Family questions coroner’s report

? A medical examiner’s conclusion that a firefighter committed suicide outside a Wichita church by stabbing himself has left relatives skeptical and unsatisfied.

The body of Sedgwick County Fire Capt. Michael Vann, 43, was found the night of Feb. 23 outside Iasis Christian Center, where his family had worshiped for years. There was blood around the body and leading back into the church.

“It’s kind of hard to repeatedly stab yourself. To continue to do that, it doesn’t seem logical,” said John Vann, 74, the firefighter’s father.

The autopsy report said Vann died of four self-inflicted stab wounds – two each in the neck and abdomen – 2 1/4 to 4 inches deep. A folding knife with a 3 1/4-inch blade was found in his back pocket.

Wichita police say they can’t comment because of an ongoing investigation into the death. Police Capt. Randy Landen said the autopsy finding is only one part of the investigation.

Medical Examiner Mary Dudley declined to comment on the autopsy report. The paperwork doesn’t explain why the death was found to be a suicide. Although Dudley conducted the autopsy in February, she didn’t sign it until June 22.

An attached toxicology report noted that Vann tested positive for drugs used to treat pain and anxiety.

Jonathan Vann, 16, said the toxicology results could be attributed to medication his father took for migraines and allergies.

As for where his father’s body was found, “He was raised in that church,” the son said. “He was baptized in that church. That’s the last place he would have ever killed himself.”