Death Investigation in America

Key Statistics

• Nearly 7,000 deaths per day in America.
• 2.5 million Americans die each year.

Reality of Death Investigations

• Conditions often not like the TV show CSI.
• Poor infrastructure, such as a single light over autopsy tables.
• Refrigerated trucks needed to store bodies due to lack of space.
• Many death investigations are carried out by elected officials without medical qualifications.
• No national regulation of death investigations.
• Some examples of incompetence include a pathologist arrested for drunk driving and poorly performed autopsies.

Roles in Death Investigations

• Forensic Pathologists: Medical experts determining cause of death through autopsies.
• Coroners: Often elected officials with varied qualifications and limited resources.
• Medical Examiners: Generally doctors with specialized forensic training.

Case Studies

Sonoma County: Dr. Thomas Gilll

• Misidentified causes of death, cited as incompetent.
• Background of drunk driving and incompetence in prior roles.
• Prosecution coached him, secret tapes revealed during trial.
• Charges dismissed due to incompetence.

Marlborough County: Tim Brown

• Elected coroner without extensive medical background.
• Cremated the body of Michael Jordan’s father, media outcry followed.
• New requirement post-incident: high school diploma.

New Orleans: Dr. Frank Menard

• Longest-serving big city coroner, an obstetrician, not a forensic pathologist.
• Controversial decisions, seen as biased towards law enforcement.
• Notorious cases: Adolph Archie, Henry Glover.

Los Angeles: Underfunded System

• Handles a fraction of total deaths, risk of undetected homicides.
• Example of the missed elder abuse case: Elmore Kittauer.

Issues & Recommendations

Problems Identified

• Inconsistent qualifications and training for coroners and medical examiners.
• Lack of federal oversight and funding.
• Variability across state lines, affecting quality of death investigations.
• Few forensic pathologists relative to demand.

Recommendations by Experts

• Abolish the coroner system; transition to medical examiners with specialized training.
• National standards for death investigation offices, including inspection and accreditation.
• Federal funding and support to improve death investigation infrastructure and resources.
• Raise public awareness of the importance and need for quality death investigations.

Conclusion

• Quality death investigations are vital for recognizing homicides, preventing wrongful convictions, and addressing public health issues.
• Through reforms and increased funding, the system can provide the necessary competency and reliability to ensure justice and public safety.