I am as angry about the DM's action in this case as anyone else on the forum, unlike most other 'pruners my background is as a member of the press.
For us, not being the source of a NOK finding out about the death of a loved one was a matter of company policy that had no room for negotiation. I came close a couple of times, but it was always cock-up rather than conspiracy as has been noted.
In this case it reads as if the NOK had been informed but asked for some more time, possibly to contact another relative who was proving difficult to reach. Remember that as Red 5 was married even his parents would not count as NOK but they too deserve to hear this dreadful news through proper, dignified channels.
Contrary to popular belief the biggest danger is not that a relative reads the news on the DM website, or sees it in the paper, it's that a friend who has read it calls to offer condolences only to find out they are inadvertently delivering the bad news, making the relative feel like they are the last to hear of the event that will change their lives for ever.
'People matter and stories don't' was my basic feeling on the issue, which is probably why I was never particularly successful at the job.