coroner

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When Celebrities Died, He Was the Man Behind the Scenes

Ed Winter, former Los Angeles County coroner, has died at 73

(Newser) - When celebrities died in Los Angeles County, there was one man's name you could pretty much count on hearing: that of Ed Winter, the county's former deputy coroner, who handled investigations into the deaths of some of the most high-profile stars in Hollywood. Now, a goodbye to Winter...

Report: 5 Elderly Couples Didn't Die by Murder-Suicide

And the killer might still be on the loose

(Newser) - British police are facing the possibility that five murder-suicides of elderly couples might really be double homicides—perpetrated by a killer who's still on the loose, the Guardian reports. Stephanie Davies, the top coroner for Cheshire police, compiled a 197-page report linking two apparent murder-suicides in the 1990s to...

A Virus First: The Dead Are Still Contagious

Scientists in Thailand say coronavirus appears to have spread to medical examiner from a corpse

(Newser) - Out of Thailand, a coronavirus first: a case in which the virus appears to have spread from a corpse to a medical examiner. "According to our best knowledge, this is the first report on COVID-19 infection and death among medical personnel in a Forensic Medicine unit," researchers write...

Coroner Allegedly Sent His Wife to Death Scenes

Who was not a sworn deputy, officials say

(Newser) - Coroners are allowed to send deputy coroners to a death scene to investigate, but a Colorado coroner is in hot water after allegedly sending his wife—who was not a sworn deputy—to investigate multiple death scenes this year. Shannon Kent, who was first elected Lake County coroner in 2012,...

The Plot Was Marked 'Searched.' Only the Half Without the Body Was

Coroner finds fault in search for Australia's Darrell Simon

(Newser) - For 18 months, family and friends wondered what had happened to Darrell Simon. The 46-year-old Australian had vanished after setting out from his girlfriend's home, 50 miles west of Brisbane, on a bike ride in November 2014, and the delay in locating him led some to suspect he died...

Famed Forensic Pathologist Quits Over Macabre Goings-On

Dr. Bennet Omalu says Sheriff-Coroner Steve Moore asked him to do improper things

(Newser) - Two forensic pathologists—one famous, as far as forensic pathologists go—have amassed more than 100 pages of notes since May, and the details they contain are in some cases macabre. Susan Parson resigned her post with San Joaquin County last week; Dr. Bennet Omalu—known for his CTE-related discoveries...

Why It's Wise to Avoid Following a Coroner's Van

Gurney with body slips out into intersection in Olympia, Wash.

(Newser) - Police say a gurney holding a dead body fell from the back of a coroner's van into traffic in Olympia, Wash., per the AP . The Olympian reports the van was heading back to the county coroner's office Monday after responding to a home death. Olympia Police Department Lt....

Pa. Coroner: Heroin Deaths Are Homicides

Other coroners may follow suit

(Newser) - There were two dozen drug overdose deaths in Pennsylvania's Lycoming County last year—each labeled accidental. Then coroner Charles Kiessling had to pronounce his friend's son dead from a heroin overdose, though he'd promised the victim's mother he'd talk to him about overcoming his addiction....

Coroner Quits as 180 Bodies Pile Up in Morgue

Mark Fajardo says goodbye to LA County Coroner's Office

(Newser) - With dead bodies stacking up and a budget that apparently falls short, the LA County coroner has quit his job. Mark Fajardo abruptly announced last week that he's resigning after two years as top medical examiner, the LA Times reports. "Ultimately, I wasn’t supplied the resources I...

Ex-Coroner Stole From Dead People: Authorities

He was sentenced today to 3 years in prison

(Newser) - One apparent "perk" of being a coroner: If someone dies without any apparent family members, you can steal from them. But Grover Tuten got caught doing just that, causing him to resign as Georgia's Richmond County coroner and be sentenced today to three years in prison. Tuten, who...

Family Furious to Find Loved One's Remains at Crash Site

There was supposedly nothing left of Jared McPherson, but family found body parts

(Newser) - It's devastating enough to lose a loved one in a car crash. But the family of Jared McPherson didn't expect to have their trauma compounded when they went to pay their respects at the crash site. "I looked down and [his fiancee] was holding part of a...

Court: Coroners Don't Have to Return Bodies With All Their Parts

Parents buried son, learned of brain in a jar months later

(Newser) - Families who bury loved ones whose body has been looked at by a medical examiner may not be burying their whole bodies. And New York's highest court ruled yesterday that it's OK. The unusual case involves the death of 17-year-old Jesse Shipley of New York City in a...

Coroner: No Booze, Drugs in Suicide of Robin Williams

Report confirms suicide by hanging

(Newser) - The coroner in Marin County, Calif., today confirmed that Robin Williams' death was indeed caused by suicide , reports CNN . The 63-year-old had no alcohol in his system when he hanged himself at his home, and the only drugs found were from prescribed medication in "therapeutic concentrations." The coroner...

Lawsuit: County Used Son's Remains to Train Dogs

Tissue from crash scene allegedly used for training

(Newser) - A western New York family is suing an upstate county after the coroner there took a piece of their son's body for use in a dog-training exercise. Thirty-two-year-old Roger Dunn died last spring in an auto wreck in Cambria. After the crash, Niagara County Coroner Russell Jackman gave some...

Chicago to Post Photos of Mystery Stiffs Online

Cook County aims to give closure to victims, even if it's not pretty

(Newser) - If your loved one died in a grisly way, finding a grisly photo of them online might not be your favorite way of finding out, but the Cook County medical examiner's office is betting it's better than nothing. The county, which includes Chicago, has begun posting photos of...

Coroner: Lottery Winner Murdered With Cyanide

Urooj Khan's death officially ruled a homicide, but no no clues emerge

(Newser) - It's official: Urooj Khan didn't die of natural causes. Cook County Medical Examiner Stephen Cina today ruled the lottery winner's death a homicide, saying he'd died of cyanide toxicity and confirming his initial diagnosis in January, CNN reports. But because there's no cyanide left in...

Tony Scott Was Cancer- Free: Coroner

Still no known motive behind Top Gun director's suicide

(Newser) - Contrary to earlier reports , Top Gun director Tony Scott wasn't suffering from brain cancer or any other serious illness when he committed suicide in August, the coroner says. Scott did, however, have "therapeutic levels" of sleep drug Lunesta and antidepressant Mirtazipine in his body, the Los Angeles Times...

UK Spy's Death Likely Unsolvable: Coroner

She speculates that MI6 itself may have killed Gareth Williams

(Newser) - A UK coroner has concluded that Gareth Williams probably didn't lock himself in the sports bag his body was found in, meaning his death was "on the balance of probabilities" unlawful, but says she's otherwise stumped as to how the MI6 code-breaker died. Dr. Fiona Wilcox issued...

Girl's Death From School Fight Ruled a Homicide

Joanna Ramos of Long Beach, Calif., was struck in an after-school fight

(Newser) - A coroner ruled today that the death of a 10-year-old Southern California girl in an afterschool alley fight is a homicide, the AP and Long Beach Press-Telegram report. Joanna Ramos of Long Beach apparently faced an 11-year-old girl in a fight without any weapons Friday, and never fell down—but...

The Scary Truth About America's Morgues
The Scary Truth About America's Morgues
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Feb 5, 2011 1:30 PM CST

The Scary Truth About America's Morgues

Mistakes have sent innocents to jail, let guilty go free, ProPublica finds

(Newser) - Misplaced bones and bodies, overlooked bullet holes, corpses cremated before an investigation was complete: Most real morgues bear little resemblance to the shiny, high-tech world of CSI’s labs, a new investigation reveals. ProPublica , Frontline, and NPR took a yearlong look at the country’s coroner and medical examiner offices...

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