A pathologist shortage is delaying death investigations. So Benton will hire its own

Benton County will soon have its own professional medical examiner to help families, police and prosecutors get answers faster in death investigations.

County coroners in Washington state are responsible for investigating any death under unusual conditions. That includes murder, suicide, drug overdoses and deaths of people who have died alone.

But coroners are not generally medical doctors who can perform an autopsy. Forensic pathologists must be hired for that specialized exam.

And the Tri-Cities has not had a forensic pathologist to do that work in either county.

Currently, there are fewer than 20 forensic pathologists in Washington state, and only a handful of those work outside of the Puget Sound region.

And a nationwide shortage of pathologists has been slowing autopsies and criminal investigations across the state and the U.S., according to the Seattle Times.

The shortage of trained professionals to conduct autopsies has meant that Benton County officials have needed to rely on out-of-town medical examiners. Most recently they have gone to Spokane.

Spokane County generally charges $1,000 to $2,500 for autopsies, but can be more expensive depending on the complexity. They also require sending a county employee to help.

Earlier this year, Benton County commissioners agreed to set aside $834,000 to hire a forensic pathologist and a part-time autopsy technician and to purchase the proper equipment to conduct autopsies locally.

“Ultimately, it helps the community tremendously because we’ll have a forensic pathologist to go through the autopsy and to help review medical records,” Coroner Bill Leach told the Herald.

The funding was part of a $7 million package of funding from the public safety sales tax. The 0.3% tax was approved by Benton County voters in 2014.

Rising cases

The number of death investigations in Benton County has risen from 493 in 2018 to 711 in 2021.

And that means the number of autopsies has increased as well, from 31 to 46 during those four years.

“We should be able to increase (the number of autopsies) to the 70 or 100 mark,” Leach said. “We’ll be able to do more drug overdoses. We’ll be able to do more autopsies for accidents.”

These will allow the coroner to definitively eliminate other possible causes of death.

It also will expand the options available for Franklin County, which also has been relying on Spokane pathologists.

While the Benton County Coroner’s Office will need to buy supplies, the coroner’s building near the Benton County Justice Center on Okanogan Place, already has a full autopsy suite available.

Leach hopes the lower cost of living in the Tri-Cities, good schools and mild weather will attract a pathologist to want to live here.

He credited the commissioners for making the needed change.

“They clearly see the need,” Leach said.

This story was originally published December 30, 2022 at 5:16 PM.