public in locating family of the five individuals who recently died in Jefferson County.

Jean Wilson

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Jean Wilson is a white 73-year-old female who was found by a friend unresponsive inside her Birmingham residence Feb. 2 around 1:56 p.m.

Wilson’s cause of death is pending with no evidence of trauma or foul play associated with the death.

All attempts to identify and locate Wilson’s family have failed. Reportedly, the decedent previously lived in Texas and moved to Birmingham approximately nine months ago.

Shari L. Hitman

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Shari L. Hitman is a 37-year-old white female who was found unresponsive inside a convenience store bathroom Feb. 21 around 11:20 a.m. in the 2000 block of Green Springs Highway.

Hitman’s cause of death is pending, with no evidence of trauma or foul play associated with the death.

All attempts to identify and locate Hitman’s family have failed. According to records, the decedent is possibly from Virginia and might have family who once lived in St. Johnsbury, Vermont.

David Nelson Brown

David Nelson Brown is a 77-year-old white male who was found unresponsive March 1 around 11:04 a.m. inside his Birmingham residence after police performed a welfare check at the request of a concerned neighbor.

The coroner says the cause of death was natural causes.

All attempts to identify and locate Brown’s family have failed.

Dylan Thomas Merck

Dylan Thomas Merck is a 37-year-old male who was found March 3 around 1:08 p.m. unresponsive and laying on the ground underneath a bridge on 19th Street at 2nd Avenue North.

Merck was taken to Princeton Baptist Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 2:24 p.m.

The cause of death is pending, with no evidence of trauma or foul play associated with the death.

The coroner says Merck is homeless and all attempts to identify and locate his family have failed. The decedent’s mother, Janice Merck, died in Plains, Georgia in 2018. In 2018, the decedent’s father, Bryan Merk, was known to be living in a nursing home in Plains, Georgia, but he is no longer a resident of that nursing home.

Joyce A. Williams

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Joyce A. Williams is a 70-year-old Black female who died of natural causes while an inpatient at UAB Hospital Feb. 26 around 5:51 p.m.

All attempts to identify and locate Williams’ family have failed. Williams was a tenant at North Hill Nursing and Rehabilitation. At age 16, Williams lived in Florida.

If you are family or if you have knowledge of family, please call the Jefferson County Coroner/Medical Examiner’s Office at 205-930-3603.

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