Understaffed Crime Lab Slows the Autopsy Process

GOLDEN TRIANGLE AREA (WCBI) – For years, north Mississippi’s coroners have had only one place to send a body for an autopsy, the state crime lab in Pearl.

Now, due to understaffing and an overcrowded lab, those coroners are being asked to hold bodies.

It’s been the universal anthem for state departments, “we need more funding,” and the crime lab in Pearl is another example.

Without the funding to hire a qualified staff of medical examiners, the now one doctor autopsy lab could affect the efficiency of our local law enforcement and court systems.

Death comes in all forms in Mississippi, and to confirm the cause bodies are sent to the state crime lab in Pearl.

Lately, it’s been taking longer than usual to get results.

“There is a critical staff shortage at our forensics lab in Pearl,” said Winston County Coroner, Scott Gregory.

“It’s just equipment sitting everywhere and no one’s working,” said Monroe County Coroner, Alan Gurley.

The understaffed lab performs around 10-20 autopsies a day, but it’s not enough to handle the influx of bodies from all over the state.

“Right now, they have a block on putting bodies down there because they can only hold 19 in their storage area,” said Gregory.

“We are being asked by the state medical examiner to only send cases down that are absolutely necessary to be autopsied,” said Gurley.

…which is only the death of a child under the age of two and the death of any person in police custody.

Finding the funds and recruits to solve this problem has been the main concern for the lab.

“I know our medical examiner, he’s been on recruitment trips, but he has to sell our state,” said Gurley.

“The salary for the state medical examiner, set by our legislature… we’re not even competing with other states, so we’re losing our doctors to other states,” said Gregory.

“We’ve had medical examiners who have left Mississippi, I think, and have went and bad-mouthed what’s going on here. They’re going like ‘You don’t want to go there and work,'” added Gurley.

On the medical side of the situation, the delay can put off court cases, funerals, and the signing of death certificates.

The personal side can be much harder.

“When you tell a family member ‘I’ve got to send your loved one down for an autopsy and you may have to wait three or four days before they even get to doing an autopsy, maybe even a week longer than that, you know, that’s horrible to tell your families that,” said Gregory.

Pearl is not the only lab in the state.

Batesville and Biloxi both have crime labs that have been vacant for years.

Finding the funds to staff these two labs along with Pearl could be the key to getting the answers to our courts and our families at a faster rate.