Help My Family After Husband’s Suicide

Hello, My name is Ashley Owens. I live in Louisville, KY. My husband committed suicide on 3/29/21. It’s been a long hard road since then. We have 3 small children together. I lost my husband and my children lost their father. Recently I filed a complaint against our police Department, Louisville Metro Police Department regarding his death. At first, I thought their only mistake was not doing a welfare check when I first reported him suicidal on 3/26/21. Officers came to my house, I showed them his text messages stating he was going to kill himself and his plan on how he was going to do it. I told them why he wanted to die and I reported the gun was missing from the safe and told them exactly where he was. He was at his mothers house. This was around 9am Friday 3/26/21. He didn’t go missing until later that evening, but they never even did a welfare check. When he took off that evening, I called 911 numerous times crying and begging for them to ping his phone again explaining the situation. Around 2am Saturday 3/27/21, my husband put his phone on airplane mode so he could no longer be tracked. Around 10am Saturday 3/27/21, I filed a missing persons report, again telling them the whole situation, reporting the gun missing and expressing my fears that he was already dead. I told them to try to track his truck using his Sirius Radio and it worked. His truck was located in a town called Grand Rivers, KY about 3.5 hours away. I got in my car and raced there as fast as I could. When I was about 30 minutes from there, I got a call from the Grand Rivers Police Department that they located him sitting in his truck. They asked him if he was ok, he said yes. They ask him if he wanted to harm himself, he said no and THEY LET HIM GO. I was screaming and crying at this point asking them why they didn’t at least check the truck and take his gun. They told me that they had no probable cause which I couldn’t believe because everything I reported was probable cause. The next day Sunday 3/28/29, his truck was located abandoned in a park here. Bernheim Forest, which was a lot closer to home. I went there and the police weren’t really searching for him. He was missing in the woods and I begged them to find him so he didn’t kill himself. This was Bullitt County Police Department. They refused to put up helicopters, they refused to send out dogs, they did nothing. Around 7pm Sunday 3/28/21, they call off the search entirely. I told them I wasn’t leaving until my husband came out of the woods dead or alive. They threatened me because it was “private property.” Around that same time, a tow truck came pulling in the park. I asked what that was for and they told me they had to tow his truck. I broke down completely asking them why they couldn’t leave it in case he got cold and wanted to come get warm, in case he changed his mind and wanted to come home and in case he wanted to come get his phone to make a call for help. He left his phone, keys and wallet in the truck. All he took was the gun. They refused to leave it. They left him abandoned out there knowing he was still alive. The next Morning Monday 3/29/21. My friend and her husband hired a private K9 search and rescue that came to my house to get some of his things for scent. We were back to the park and it took them only about 15 minutes to locate his body. When the coroner came back from the scene, I asked him how long he had been dead and he said from the looks of it, maybe 6 hours. This was 9:30am so he didn’t kill himself until around 3:30am. He was alive when they towed his truck and left his out there in the middle of a mental health crisis….they left him to die, I’m sure he felt like he had no other choice. It’s been almost 2 years and I’m just now speaking up about this traumatic experience. I filed a complaint against LMPD because I just thought they didn’t do a welfare check the first day I reported him suicidal. My goal in making this complaint was so this didn’t happen to another family. I want them to have guidelines they follow every time they get this call and that includes a welfare check. A FULL investigation into my case was approved by the inspector general, civilian review and accountability board and the Louisville Metro Council!! The findings so far. On the first day I report this, they didn’t even file a report which is why they never did a welfare check. The inspector general viewed the body cam footage from that day and said that she heard the seriousness in my voice and currently they work off a “red flag system” and that I hit EVERY SINGLE red flag. She has found the police department negligent in his death. The next day when I filed the missing persons report, they put ZERO information on there about him being suicidal. There was even a section for weapons and they didn’t even report that he had the gun I told them numerous times that he had. That’s why he wasn’t held when he was located because they had no idea the severity of the situation. He could of been held and gotten some help had they known what was really going on but they didn’t because LMPD included zero information on the missing persons report. The outcome: they are putting together training classes for ALL officers at LMPD, they are making laws, policies and procedures of how they handle suicidal calls EVERY time no matter what! My goal was to ensure no other families had to experience this and that other lives could be saved because they actually help someone in a mental health crisis instead of avoiding the situation!! Bullitt County Police department has falsified their records of the day he was located in the park. They stated they sent out dogs when they didn’t and had no mention of the fact that they towed his truck. I’m not sure what to do about that department yet but the inspector general over LMPD told me to find an attorney to cover both police departments as I might have a wrongful death suit. This has all been mentally draining on me and my kids. I have been on disability for my mental health and am not currently capable of working. I had my own issues before this unimaginable lost and now I struggle with PTSD. I lost my benefits like 5 months ago. My next hearing is 4/12/23. I’m struggling very badly. I had a leak so my water bill is $1600. We haven’t had water in 2 months. We don’t have food, I can’t pay any bills, my car has a blown head gasket. We don’t have running water as it’s been cut off. I’m trying my best to remain positive since I am doing a good thing by getting these laws changed but it’s been a HUGE deal and very hard to relive those moments. This is very embarrassing as I’m the one that is always helping, I’m not supposed to need help, but I desperately do. I’m supposed to be strong, but I’m not at the moment and I desperately need help. Please consider sharing my go fund me and my story. I don’t plan on stopping with just our police department. This is an issue nationwide. I have been talking to the news so it will be out in the open eventually. Please please please consider helping me and my kids. Thank you for your time.