ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Legislation that a South Georgia family is fighting to get passed is gaining attention across the Peach State.

The William Jake Embert Investigative Integrity and Victims Rights Act was submitted to the Georgia General Assembly earlier this year.

Its core purpose is to strengthen integrity in death investigations and to establish clear professional standards for investigators. It also calls for mandatory coroner qualifications, certification, and oversight.

A Douglas County woman who’s now joining the fight, saying this law could’ve helped her family.

On January 29th, 2025, officials ruled the death of Kenneth Massey a suicide. But the family of Massey says they never believed that. In fact, for over a year, his ex-wife Stephanie Lewallen and his family have been working to get his cause of death changed.

Now this fight sounds a lot like the fight one Dougherty County family faced.

In 2014, William ‘Jake’ Embert’s body was found inside his home with a bullet wound to the head. His death was initially ruled a suicide. Less than a year later, his cause of death was officially changed to homicide, and his wife at the time, Susan Embert, was indicted for his murder. She was convicted and sentenced earlier this year.

Now, Rachel Embert, the daughter of the victim, says she’s working to improve the system, not place blame.

“When I received that message from Stephanie, it was like looking in a mirror. It was realizing why,” Rachel Embert said.

Authorities first said that Massey died of exsanguination and self-hanging, and later altered his death certificate to say he died of asphyxiation and self-hanging. Lewallen believes neither situation is true.

“He was covered in blood, drenched head to toe,” Lewallen said. “He had head trauma, defense wounds on his right hand. His left hand looked like maybe he had been putting it up over his face to defend himself.”

Right now, to become a coroner or deputy coroner in the state of Georgia, you must be:

• 25 years old
• Have been a resident of the county where you are seeking to serve for 2 years before qualifying for election, and remain a resident during the term
• Registered voter
• High school diploma or GED
• No felony convictions

40-hours of basic training must also be completed at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth. Following training, you must be sworn in.

Lewallen requested the signed oath of office for the deputy coroner who ruled on Massey’s death from the Douglas County probate court. Lewallen provided the court’s response to WALB, they “…did not have any records on file.”

“How many deaths and how many families can question ruling? Because really that was just a citizen calling the death,” Lewallen said. “That could be hundreds of lawsuits. Not only does it look really sloppy, it could put them in financial ruins.”

In May, Lewallen presented this information to the Georgia Coroner’s Training Council.

According to state law, the council can “Withdraw or suspend certification of any certified coroner or deputy coroner who has performed or is performing the duties of a coroner in violation of Georgia law.”

Now it’s important to note, this isn’t the first time the Douglas County Coroner’s Office has been in the hot seat.

In 2019, a grand jury gave several recommendations to the coroner’s office concerning child fatality reviews, office practices and procedures, and the storage of bodies.

“Death is not an assumption, it is not a guessing game,” Rachel Embert said. “Families like myself and Stephanie’s and many others across the state of Georgia are having to endure a level of grief that is egregious.”

The William ‘Jake’ Embert Act would address early inconsistencies in death investigations, lack of standardized oversight, and gaps in coroner training, qualifications, and protocols.

“We would be healing from his death instead of trying to find out how he died,” Lewallen said. “It could make the biggest difference in being able to get on with your life, or being hung up on something you’ll never know.”

Now, WALB did reach out to the Douglas County Coroner’s Office online and by phone for comment on the allegations, but did not hear back.

The Georgia Coroner’s Training Council is set to meet on June 9th to discuss what it’s calling “new evidence regarding the Douglas County Coroner’s Office.”

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