Independent Investigation Into the Death of Yvonne McDonald Exonerates City of Olympia
No evidence City of Olympia employee was involved, dispels hate crime conspiracy theory advanced by Talauna Reed
On August 8, 2018, Yvonne McDonald was found unconscious on the lawn of an empty Division Street house on the West Side in Olympia, WA. The circumstances were troubling—her pants around her ankles, feces on her body and ants crawling on her.
A City of Olympia street sweeper had stopped his vehicle to pick up a mail box in the street when he saw Ms. McDonald lying under a bush with her feet on the stairs of the house. He ascertained she was breathing, called 911 at 7:08 am and continued on his route.
Upon arrival, the officer called OFD for medical aid. OFD was dispatched at 7:27 and arrived at 7:31. They upgraded the call to a paramedic response and Medic One arrived at 7:37. They began to render aid and after field remediation transported Ms. McDonald to the hospital, arriving at 8:06 am. McDonald died later that day without regaining consciousness.
Immediately the death was positioned as an anti-black hate crime by Olympia activists, led by McDonald’s niece, Talauna Reed. Over time a convoluted conspiracy theory emerged that the street sweeper had hit McDonald and that the City of Olympia, OPD, OFD, Medic One, two City Managers, the Thurston County Prosecutor and the coroner were all covering up a “murder.”
Reed and other activists berated the Olympia City Council including Mayor Cheryl Selby, posted private information about the street sweeper and Medic One employees and protested at City Manager Jay Burney’s house.
This increased racial tension in Olympia as misinformation contributed to a false narrative of racism in the city government which was an excuse for property damage in subsequent years. Family members claim money raised in McDonald’s name was misappropriated by Reed, no public accounting of the funds has been given.
Under pressure from Reed, the city agreed to spend $50K on an independent investigation conducted by an outside law firm, FreyBuck P.S. out of Seattle. It ended up under budget at slightly less than $35K.
The investigation was not made public and could only be obtained by FOIA. I have reviewed the fifteen page document and present highlights of the findings in this summary. A link to the unedited document can be found in the FURTHER READING section at the conclusion of the article.
I had previously reviewed OPD documents related to the case and had declined to fully report the story out of respect for Ms. McDonald’s privacy due to the sensitive nature of the medical details needed to properly speak to what happened and what did not happen.
Her story is a sad one, and this presentation of facts should not be seen as a negative judgement around her alcohol abuse. It is impossible to discuss her death without discussing McDonald’s relationship with alcohol.
Since Talauna Reed’s appointment to the Olympia School Board, the story around McDonald takes on new relevance as it relates to Reed’s integrity and fitness to serve based on the false conspiracy theory she has spread in the community. I think it is important this investigation be shared to dispel misinformation promoted by Reed.
SUMMARY OF INVESTIGATION
Firstly, the investigation concluded that OPD met appropriate standards of conduct in their investigation:
“Our evaluation of the investigation of McDonald's unfortunate demise reflects that the effort was within the industry standards and best practices for events of this nature. The investigators showed a level of competence that one would expect from a law enforcement officer in the position. The investigators appeared to have dealt with the disparate and vexing family problems through the course of the investigation with care and courtesy.
“The nature, extent, and scope of their interviews of witnesses was appropriate, as was the investigators’ impetus to follow up on leads as information became available. They utilized creative approaches in attempts to ascertain the underlying facts in the absence of solid evidence. Unfortunately, the evidence simply provided no specific information as to precisely what happened to Ms. McDonald on the day of the event.”
Here are the conclusions the investigators arrived at:
“The investigation revealed consistent information related to Ms. McDonald’s chronic abuse of alcohol and the impact the abuse had upon her. Her ultimate condition upon discovery is consistent with her earlier difficulties with alcohol, including falls, associated contusions, lacerations, and lack of bowel control. At this juncture, however, the investigation leads to no solid conclusion on the events that led to her demise. There appear to be no additional areas of inquiry that suggest a practical chance of gleaning additional useful evidence.
“Accordingly, without some fortuitous information from an eyewitness or similar yet undiscovered evidence, precisely what happened to Ms. McDonald will remain a mystery.
“A possible explanation would be that Ms. McDonald, under the influence, fell into the mailbox and onto it as it fell to the street resulting in the blunt trauma to her abdomen that was the cause of death. She may have subsequently made her way into the yard to relieve herself or possibly to seek help. The nature of the injury (an internal hemorrhage) might simply have taken over leaving her too weak to care for herself and in the position that she was later found by the street sweeper and first responders.
“While this would be consistent with Ms. McDonald's purse being found in the roadway and with paper product found in her underwear, it is ultimately simply supposition. It is unfortunate that the family and the community will be left to wonder as to the cause of her fate.”
The investigation was thorough, meeting with McDonald’s family including Talauna Reed, who provided input and documents regarding her investigation, each of which they address in the report.
Reed continues to refer to her aunt as being murdered by the city and is apparently not satisfied with the investigation. She and her supporters have called for further investigation by the Washington State Attorney General and/or the Department of Justice.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE INVESTIGATION
A key finding that proves that the street sweeper was not involved in McDonald’s death was the fact that she was hypothermic, with a body temperature of 84 degrees when found. It would have been impossible for her temperature to have fallen so quickly in such a short period of time. GPS readings also confirm the street sweeper’s account. Reed continues to say he should be fired.
The report addresses this claim specifically:
“There has been a lingering question as to whether Ms. McDonald might have been struck by the street sweeper resulting in the blunt trauma that ultimately caused her demise. Our review of the evidence unequivocally rebuts that possibility.
“As a preliminary matter, Ms. McDonald's core temperature had fallen significantly; it was 84 degrees when first responders arrived. That cooling process would have taken hours of exposure to the cool night air.
“She was also covered with ants by the time first responders arrived, which was within minutes of the street sweeper's original report; again, a circumstance that would more likely have occurred over an extended period.
“Sargent Weinnig also clarified through a second inquiry with the medical examiner that Ms. McDonald's injuries were not consistent with being struck by a vehicle traveling at 10 miles an hour, which would have left far more significant trauma.
“Simply stated, whatever occurred with Ms. McDonald occurred long before the street sweeper operator showed up for work that morning.”
Maintenance records of the vehicle reflect:
“The physical repairs to exterior portions of the sweeper were to areas that are low to the ground, not at a level that would impact a human torso (while standing). Moreover, the medical examiner ruled out any physical injury to Ms. McDonald consistent with being struck by a vehicle. None of the maintenance was associated with damage consistent with striking another object.”
Sexual assault was ruled out post mortem, no semen or damage indicative was found. Some male DNA was found in McDonald’s mouth, thought to be cross contamination when she was intubated at the hospital, “the low amounts in the oral swabs could have been transfer from any medical tubing that was placed in Ms. McDonald’s mouth or from a postmortem contribution.”
Here is the summary of the autopsy given in the investigation:
“On August 10, 2018, Detective Weinnig attended the autopsy. He received a verbal preliminary summary that the most likely cause of death was a small laceration in Ms. McDonald’s gall bladder that could have occurred from some sort of blunt trauma.
“The medical examiner noted other bruises and injuries: scalp hemorrhage to top of head, bruise on left cheek, lateral bruise on abdomen, bilateral bruises to the top of both thighs, bruise over the belly button in the subcutaneous fat, scratches on left shoulder blade, scratches/ abrasions on right hip and back of thigh, scratches, and bruises to shins commonly associated with falling, and a laceration to underside of chin.
“She had two liters of blood in her stomach. The medical examiner noted that was likely the result of transfusions during resuscitation and her gall bladder laceration.
“The doctor noted that she had low clotting factors, a condition related to alcoholism. The pathologist also noted that Ms. McDonald had weak bones, but that the only bone/cartilage injury she evidenced was related to CPR.
“He stated there were no signs of sexual assault and that the rectum condition was hemorrhoids. Ms. McDonald had suffered no stab or gunshot wounds or other physical violence.”
MCDONALD HAD A HISTORY OF ALCOHOL RELATED INCIDENTS
McDonald had a history of severe chronic alcoholism and had multiple contacts with medical providers and ER visits in the two years leading to her death. She had sought help coping with the recent death of her mother and a witness close to her believed she wanted to drink herself to death.
She had a history of public intoxication, passing out, being unable to walk and incoherent. A half empty pint bottle of vodka was found in her purse. At the hospital her family stated she was once found “so intoxicated at a casino she did not recognize them.”
McDonald called for welfare checks on herself as well as others calling them for her. The report states that “since January 2018, she had contacted the police or fire department seven times.”
Two incidents three months before her death are especially concerning:
“On May 20, 2018, she called 911 stating she was in a hotel in Dupont. TCOMM was able to determine that she was actually in her apartment. She said she was not in her house, though the inside of the apartment looked like hers with “all of her stuff.” She reported that she had been drinking. It was determined that she was home and highly intoxicated.
“On May 21, 2018, Ms. McDonald called from a Texaco gas station; the operator was unable to understand some of what she was saying. She told the operator that no one was helping her because she was black. An officer arrived on-scene and observed that she was highly intoxicated. Ms. McDonald was taken to her apartment.”
On June 20, 2018, officers responded to her apartment complex and “found Ms. McDonald apparently intoxicated in the courtyard, showing difficulty walking. They attempted to assist her. She was unable to stand by herself. Officers took her back to her apartment and contacted the neighbor who said that they had both consumed a large bottle of alcohol.”
McDonald’s friend and neighbor reports:
“She had seen Ms. McDonald intoxicated on numerous occasions stating ‘she was constantly drunk.’ She saw Ms. McDonald fall up a short three step flight of stairs in front of her apartment at least twice. She once saw Ms. McDonald on a transit bus drunk and shaking with a ‘mess or poop in her pants.’ She saw unknown males carrying Ms. McDonald into her apartment. She stated Ms. McDonald was ‘determined to kill herself with alcohol.’”
McDonald’s medical records reveal she has been “treated for over-intoxication and falls related to alcohol consumption.” In a visit to the Capital Medical Center ER earlier in 2018, staff had “expressed concerns about alcoholism, but McDonald refused inpatient treatment.” When found, her body had bruises and scratches of various ages, presumably from previous falls.
On July 11, 2018, less than a month before her death McDonald was transported by ambulance to the ER, presenting with neck pain after a fall at home. Medical records say she was at “severe risk for alcohol withdrawal and that she was in denial about her alcohol abuse.” The doctor “recommended in-patient addiction treatment, but Ms. McDonald lefet against medical advice.”
McDonald’s primary care provider agreed, stating that “Ms. McDonald underestimated her alcohol intake, was very frail, and highly anxious. Ms. McDonald had refused to get mental health treatment and cited her mother’s death as the reason for not getting help. He noted that in late 2016 and early 2017, she had been transported to St. Claire’s Hospital after being found unconscious and unresponsive on a casino floor.”
Detectives spoke to one of the people closest to McDonald, a friend of thirty years. This is summarized by the investigation thusly:
“He confirmed the incidents where Ms. McDonald was found unconscious on the casino floor. He said on both occasions he went there to pick her up to take her home but found that paramedics were taking her away. He had known Ms. McDonald for more than 30 years and had a romantic relationship in the past but had not had intimate relations with her in four months.
“L.M. told Detective Weinnig that he is married but remained friends with Ms. McDonald. He helped with transportation when he could. He did not know anyone who would want to hurt Ms. McDonald but said that her sister S.S. intimidated her.
“L.M. had been concerned for Ms. McDonald since the death of her mother; he noted that since that time she ‘lost touch with reality’ and appeared out of her mind or confused at times.
“The last time he saw her was on August 3, 2018. He was supposed to meet her at the Bayview Thriftway, take her to the food bank and then home with her groceries. When he arrived, however, she was sitting in the bus shelter so intoxicated she could not walk. He took her to lunch to help sober her up and then home.
“L.M. informed Weinnig that Ms. McDonald had told him that she had several occasions when she could not control her bowel movements and noted that he had heard of the bus bowel control problem that H.E. had mentioned. He agreed with H.E.’s statement about Ms. McDonald trying to drink herself to death.”
When questioned by the detective, nearby businesses including Dollar Tree and Grocery Outlet said McDonald “seemed lonely and sometimes intoxicated.” She had presented with passive suicidal thoughts in July of 2017 but did not want to talk to a counselor. In July and August 2018, she sought mental health care at The Free Clinic but apparently never followed through.
The tone of texts between McDonald and her sisters had “angry/resentful tones” over the recent death of their mother but there was no connection between the family and McDonald’s death found by investigators. During the investigation, Reed and her mother Cheryl Williams cast suspicion on the other sisters, undermining their own conspiracy theory.
When meeting with investigators, Talauna Reed pressed several lines of inquiry, all of which were explored by the team. Notably, she advanced that McDonald had been taken from the hospital back to the site where she was found so that a scene could be staged to protect the street sweeper.
This is dealt with in depth in the final report:
“T.R. expressed concern that Ms. McDonald may have been taken to the hospital and then returned to the scene. To assess this concern, we gained access to the digital photos of the scene from the day and evaluated the metadata of the photos to clarify time and date. The metadata confirmed that the photos were taken from 7:32 to 7:36 a.m., consistent with the police and fire reports description of the time that Ms. McDonald was being cared for at the scene.
“T.R. also identified a photo of Ms. McDonald at the scene in light blue shorts. T.R. opined that the blue shorts were hospital disposable underwear, reinforcing the idea that Ms. McDonald had been returned to the scene from the hospital.
“By analyzing the digital version of the photo, however, which allowed us to “zoom in” on the shorts, it is apparent they are ordinary cloth shorts; further we confirmed that the hospital does not use “paper” disposable underwear.
“Given that the photographs are time stamped and consistent with the reported time of law enforcement and medical aid at the initial scene, there is no basis to conclude that Ms. McDonald may have been returned to the scene from the hospital.”
In conclusion, despite overwhelming evidence debunking Reed’s claims, she has built a name for herself as an anti-racist activist by spreading mistruth about her aunt’s death. Her concern for a loved one is appropriate, anyone would want answers in these circumstances, but it is false to say “the city murdered my aunt” and that they covered it up just because McDonald was black. It is worse to raise funds from a trusting community based on these allegations.
FOR FURTHER READING
The full investigation can be accessed here. This document was not made public and could previously only be accessed by FOIA.
The City of Olympia Talking Points About the Yvonne McDonald investigation can be found here.
The itemized invoice for the investigation totalled approximately $35K and can be found here.
You can find Reed’s rhetoric around the death of McDonald on the Justice 4 Yvonne website. There is also a Facebook page.
The Antifa News Network zine on Yvonne McDonald can be found here. This was shared by Reed signalling her approval. Reed has worked closely with the author Miguel Lofland. This zine covers many of the main points of the conspiracy theory and the tone of the rhetoric employed by activists.
This article is a compendium of primary sourced including numerous videos of Talauna Reed in her own words. WARNING: The content is NSFW and may be disturbing to some viewers, especially materials related to Lofland.
In another article, found here, I discuss Reed’s criminal history in depth, including screenshots from her 90 page background check.
Despite the conspiracy theory lies and her criminal history, Reed was recently appointed to the Olympia School Board. Here is a report from the December board meeting.
I have playlists of speakers on my YouTube channel from the and December school board meetings.
Candace Mercer is an artist/writer/activist based in Olympia, WA. She has written on homeless response and political violence in the PNW. In 2021, she ran for Olympia City Council. She is currently working on a line of feminist art and writing on gender ideology.
Well written as usual Candy! Interesting, truthful and well investigated. Thank you for shedding g light in this tragic accident. Shame on Reed for publicly calling out the city employee who reported finding her. At least he cared. Doesn’t seem like many did.
What racial tension? If there is any at all it was dreampt up by, and promoted by leftists to satisfy their ideological fantasies...