Issue 35.14
The Associated Press recently published an article by Brett Zongker that discussed the death of former White House press secretary James Brady. Mr. Brady survived a gunshot wound to the head in the 1981 assassination attempt of President Ronald Reagan. Although Mr. Brady survived, he endured hours of delicate surgery and many additional operations through the years. Mr. Brady died recently at the age of 73 from a series of health issues.
The Virginia Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy at the time of Mr. Brady’s death. The cause of death was declared to be a gunshot wound and its related health consequences. The manner of death was ruled a homicide. Did the Medical Examiner’s office have the authority to make this ruling and declare Mr. Brady’s death a homicide, even though thirty–plus years had passed since the shooting? Absolutely. Let’s explore the role and jurisdiction of a medical examiner.
In the State of Utah, The Office of the Medical Examiner (OME) is a division of the Utah Department of Health. The OME is based in Salt Lake City. The central staff is comprised of four forensic pathologists, three autopsy assistants, two full-time investigators, and administrative staff. Located throughout the state are part-time investigators and Deputy Medical Examiners who handle deaths in outlying communities that do not require an autopsy or the expertise of a forensic pathologist.
The OME has the authority to conduct investigations and perform any necessary procedures required for the determination of the cause and manner of death. The OME has jurisdiction over the following types of death: violence (gunshot, suicide, accident); sudden death while in apparent good health (death without obvious natural cause); unattended death (when not under a doctor’s care within the past 30 days); suspicious or unusual circumstances; poisoning or drug overdose; disease, injury, toxic effect or unusual exertion within the scope of the decedent’s employment; disease which may constitute a threat to the public health; Sudden Infant Death Syndrome; death while in prison, jail, police custody, or mental treatment facility; and any death resulting from a diagnostic or therapeutic procedure.
Please feel free to contact me at (435) 986-2085 with any questions concerning the OME or regarding your funeral arrangements. Serenity Funeral Home is located just off Riverside Drive at 1316 S. 400 E., St. George, UT. Visit us online at www.SerenityStG.com.