Troubleshooter: State takes a year to get child's autopsy to grieving mom

Shinnell Hunt was already grieving the loss of her 2-year-old daughter, but dealing with the state on getting the autopsy report only added to her frustrations in trying to find some closure as to what happened to her daughter.

In January of 2018, Makayla Burt got sick, and her mom took her to urgent care in Henderson.

"They were telling me it was the flu, and I said no she had no temperature," Hunt said.

Within 24 hours, Makayla was rushed to the hospital where she died.

"How a baby can be perfectly fine, get sick one night and then gone the next two days? I wanted to know what happened to her," Hunt said.

Hunt said she was assured an autopsy would be done to determine the cause of death and she'd get the results within 90 days.

"The 90-day mark came, and I went to calling and calling and calling," Hunt said.

She said she was told the results were pending, but this went on for an entire year. After waiting more than a year after Makayla's death and still not getting the results, Hunt reached out to me, and we reached out to the state.

After we started asking questions, Hunt was emailed her daughter's autopsy report.

"It gives me a little closure," she said.

According to the autopsy, Makayla passed away of an obstructed bowel.

"I just thank you. I really do because I believe if I would have kept doing it by myself, I'd still be waiting," Hunt told me.

The state could not answer why it took more than a year to get Hunt her daughter's autopsy report, only saying the length of time to complete a case can vary on a number of factors.

According to the report, the exam was done shortly after Makayla's death, but it wasn't signed by one of the doctors who performed the exam until we started asking questions.