American Idol XIII contestant, Savion Wright dedicated his Hollywood solo song, an original titled “Breathing Underwater,” to his brother, Alfred, who died two and a half weeks before Hollywood week.
“It’s been really hard on my family,” Savion explained to Ryan Seacrest, “I really looked up to him. I put all my anger and emotions into my song.”
It turns out the details of that death are grim and troubling. Alfred went missing after his truck broke down in Sabine County, Texas.
Alfred Wright, a 28-year-old physical therapist, was on his way to see a patient when his pickup truck broke down in Sabine County, Tex. His wife Lauren alerted his parents who went to help him. When Lauren called him back, all she heard was heavy breathing. She grew frantic and knew he was in distress. She sent texts pleading with him to call her. When his parents arrived on the scene, there was no sign of Alfred. His pickup truck was still parked at the package store, but Alfred was long gone. The store clerk said she saw Alfred, who was dressed in scrubs, but claims after he talked on his cell phone, he stuffed his cell phone in his socks and took off running, of “his own free will.”
Right off the bat, the family questioned the cops commitment to the missing person’s case.
His family questions the sheriff’s office commitment to finding Alfred when they abruptly halted the search after only four days, saying they’ve exhausted their resources, Alfred would be listed as a missing person and there was no indication of foul play. They even said this case was likely drug related and Alfred ripped off his clothes after having hallucinations.
Alfred’s watch, clothing and his identification were found in the area near where deputies claimed to have searched.
Alfred was found, dead, 18 days later. Not by police, but by volunteers and his father.
He was stripped to his boxer shorts, wearing only a single sock with his cell phone tucked inside, and both his sneakers. He was missing an ear, two front teeth and his throat was slit. There was not a lot of decomposition in comparison to most bodies found in the elements after 18 days.
And then the autopsy report came back:
On November 26, 2013, forensic pathologist John W. Ralston MD, ruled his death “accidental” due to “combined drug intoxication,” in other words, a drug overdose – cocaine, methamphetamine and amphetamines.
Uh, Wut? The family is highly sceptical of this result. They claim Alfred NEVER used drugs. They conducted their own autopsy and the pathologist concluded that he died of severe trauma to the neck and head and a gash across his throat.
The county’s autopsy report didn’t address the cut on his neck or throat area and also went on to report that any damage caused to the body was caused by animal activity, offering no explanation why the cut across his neck was a straight line and why the animals didn’t chew him to the bone after being out in the woods for over 18 days.
WTF? A notable factoid: The Wrights live in Jasper TX, the same town where, in 1998, James Byrd was beaten, chained to the back of a truck by his ankles and dragged for more than 3 miles. His dead body was dumped in front of an African American cemetery.
The family continues to look for answers, regarding the death of Alfred. Houston Congresswoman, Sheila Jackson, recently announced “the Department of Justice will investigate and take appropriate action and will conduct a thorough and independent investigation into all the circumstances surrounding this tragedy and to take appropriate action necessary to vindicate the federal interest, protect the civil rights of all Americans, ensure that all persons receive equal justice under law.
“We are all better off when the facts are discovered, the truth is discerned and the family and the community are at peace.”
ETA: You can help the family find answers by donating to the Alfred Wright Foundation at GoFundMe.
Stay strong Savion!
Via Rolling Out