On Dec. 22, Hamilton County Coroner Dr. Sammarco released a press statement and called multiple news agencies, during which she shared incorrect information about decades-old evidence in the Elwood Jones case. Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich would like to set the record straight. 

The coroner did NOT uncover new information about the victim’s medical history. She reviewed a laboratory report belonging to Elwood Jones and mistakenly attributed Mr. Jones’s negative Hepatitis B test result to the victim. This was a misreading of a test done through the coroner’s office, not a correction of any prior diagnosis involving the victim and not newly discovered evidence. 

The record is clear. On Sept. 8, 1994, testing done through the coroner’s office showed Rhoda Nathan had Hepatitis B. This test was stipulated to by both parties in a federal habeas action. On Sept. 16, 1994, testing done through the coroner’s office showed Elwood Jones did not have Hepatitis B. 

Accuracy matters, particularly in cases this significant. Assigning the wrong test result to the wrong individual leads to incorrect public conclusions and unnecessary confusion. We are correcting the record so the facts are clear and properly understood. 

Prosecutor Pillich is surprised the coroner would rush to a judgement before having a conversation with the prosecutor’s office, where prosecutors who have long handled this case would have been happy to share a full understanding of the facts. 

“We do not take this matter lightly,” Pillich said. “A man’s life is at stake. And a victim and her family are still without justice. There is no excuse to get the facts wrong, as happened here. I and my team spent months reviewing this case. I am confident we came to the right conclusion.” 

Prosecutor Pillich is requesting that the coroner rescind her incorrect statement of the records and apologize to the community and Mr. Jones for the chaos she caused. “I can’t imagine the impact this fake information had on Rhoda Nathan’s family,” Pillich added.