This post will deal with Kandi’s later years and death. Most of this information came from public court records from San Francisco courts. They can be found and read by anyone who searches her legal (UPDATE also birth) name at her death, Kandie Dotson.

As stated in the last post of this blog, after many years living in Hawaii, Kandi moved to San Francisco. According to one court case, she lived in a hotel in the San Francisco tenderloin district from May 1996 until January 2005. In November 2004, the owner took Kandi to court for being behind on paying her rent. Kandi was present in court for the proceedings that she needed to be. The court ruled in the owners favor for more than $2000 that was owed and she had to leave the property in early January 2005. She also apparently lived in another hotel about a mile away for a period of time afterwards.

Kandi was found dead on January 18, 2012 in SF. It would appear no foul play was involved but her actual cause of death has not been released. 7 months before she died, in June 2011, she was attended to by paramedics, which might allude to health problems. The paramedics listed her as being homeless. She was IDed though finger prints which turned up a rap sheet from January 2006. It contained many aliases she had used including: Kandie Dotson, Kandie Louise Dotson, Kandie Lou Dotson, Kandie Barber, Candy Louise Barbour, Kandi Barbour, Candy Lou Dotson, Candy Lou Dotson, Kandi L. Dotson, Kandy Lou Dotson, Chubby K. Dotson, Kandie Lou Dotson, and Candy Lou Barber. The address listed on her California State ID on the rap sheet was a homeless resource center in SF. According the report, investigators believed she was homeless for several years prior to her death.

The SF Medical Examiner and the SF Estate Investigators exhausted all available options trying to find Kandi’s next of kin. Through the process they found her birthplace was in Alabama and her parents names, but could find no further information or contact info for them. (UPDATE Kandi’s parents died many years prior; see “Who was Kandi Barbour really?”) Police questioned a man who was her boyfriend at the time her death, but he had no information to provide about her next of kin. A person named Lawrence Dotson lived with her at some point in the residence she had from 1996-2005. Due to the same surname, investigators believe he was related to Kandi somehow. Perhaps her son, as she was believed to have one. They were unable to locate him as well.

Interestingly, an attorney in Hawaii contacted the Medical Examiners office sometime after her death indicating he knew of Kandi under the name of Linda Gene Smith (aka Linda Jean Smith) as he represented a Laurence H. Dorcy and his estate (who had passed away prior to this in June 2011, google his name for some interesting reading) who sometimes helped Kandi out financially over the years. It appears that he might have left her $150,000. A shame she couldn’t have received these funds, it may have possibly saved her life.

There were reports online that Kandi was cremated and her ashes were to be scattered in the SF Bay after a one year hold period by the SF coroner’s office.

UPDATE January 24, 2014: According to new court records published after this post was originally made, a next of kin was located, apparently a cousin. UPDATE November 30, 2014 The $150,000 left to Kandi, after a lengthy investigation and court case to determine heirship, was distributed to several members of Kandi’s extended family.

If anyone knew Kandi and has further information or corrections, please feel free to comment.