The Latest
More Deaths Go Unchecked as Autopsy Rate Falls to “Miserably Low” Levels
Nearly 7,000 people die each day in the United States, and according to a new report, there remains a critical shortage of experts trained to determine their cause of death.
California County Ends Review of Autopsy Mistakes
The Solano County sheriff’s office has decided not to review about 300 autopsies performed by Dr. Thomas Gill, a forensic … Continue reading
Hospital Autopsies On the Decline
If you or a loved one dies in a hospital, there is only a 5 percent chance an autopsy will … Continue reading
Gone Without a Case: Suspicious Elder Deaths Rarely Investigated
When seniors die under suspicious circumstances, ProPublica and FRONTLINE have found, there’s no guarantee anyone will investigate. Cases of neglect, abuse and even murder continue to elude authorities.
Without Autopsies, Hospitals Bury Their Mistakes
When Renee Royak-Schaler unexpectedly collapsed and died on May 22, no one ordered an autopsy. Not the doctors at Howard … Continue reading
Lobbying for an Accidental Death?
The manner of a person’s death is statistically less likely to be deemed suicide in California counties that rely on … Continue reading
Death and Dysfunction in New Orleans
There isn’t much to distinguish Merline Kimble’s house from every other double-shotgun dwelling in New Orleans. The façade, which hasn’t … Continue reading
Two NOPD Officers Convicted in Beating Death
Today a New Orleans jury convicted two police officers in the July 2005 beating death of 48-year-old handyman Raymond Robair. … Continue reading
Fallout Continues in the Case of Dr. Gill
Repercussions in the controversial career of Dr. Thomas Gill continue to surface. The story of the 67-year-old forensic pathologist, until … Continue reading
California County Reviews Scores of Autopsies by Doctor With Checkered Past
Solano County’s sheriff and district attorney are reviewing 27 autopsies from homicide cases performed by a doctor with a history … Continue reading
Who Are You Calling a Death Investigator?
We’ve had a terrific response to the Post Mortem series since the broadcast, and not all of these have come … Continue reading
Post Mortem on Talk of the Nation
Host Neal Conan talks with reporters Lowell Bergman and A.C. Thompson, and former Virginia State Medical Examiner Marcella Fierro about … Continue reading
Autopsy Firm’s Risky Practices Lead to Errors
Coroners in Northern California are farming out thousands of autopsy cases each year to a private firm whose doctors have … Continue reading
How Does Your System’s Autopsy Rates Compare?
There is no national standard for what qualifications are required to oversee autopsies, or for when an autopsy should be … Continue reading
How to Investigate Coroners and Medical Examiners
In this quick guide, our partners at ProPublica explain how death investigations are handled in different communities, and what local … Continue reading
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