A medical examiner has now released the cause of death for the sudden passing of Haverhill Police Officer Katelyn Tully. This comes after a separate investigation into the department was met with scrutiny over the department’s leadership.
Officer Tully’s death was ruled as a probable cardiac dysrhythmia, which is an irregular heartbeat with no clear cause.
Amanda Tully, Officer Katelyn Tully’s sister, says it’s a finding similar to what she suspected months before the report was released. “People were making sickening remarks about her death before she even made it to Boston that morning. Her body didn’t even make it to Boston before people started speculating, ”Oh she committed suicide"…my sister didn’t commit suicide,” Amanda tells Boston 25 News.
Officer Tully’s sudden death back in September of last year came only a few months after the death of 43-year-old Francis Gigliotti, who died in police custody back in July. The officers involved were placed on leave, including Officer Tully.
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Haverhill police says they released Tully’s cause of death in hopes to give the community space to grieve. The Essex County DA confirmed no evidence of foul play.
“The immense stress from the previous leadership put on all these officers and her heart just couldn’t take it,” Amanda tells Boston 25.
Back in October, Amanda told Boston 25 she believed her sister’s death was due to stress. Amanda says the medical examiner’s finding now puts rumors to rest. “I really started to notice her stress level just from the comments and everything, just like the bad bad talk about her,” she said.
Although the Haverhill Police Department remains under scrutiny, Amanda says the changes happening within the department now could’ve been a saving grace for her sister when she needed it most.
“Haverhill has a really good chief now, I mean he has implemented a few things within the department to help reduce stress, they have therapy dog now, they have a peer support program, but the best thing of all is that these officers have a leader that they can go to for whatever, without the fear of being reprimanded or de-ranked because he’s just a great great chief,” Amanda tells Boston 25.
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