Joplin tornado casualty total drops to 161

(From the City of Joplin)

The City of Joplin has been notified that there had been an error in the cause of death for one of the 162 citizens listed as victims of the May 22, 2011 tornado. After careful review and verification by Jasper County Coroner Rob Chappel, he has announced that Kenneth J. Henson was a citizen of Ottawa County, Oklahoma and died in this county. His death was not caused by the tornado, but from other causes.


We understand that Chappel has been working closely with the City and other officials in the preparation of the Memorial Service, and this is how the error was discovered. Early in the process, to avoid confusion, all participating agencies agreed to the policy that the coroner would be the sole determinant as to the names placed on this list, and the City has adhered to that policy from that point forward.

At this time, the list of the deceased has been moved to 161 with Kenneth J. Henson being removed from this list. Through this recent review, we are confident that the current list of 161 is accurate.