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Jeremy Nottingham (bottom right) sits for a family photo with his parents, Junius and Sharon, and sister Briana. (Junius Nottingham Jr.)

A few years ago, Junius Nottingham Jr. was on a family vacation in Florida with his wife, his daughter and his son, Jeremy. Jeremy was 28 years old, over 6 feet tall and athletic. He had followed his dad into law enforcement and had already built a career working for federal agencies, including the U.S. Secret Service.

“Jeremy told my wife that when he has a bowel movement, he bleeds a lot,” Nottingham recalls. “And so my wife says, ‘It’s probably hemorrhoids. When you go back to Birmingham, Alabama, go see your doctor.”

His son did, and his family was blindsided by what happened next.