Dr. Philip R. Croft, Barry County’s Medical Examiner from Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, gave his annual report to the Barry County Board of Commissioners Aug. 9.
Sparrow has Deputy Medical Examiners (DME) assigned to each county they serve, Medical Examiner Investigators (MEI) to help them and an administrative assistant. Barry County has eight MEI’s, Croft said. “Your MEI’s are an excellent group; it starts with the MEIs. They are our eyes and ears.”
An ME is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In Michigan, manner of death is limited to natural, accident, suicide, homicide or indeterminate. Also, information/evidence gathered by an ME may be critical for further legal proceedings, he said.
In Barry County in 2015, there were 416 deaths, with 125 reported to the ME. Of 112 MEI scene investigations, 43 bodies were taken to Sparrow; 35 had complete autopsies and one a limited autopsy.
Croft said 238 cremation permits were issued in 2015; 40 referrals to Gift of Life and six tissue/cornea donors.
Manner of death included 93 natural, 18 accidental, 12 by suicide, one homicide and one by mixed drug intoxication. In the accidental category, five died in vehicles, five were drug related, seven died from falls and one from fire, Croft said.
Of the eight drug-related deaths, five were by accident, two suicides and one indeterminate. In the suicides, seven were by firearm, three by hanging, and two of drug intoxication. Seven of the 12 deaths were between the ages of 26 to 44.
Three children in Barry County died last year; two (1 to 5) from accidents and one suicide (17).
Deaths that are thought to be from injury or poisoning, violent, sudden, unexpected, unattended or not readily explainable are investigated by the Medical Examiner’s office. //
The process can be as simple as the direct release of a body from the scene to a funeral director or, a cursory exam done to rule out further in-depth exams. There may be an external or limited exam with a detailed record of observations, lab or toxicology tests and a written report. Or, a death may rise to the level of a complete autopsy including internal and external examination, with toxicology.
Croft is Barry County’s Medical Examiner, with John A. Bechinski. D.O., Stephanie A. Dean, M.D., and Michael Markey, M.D. deputy medical examiners, (DME).
In Barry County, Kathy Armstrong, Carol Balkon, Joseph Huebner, Pattrick Jansens, Chad Klutman, William Rentz, Jerry Sarver and William Warren are medical examiner investigators. (MEI).
The counties that Sparrow’s Forensic Pathology serves have been, granted full accreditation by the National Association of Medical Examiners. In 2014, Barry, Eaton, Livingston and Shiawassee counties accreditations were renewed; Ingham, Ionia, Isabella, Livingston, and Shiawassee counties were accredited for the first time.
Croft said Barry County can be proud of the honor; just 17 counties in the state are accredited.
