The congregants of Orlando, Fla.-area New Destiny Christian Center may never know for sure how their pastor, Zachery Tims, died in that New York City hotel room this summer. That’s because the family may decide to seek a court order to keep the results sealed.
Although the toxicology reports are completed—reports that would conclude whether or not the white powder found on Tims’ body were illegal drugs that killed him—the New York City Medical Examiner’s office has delayed the release of the official cause of death amid the family’s concerns. By Tims’ own testimony, he was instantly delivered from drug addiction when he was saved, leading many to believe the worst about his untimely death.
Ellen Borakove, director of the Public Affairs Office of the New York Chief Medical Examiner’s Office, told Charisma News last week that “the family has raised some concerns we’re looking into.” She did not say at the time what those concerns were. Borakove did not return calls seeking further comment by press time. The toxicology reports were supposed to be released to the public last week.
Orange-Osceola Chief Medical Examiner Jan Garavaglia told the Orlando Sentinel that the New York Medical Examiner may be awaiting a court appeal by the family to keep the results sealed. It is not unusual, she said, for a medical examiner to hold up the release of a cause of death when a family says it plans to go to court.
“We get that a lot: Don’t release this. We explain right up front that we have to release it,” Garavaglia said. “If you don’t want it released, you have to go to the courts.”
New Destiny’s Sunday worship services and messages were seen worldwide in over 100 million homes daily through radio and television broadcast. Tims was often a special guest or host on the Trinity Broadcasting Network’s Praise the Lord. He penned the story of his salvation and deliverance from addictions in It’s Never Too Late.
Gina Meeks contributed to this report.
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