2007-05 DixieLanders

Story courtesy of To Be Magazine1

OTTAWA • May 27, 2007

DixieLanders, a prominent local drag queen was seriously injured from a fall down the front stairs at Centretown Pub from what appears to be a result of a bar fight that ensued just before last call on Saturday morning.

The call came in from Centretown Pub at 2:14 am on Saturday. When the Emergency Medical Technicians arrived, a person was found unconscious at the bottom of the stairs, according to the Ottawa Police.

In unconfirmed reports, Dixie got into trouble with someone's girlfriend after she complimented her boyfriend on how "hot" he was.

"The girlfriend got pissed off," said Doug Muir, a local and well connected promoter recounting what he had heard. "Somehow the girlfriend's face was slashed with a beer bottle, no one knew where it came from."

Marcel Lacrois, the main bartender at Centertown Pub who was there said that he was downstairs doing inventory at closing, when he heard that someone “fell down the stairs.” He told his staff to call 911.

According to the police, since the Emergency Medical Technicians did not know or find any identification on her, they tagged Dixie as "John Doe," when they treated and transported her to the hospital. She was not in drag at the time.

Marcel said that they told the police that they knew who he was and that he was a good customer and wouldn’t hurt anyone.

The next day on Saturday, Doug received an alarming call from a friend who heard rumors about Dixie in a chat room on gay.com.

Not knowing if Dixie was alive or not, or even where she was, Doug went into action to find out.

His first response was to contact the local drag queens, but "the Drag Queen network completely broke down," claimed Doug.

Then, he tried calling the local hospitals and the police but could not get any information because Dixie was not his family relative.

Desperate, Doug finally called Dixie's mother. However, when her mother went to look for her son (a.k.a. Michael), there was no record of him at any of the hospitals.

It wasn't until 1:00pm on Saturday before Dixie's mother was able to track Dixie down at one of the local hospitals because she was not admitted under her real or drag name, but was still listed as "John Doe," according to Doug.

“It took ten hours before I knew where he was,” posted Dixie’s mother on a “Dixie Landers Get Well Soon,” group on Facebook.

However, Sgt Dan Dunlop from the Ottawa Police Central District Investigations Department explained and clarified that they did have a nickname, and her legal first name, but did not know what spelling version was used on the last name.

“You can imagine the mortification, if we contacted the wrong next of kin,” explained Sgt Dunlop.

Sgt Dunlop also pointed out that people may “know” someone, but not necessarily “know of” their personal details, such as where they live or the correct spelling of their last name. "As the police were narrowing down the identification, a lot of people by 3:00 am had left the scene, " he said.

Sgt Dunlop says that they now have witnesses and have the contacts of all the people involved. The incident is still under investigation and will continue until they get to speak with the Dixie. The identity of Dixie is still not being released by the police, eventhough it has been confirmed by her mother and other close acquaintances.

"Dixie, according to her mother is still in the intensive care unit at an undisclosed hospital (at the request of the police) and her prognosis including her quality of life due to her head injuries is not yet known, but she is expected to survive, " says Doug.

Doug his having his Sunday Gay Night in Heaven - Get Well Soon Dixie Landers as a tribute for Dixie tonight.

OTTAWA (May 28, 2007) - Dixie is still in a coma but is responding to pain, but not to squeezing or verbal instruction according to her mother, Iris Hofmann in a phone interview with ToBE at 10:30 am this morning.

Besides the head injuries, Dixie is suffering from facial fractures, 2 contusions (bruising) to the lungs and fractures to the chest, and is wearing a neck brace for precautionary reasons of possible spinal injuries.

The fact that she can move means that her motor skills are still intact. However, Dixie still has not come out of her coma by late this morning.

The doctors said that if she doesn't come out of her coma in the next few hours, they would need to look at other options in regard to what steps to take next.

According to her mother, she is being monitored constantly and is getting very good care at the hospital.

Dixie's mother requests that people hold off on the flowers and the phone calls for now until Dixie is out of the Intensive Care Unit and into the Neurosurgery ward. The ICU does not allow flowers and is not open to the public where Dixie is located.

Please add yourself to Dixies get well page on facebook, you will also get updates on her condition from Doug Muir, a friend of Dixies. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2366537951