A 50 year-old Ghanaian male was found dead in his apartment in North Houston on Friday December 15, 2006. The deceased, Kwaku Feglo was a Geo-physicist, and he attended University of Oklahoma. Early calls around town drew a blank on who may know him hence this announcement.

The news came to me through one Dr. Kobani Voenu, a Nigerian living here in Houston who attended college with Mr. Feglo in Oklahoma. Even though the two had not spoken for quite some time, Feglo kept his number, and that is how the Coroner’s office was able to reach the Nigerian doctor.

Dr. Voenu recalls Feglo speaking about some of his relatives who came to the Connecticut, USA area on a lottery visa, but he did not recall his name. In addition, Feglo is said to have fathered a daughter, who currently lives in Ghana, with a Ghanaian nurse currently living in London. They could not get married because her father objected to the union.

I have contacted the president of Ghana Association in Houston, Reverend Fosuh to inform him of the tragedy. Elder Okyeame Essah-Mensah has also been informed. This, therefore, is a call to anyone who knows a member of Feglo’s family to contact Jermaine Nkrumah at 713-240-2164. A spokesman from the coroner’s office, Alex Perez, indicated the following procedure:

First and foremost, a family member needs to be located. Then the office needs to find out if Feglo had a Will made. In the absence of a Will allocating a next of kin, a legal spouse would do. In the absence of a legal spouse, a common law spouse, children, and other family members would do in that order.

If none of the above is found, the coroner’s office goes through a checklist of methods they have to invest a good faith effort to allocate any of the above on its own. That checklist includes publishing his name in the local newspapers, checking with the police department for possible information on where else Feglo might have lived. When all these steps still produces no one, then the office would release the body to the Harris County Social Services for a burial. Obviously, no Ghanaian deserves such a burial.

Alex Perez also indicated that no fees shall be incurred while the body is in the coroner’s office. But after they have released it to the Harris County Social Services, there could be fees incurred. The rough timeline between now and when that happens is two months.

As a Ghanaian reading this, please endeavor to join your local organizations wherever you are. We have traveled too far to live in exclusion from our own. Yes, we talk, but when something happens, we are the same people who would come to your aid. This article may not have been necessary were Feglo known in our community.