The sudden suspension of Mississippi Chief Medical Examiner Mark LeVaughn is not expected to have an impact on the status of any local cases. LeVaughn was placed on administrative leave on Nov. 10 and is being investigated by the Mississippi Attorney General's Office, although no details have been released regarding his suspension.
Marion County Coroner Jessie Graham said this week that all of the local cases he submitted have already been completed and reports received, except for one that is involves a delay due to a prior issue that is unrelated to LeVaughn.
Mississippi Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell announced LeVaughn's suspension and investigation, but refused to give any details, citing it as a personnel matter. LeVaughn's removal from his duties make him unavailable to testify or assist in the current cases he's involved in.
Graham said all the cases from Columbia and Marion County are in pretty good shape, with no serious backlog, and he does not anticipate any other major delays. However, statewide, the backlog in autopsies has been attributed to the understaffed condition at the state crime lab.
Tindell, who took office in June, said his office is working with other contract pathologists to make sure the state's backlog doesn't become an issue. The direct impact of an increased backlog would be potential delays in homicide cases.
LeVaughn is one of three medical examiners in the state who handle 1,200 to 1,400 autopsies per year. They're responsible for determining the cause of death in suicides, homicides and accidents that require investigation.
On a separate departmental issue, Graham said he does have some concerns about recent delays in receiving his toxicology reports from the lab.
"I realize they have a big job to do, and ours are not the only toxicology reports they're working on," Graham said. "But lately, it just seems to be taking them too long, a lot longer than it should, and we have a job to do, too."
According to Graham, the toxicology reports have reached the point of taking three to four months to be processed and returned, which he believes a reasonable timeframe should be around six weeks.
Graham also gave an update on the recent approval by the Marion County Board of Supervisors to fund a local six-body morgue that will be located adjacent to the Civil Defense building. The morgue is not a freezer-lined building, but rather a specialized cooler unit designed for extended storage of bodies while waiting for processing at the state crime lab.
There is a temporary morgue located at the hospital that has been used periodically over the past several years, but Graham said it's only designed to maintain a body's condition for a relatively brief period of time, not long-term.
After soliciting bids a few months ago, the Board awarded the contract to the low-bidder, American Coolers, to purchase and setup the cooler unit on an existing concrete slab that includes a covered roof. The electric unit will also be connected to an onsite generator to insure constant power is retained.
Graham said the morgue is expected to be delivered, setup and completed within the next couple of weeks.
