NATCHEZ &045;&045;The mother of a boy killed Sept. 14 when he was struck by a car said Adams County Coroner James Lee did not prevent her from kissing her son goodbye or prevent family members from viewing her son’s body.

In a Sept. 17 letter to Lee, Jack Houghton, administrator of Natchez Regional Medical Center, named several concerns he had regarding Lee’s behavior the night he examined the body of Ryekeem Alexander at the hospital.

Among other things, Houghton stated that Lee would not allow Alexander’s mother, Lawanda Alexander, to kiss or touch her son or allow other family members to join her at her son’s bedside.

&uot;It is our policy here that immediate family may see the deceased to initiate the closure … process,&uot; Houghton said in his letter.

Lee said the letter was &uot;completely fabricated,&uot; &uot;cast a dark shadow&uot; on his reputation and caused Alexander’s family anguish.

Lawanda Alexander said Monday that Lee did let three people in at a time to see her son and allowed her to kiss her son before the boy was transported to the funeral home.

&uot;He said, ‘Take as much time as you need.’ I appreciated the way he handled it,&uot; she said.

The letter also stated that Lee left the child sitting in an upright position after Lee examined him and called more than 80 people together for prayer in the middle of a busy emergency room, points Lee also denies.

When contacted Monday, Houghton said he believes the matter is an &uot;internal policy issue&uot; that can be resolved between Lee and the hospital.

Members of the Natchez Regional Board of Trustees who were contacted Monday either could not be reached for comment or would not comment.