Postmortem reveals Judge Odek died of blood clot on the right leg

 The Late Appellate Judge Justice James Otieno Odek who was found dead last week at his apartment in Kisumu-Photo Courtesy

 By Dickson Odhiambo

December 24, 2019

Postmortem reveals Judge Odek died of blood clot on the right leg

THE Late Court of Appeal Judge Prof. James Otieno Odek might have died as a result of blood clot in his right leg, a postmortem has revealed.

A Postmortem that has been conducted today on the body of the deceased lying at Aga Khan Hospital Mortuary has revealed that blood clot in the vein on the Judge’s right leg dislodged and choked the heart when the vein got unblocked.

Addressing the press after conducting the autopsy, Chief Government Pathologist Dr. Johansen Oduor said the postmortem report shows that the judge died suddenly that emanates from the blood clot in the vein of his right leg.

He says this then caused the sudden death of the deceased, adding that the cause of death is Pulmonary Thromboembolism.

He says the late Judge might have sat for a long time thus causing the blood to be static hence causing the blood to clot in the veins.

“The main cause of the blood clots is injury in the leg but for his case I think he sat for long hence the blood became static causing the blood clot. This is a risk factor,” Dr. Oduor says.

The Autopsy has been conducted by the Chief Government Pathologist Dr. Johansen Oduor and Dr. Dixon Muchana from Kakamega County Hospital.

The Court of Appeal Judge was found dead at his Groovehut apartment in Kisumu on Monday last week after he failed to report to duty.

A member of the family who was present today at the mortuary Yonah Odek who is an elder brother to the late Judge said the Autopsy report has been handed over to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and the family will discuss it once they get officially.

He however said he cannot discuss it further in the press before they discuss it as a family.

He says preparation for the funeral of the late Judge is in top gears, adding that the body will be removed from the mortuary this Thursday to be taken to the Kisumu law Courts after which it will be transferred to their home in Asembo where requiem mass will be conducted at St Paul’s Memba ACK.

He adds that the late justice Odek will be laid to rest on Friday this week at his home in Asembo. 

Pulmonary Thromboembolism is a condition in which one of more arteries in the lungs become blocked by a blood clot which is lodged in an artery in the lungs and blocks the blood flow into the lungs.

Most of the times, a pulmonary embolism is caused by blood clots that travels from the legs, or rarely other parts of the body {Deep vein thrombosis}.

Meanwhile, the Director of Criminal Investigations has reportedly disputed the today’s autopsy report over the judge’s death terming it not conclusive and ordered  for another autopsy.

ENDS: