12 minute read
Laramie County Coroner
Reid was elected Laramie County Coroner in 2018, but her work with the dead is a calling she first heard as a 13-year-old growing up in Panama City, Florida. “My grandfather died in Arizona of a snake bite,” the 40-year-old said of the accident that claimed her grandfather - who was on horseback at the time. “My father is a Southern Baptist minister and does a lot of funerals. And so when we went to my grandfather’s funeral, I wanted to see him. And the funeral director was my uncle, so the business of the deceased has been in our family for years. “My uncle was like, ‘No, no, he’s been laying out in the Arizona heat for a couple of weeks, he’s pretty bad,’ and my dad said, ‘Well, she wants to see him, she wants to see him.’ So when I saw him, I said, ‘Hey, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.’” Just out of high school, she started working for a local Panama City funeral home, and had ambitions to go to mortuary school. Then a position came open in the medical examiner’s office - and it took two applications to get hired on. Panama City, of course, is the Spring Break Capital of Florida, so it has a higher crime rate than, well, all of
Wyoming. Like 800-1,500 cases a year, as opposed to Laramie County, where in her first year at the office, Reid investigated about 100 deaths. In 2015, the office investigated 150 cases and in 2020, the number jumped to 416. As 2021 has just closed out, Reid said the number of cases should be close to 460 - a fact of life, with Cheyenne’s growing population. And through it all, Reid said she feels honored to serve as Laramie County through the Coroner’s Office, which has grown to include Chief Deputy Char Madden, Deputy Coroners Theresa Patterson and Justin Brown and Executive Assistant Amber Dancliff.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to work with knowledge and skills necessary to perform the dead and help the families in their time of medicolegal death investigations as set forth in the need,” she said. “And here I am now, still working National Institutes of Justice 1999 publication “Death in it 20 years later. I can’t think of anything I would Investigation: A Guide for the Scene Investigator .” want to do other than to do this - and give closure Reid worked as a death investigator and to the people who need it most.” assistant forensic pathology assistant in Panama One of the perks of working for the medical City for four years, investigating deaths and examiner’s office, Reid said, was the amount of helping perform autopsies. schooling she was exposed to, like the American She moved to Cheyenne in November of 2013, Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators (ABMDI); with her husband, who is in the military. which certifies individuals who have the proven
Frequently Asked Laramie County Coroner Questions
How do I get copies of records?
Copies of coroner dockets and autopsy reports can be requested by filing the proper form, which can be email, mailed, or faxed to our office. The request must be in writing and be completed in full. A photocopy of a valid ID is required. Please click here for the Records Request Form.
Taken from the Laramie County Coroner’s Office official website and Are coroner files public record? used by permission Public records and information are defined as of July 1st, 2011 by State statute. Cases that are under investigation, or in the process of adjudication, are not available as public information by Wyoming and Federal Statutes until those processes are complete. Medical records obtained by the coroner’s office are not subject to secondary release as restricted by Federal Law. Once a case has been closed and/or completed the judicial process, coroner dockets are public record by Wyoming Statute. See Statutes as referenced on the “Request for Records” page for details on what is or is not public record.
Where can I get copies of Death Certificates?
Families should request copies through the local funeral home/registrar that handles the remains. While the coroner provides information, and certifies the death, our office does not provide the certificates. In the case of past deaths, copies of death certificates should be requested from the Wyoming Department of Health, Vital Statistics.
Why are there two different death certificates?
Often, toxicology results are necessary in determining cause of death. The initial death certificate may have to be filed with the status of “pending toxicology” then the final certificate will be generated after the results are available.
Why is the Coroner’s Office involved in the death of my loved one?
“I had never been out of Florida, well, Arizona, so I wasn’t used to all the snow and cold - I was ready to kill my husband for the first six months we were here,” she said. “But there was an opening at the Laramie Country Coroner’s Office, so I started out here part-time.” That part-time position led to a full-time position, then chief deputy coroner - then being elected after longtime Laramie County Coroner Ron Sargent retired. She is up for reelection this year. “It’s always been a passion of mine, it really is,” she said. “Some people say, ‘You’re doing God’s work,’ only certain people can do this work’ since we deal with a lot of stuff - decomposing bodies, fire deaths, child abuse, domestic violence, car crashes, those types of things. “You really have to detach your emotions from a lot of things - not to say that we’re cold-hearted, but you have to learn to separate your emotions from the job, and get that family some answers,”
oroner Questions
and may involve any of the following: Violent or criminal action; Apparent suicide; Accident; Apparent drug or chemical overdose or toxicity; Unattended death; Apparent child abuse; The deceased is in State custody in any manner; Cause is unknown; Public health hazard; Deceased is unidentified or unclaimed. The Coroner’s Office has trained investigators who are responsible for determining the cause and manner of death, confirm identification of the deceased, and provide notification of next of kin.
Is an autopsy needed?
While this office always tries to accommodate the wishes of a family, sometimes an autopsy is necessary to determine the cause and manner of death. In many cases an autopsy will resolve many of the questions a family has about the nature of the event or death. Autopsies are at the discretion of the Coroner depending on the nature of the event or death.
When will we get autopsy results?
The final written autopsy report is usually available six to eight weeks.
What are the costs?
Any investigation costs, including autopsies, and other services such as transportation of the deceased, consultation on results or the investigation, are all provided by the Coroner’s Office at no cost to the involved families. If the coroner’s office does not deem an autopsy necessary the family may request a private autopsy at their own expense through the Laramie County Coroner’s Office.
How do I receive or claim property or personal possessions?
Any property recovered and held by the coroner’s office can only be released to the legal next of kin, or their designee, by proper identification and signature.
Will the coroner’s office work with organ donor organizations for anatomical gifts?
Yes. However, the coroner’s office has a duty to determine the cause and manner of death. Therefore, the coroner will not release or permit the procurement of any organ that would hamper the coroner’s ability to determine cause and manner of death.
she added. “I do guess it takes a special person to do it.”
The Difference Between a Coroner and a Medical Examiner
According to Mopec, the manufacturer of medical and laboratory equipment, each state has their own system to examine a questionable death. It is fairly universal that any deaths revolving around injury, poisoning, unexpected circumstances, in-custody situations, or unusual conditions be further investigated. Some jurisdictions follow a Still, Reid said a coroner must stay current on training and education opportunities. In fact, she makes sure her staff is always up-to-date on certifications, and encourages them to continue their education. “I’m always a student - I’m still in school right now, I’m a full-time student at (Laramie County Community College) getting my physiology degree - well, pre-med,” Reid said. “For us, we have to keep our accreditation up, so I just got us accredited through the International Association of Coroners & Medical Examiners, so what that means is that
coroner system, some a medical examiner system and others utilize both. The process can even differ down to the county level. The coroner position has been around the United States since the 1600s. An individual is elected by the jurisdiction for a two- to four-year term and is responsible for inquests on bodies of those who appeared to have died due to harm or violence. It’s important to note that in most states the coroner needs no definitive medical training or qualifications. They are responsible for identifying the body, notifying next of kin, handling personal belongings and arranging the death certificate. On the other hand, a medical examiner undergoes thorough forensic pathology higher education training and receives board certification. They frequently perform autopsies to provide valuable data on cause of death. They examine tissues, toxicology, medical history and other pertinent information. A medical examiner is appointed, but he or she does not have a term length and can remain in the position for the extent of their career. we have to meet a national standard. We’re audited every five years. There has to be me and one other person in the office that is board certified - and that is the American Board of Death Investigators - and we are in the process of getting everyone in the office board certified.”
What’s Involved In Being Laramie County Coroner?
“A typical day for me is… who knows,” Reid said. “Every day is different. One day, I might actually be in the office for 10 minutes all day long. Recently, you know, we had our fire death, which was my case, since I was on call. I worked the scene the night of, came in for the family again, started the identification process, doing X-rays, scheduling an autopsy, getting medical records - it all depends on workload. Right now, we’re averaging one to three calls a day.” The coroner gets any and all cases, except where a physician has stated a cause of death, unless the death occurs at the hospital, and the patient has been admitted for less than 24 hours.
All COVID-19 deaths also go to the coroner’s office, since it’s an infectious disease. In addition to the physical work, Reid and her staff ran several loads of laundry for the family touched by fire - so they could have clean clothes to go about the business of burying their loved one. “It’s really an honor and a privilege to do what we do for the dead, and for the living,” Reid said.
Advice for Students Who Want to Pursue a Career in the Medical Field
“Once advice I would give - and I wish I would have done it right out of high school - finish my college degree,” Reid said. “Look at me, I’m on my career path, but I’m still going to college. The coroner is the highest office, unless you go to medical school. “ It’s hard being an older student, it really is. My advice, go to college right after high school, when everything is fresh in your mind. Here I am, nearly 40, and I’m trying to remember, yeah, what did I learn in algebra class or chemistry class.” Reid said a lot of death investigators come to the career path through a criminal justice degree, but said she feels like a medical background is more advantageous. “It gives you the law enforcement background, but we’re not cops,” she said. “We don’t have arrest powers. So if you’re going for a criminal justice degree, make sure you minor in a science, or some sort of medical background, because what our job is, we review medical records from physicians and we have to know what hypertension is (high blood pressure), what hyperlipidemia is (your blood has too many lipids,or fats, such as cholesterol and triglycerides)? We have to know the definitions, the causes of death.”
“You know, I get asked that question a lot,” Reid said. “A lot of people say you have to separate your emotions, but for me, the hard part is not dealing with the death itself, or the families, it’s being able to catch up on all my work, make sure all my reports are done. Some people deal with it differently. I have people in the office who can’t do baby cases, but it’s my specialty, and I understand that, we all have our limits. “I tell all my people, yes it is a job, but we are here to give these families closure in their time of need,” she added. “We are speaking for the dead - and we are giving answers to the family, since the dead can no longer speak and we can seek justice for these grieving families. We don’t judge, we don’t place blame on anyone.”
Reid said she tells her staff to come to the office fresh - and focus on the task at hand.
“In the end, we are there for the families,” she said. “That’s why I started the grief support group through the coroner’s office. We have the national organizations for homicides and suicides, but not for just natural deaths, or car crashes, or drug overdoses. We have these great volunteers who help while we investigate the case. They go through all the next steps, like finding a funeral home, or taking clothing to the cleaners so their loved one has something nice to be buried in.”
The main thing to remember in this career, Reid said - check your emotions at the door, and find your one way to de-stress.
“You know, I do have hobbies,” she said, laughing. “Sometimes, I sit on the couch and watch TV. When I’m working, I’m working, when I’m not, I’m having fun. I just enjoy my time, because when you work in this field, you never know what it’s going to be your time - you never know when it’s going to be your day. “None of us is getting out of here alive,” she added. “I tell all my people here, we don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring - so make today the best. Knowing that we’ve helped people, that’s what counts in the end.”
