NO SENSE ADDING TO A FAMILY'S PAIN

To the Editor:

In the aftermath of Jennifer Holman's tragic death, The Dominion Post was
quick to print speculation that under-age drinking and drug abuse were
involved. One example from the Jan. 29 paper: "...Jennifer Lee Holman, of
Masontown, died after a night of bar-hopping with friends, allegedly
drinking and smoking pot." The use of "allegedly" may protect the newspaper
legally, but the tone of this sentence and its inclusion in a story about
under-aged drinking served only to link this young woman's death with
substance abuse in the public mind.

Autopsy results show that a cardiac arrhythmia killed Ms. Holman.

I have tremendous sympathy for the Holman family. When my 24-year-old
brother, Michael Quigley, died in 1998, The Dominion Post immediately
identified drugs as the possible cause in a headline, though the story
below it indicated that police refused to comment on the investigation.

Months later, autopsy reports in his case revealed that he, too, died of a
cardiac arrhythmia.

In light of the widespread publicity Ms. Holman's case has received, I hope
The Dominion Post's editors will re-think their practice of printing mere
speculation regarding unexplained deaths. This practice does nothing but
add to the pain of families already enduring an agonizing loss.

Amy Quigley

Morgantown