Zachery Tims Death: Ex-Wife Not Trying to Hide Cause of Death (VIDEO)
Mother Sues to Prevent Medical Examiner Report Release
The mother of megachurch pastor Zachery Tims has sued in the New York Supreme Court to keep the results of her son's toxicology report secret.
In August, the leader of Florida's New Destiny Christian Center megachurch in Apopka, Fla., was found dead in his room at the W Hotel in Times Square, New York. A police source has allegedly said that a glassine envelope containing a white powder was found in the pastor's pocket.
Though New York City police said no criminal activity was suspected, his mother, Madeline Tims, last Friday filed a suit seeking a judge’s order to keep the cause of death sealed. The case will be argued before a Manhattan State Supreme Court justice on Nov. 23.
Meanwhile, it was reported that Rena Jones, the twin sister of Tims' wife, Riva, says her sister is not involved in a lawsuit to prevent that release. Originally it was reported that both Tims' wife and his mother had sued. Rena Tims used Facebook to set the record straight:
"Dear Facebook Family, I wanted to clear up a matter that has recently come to my attention. There are several news articles claiming that my ex-husband’s mother and I are suing the City of New York to keep his cause of death secret. I was not aware that his mother filed suit and I am in no way involved in this matter. I have not filed suit and I don’t plan to file suit in the future."
The official cause of Tims' death was undetermined. Autopsies in New York are not public record, but the results of toxicology tests would be listed on the death certificate issued by the Medical Examiner’s office.