Overview
- On Dec. 22, the Hamilton County coroner said an archived lab report showed Rhoda Nathan tested negative for Hepatitis B and a microscopic review found no liver inflammation, calling the autopsy’s Hep B entry a likely transcription error.
- On Dec. 23, Jones’s attorneys demanded a full retraction and apology, arguing the coroner cited the wrong lab result and that the negative report corresponds to Jones’s 1994 test taken after Nathan’s autopsy.
- Coroner Lakshmi Sammarco replied that the defense document is not in Nathan’s case file and said her statement was based on materials preserved in the archive, noting the original pathologist is deceased.
- Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich dismissed the case earlier this month, citing Jones’s 1994 negative Hepatitis B test, a lack of forensic links, and disclosure failures, a move that prevents a new prosecution on the same charges.
- Nathan’s son expressed frustration over the case’s handling and questioned the new conclusion about Hepatitis B.