In 1983 my father was died. A 187 murder investigation was done and no records can be found on that or hospital records. Law enforcment and county district law is ignoring me with trying to get these records. Everything points to a coverup as cause of death on death is wrong and no records on 187.

This is the short story of what happen to my father

Gordon Preston Shaw at age 36.

On 07/28/1983, Kings beach, Lake Tahoe, Placer County, California, My father Gordon had roommate / co-worker who went looking for him that evening and found him in the back seat of his car fully clothed, soaking wet from his head to his shoes and barely breathing with gurgling sounds. He was rushed to the hospital in his car by the roommate and it stalled not far from the hospital. A passerby was flagged down and told to call the ambulance since he thought his friend was dead. The ambulance arrived within minutes and they found no pulse, they performed CPR and at hospital breathing was restored and he was stabilized in ICU and almost 4 hours later he passed away from not breathing and heart stopped.

In the incident report it states unknown cause of death and possible overdose of drugs and liquor and said that Shaw expired of unknown causes. Placer county Sheriff also took his vehicle and stored it for investigation on a 11-44 and possible 187, victim of murder and vehicle not to be released without ok by investigation. Property record states possible 187 p.c. and took oral, rectal and hair samples. I questioned his sister who went to I.D. the body and she told me the Detective there told her it was Murder and cause of death was from being kicked in the Spleen and that they knew who he was hanging around with at Kings Beach at the time.

There is a chronological investigative report section in one of the two different coroner reports that is left blank but only says “see narrative for details” and a (1 of 5 ) listed on the blank section. There is no information on any investigation or results from it on the 187 and missing paperwork (4-5)

Upon the other coroner’s autopsy and sketching my father had heavy trauma to the Left Flank with a deep zone of soft tissue Hemorrhagic contusion, contusion hemorrhage  11” inferior to the apex of the left axilla and inferior to the apex of the left 5 ½” x 6 ½” raised above surrounding skin up to 1 ½” near mid portion. Contusion extends near mid auxiliary line an additional area of contusion hemorrhage having a distance of 2” x 1 7/8” which points to the Spleen area. Also to the neck and arms with numerous traumatic injuries, deep bruising and deep bruising from multiple deep finger imprint marks on both arms, broken fractured sternum, deep contusions, significant deep tissue hemorrhages, foreign material in lungs, expanded lungs and several lacerations up to 8-10” on head to neck areas. Blood testing in coroner’s report showed no drugs in his system and a trace amount of alcohol. Also for the 187 investigation oral, rectal and hair sample was taken.

After receiving the incident report and autopsy reports I could not find any information on the possible 187 investigation and the hospital records that are supposed to be along with it that are missing. I called Forest hospital for records and I was told they were destroyed after 10 years, but if a 187 was called for the hospital records would be with the sheriff’s department they told me.

I have called numerous times to the Sheriffs records department of Placer County, California as well. I was speaking with a woman there who was very helpful in the beginning, but started to distance herself from me and now will not accept my calls or return them for these records as she did state before they could not give me anything because nothing was there and said at one point that if the 187 records were lost then someone dropped the ball on that….

I recently called the district attorney’s office in Placer county and they said they could not help me and didn’t know anything and to send my requested help to an email address. I said someone must be there in the building I can talk to, I then asked for her name and she refused to give that and I said its public information and I need a name. She put me on hold came back and said all I can do is send to the email address. I said there must be a person in that building that I can attention a name to with this email. She said nobody there can help now and then in a low tone whispered voice she gave me a MORGAN GIRE. I said thank you and hung up. I found that strange..

This alone is suspicious because not only the Placer county Sheriff’s office is avoiding me but also the district attorney’s office as well. Perhaps the two have been talking about this and are keeping the records because law enforcement was involved somehow or they have been lost which I find unlikely to happen with a Murder investigation.

I feel my father was a victim of murder and someone tried to stab him and drown him. He had bad relations with the police here in Minnesota and I am sure the Law did not like him in California. I feel the Sheriff’s department is covering up something. Hiding information with the 187 murder investigation with what they found, who was questioned, possible witnesses, what was found in his car, Bio samples and the hospital reports that show what care he was given and if he was responsive and gave any statements as he was stabilized in ICU as stated in Coroners report. I strongly feel that he was a victim of murder.

Also to mention numerous discrepancies in time of events with incident report and coroners reports and also in the statement from my father’s roommate which states “HE said that then they took Shaw my father off in the ambulance and HE was taken to N.C.S.O. JAIL. Was this written wrongly and Shaw did go off to the hospital in ambulance? Or was he taken to the Jail first before getting treatment? Since We don’t have a hospital report, we do not have a time of arrival to hospital and in the coroner’s report the time of arrival at hospital is at 8:20 pm and the incident occurred at 10:04 pm. This is a big red flag as well…

I am lost now and don’t know what to do. I feel there is considerable mistakes in the reports, lost information and a coverup by the Sherriff’s department. I know this is an old case and it will take some work to investigate this. I would like to go after the Sheriff’s Department and the State of California for multiple things involving the handling of this. My Father deserves justice in this unsolved mystery.