TULSA, Okla., Nov. 30 (UPI) -- Dr. W. Dean Hidy, the Oklahoma surgeon responsible for exposing serial killer Nannie Doss, has died at the age of 79.
Hidy was a 26-year-old intern at Tulsa's Hillcrest Hospital when, in 1954, he refused to sign the death certificate for Doss' fifth husband, Sam, until an autopsy had been performed, The Tulsa World reported Friday.
When authorities learned Sam Doss died of arsenic poisoning, they launched an investigation into the deaths of Doss' three previous husbands and other family members.
Authorities discovered all of them, including Doss' mother, had arsenic in their systems, the World said. She was eventually linked to 11 killings.
She was sentenced to life in prison in 1955 and died 10 years later.
Born in Dayton, Ohio, Hidy spent part of his youth in Little Rock, Ark.
A graduate of the University of Arkansas School of Medicine, Hidy became chief of surgery and president of St. Francis Hospital, the newspaper said. He went into banking when arthritis forced him to give up surgery.
