Resident urges review after Northampton County coroner retains belongings following suicide

Jennifer Zingales, a Palmer Township resident, told the Northampton County Council on May 1 that the county coroner’s office kept original personal items — including a self‑written obituary, a journal and a phone — after her brother died by suicide on Jan. 8 and has refused to return originals to the family.

Zingales said she received a coroner-issued death certificate on Jan. 10 and later learned the office had taken a self‑written obituary. “No one gave us the chance to honor his final wishes,” she said, adding that county staff told her the originals would be kept “indefinitely” as evidence and that no written procedures were provided when she requested them.

The issue prompted questions from council members during the public‑comment period and a response from the county coroner. The coroner told the council the office treats potential suicide notes as evidence and “evidence is retained by the coroner’s office.” He said he provided the family with copies of items and later returned the phone, which he described as “dead, unopened.”

Zingales said she had asked the county executive’s office for help and later contacted a state representative’s office; she told the council she received no timely follow‑up and that the coroner had at one meeting belittled and intimidated family members. She asked the council to investigate coroner’s‑office practices and to ensure grieving families “are treated with humanity and not as adversaries.”

The coroner told the council he has followed a long‑standing local practice and national recommendations for retaining certain items, and that he had a letter from a state association solicitor setting out that such materials can be retained as evidence. He acknowledged an internal oversight: deputies who first handled the scene did not immediately provide the family with a copy of items that would be given to them under written policy. “That was an oversight on the deputies’ part,” he said, and said he resolved the personnel issue.

Council members pressed the coroner on whether an exception could be made in this case because the investigation is complete. One council member noted the case appeared unlikely to be reopened and asked whether the coroner would consider returning the original note. The coroner said he would consult the county solicitor and the state solicitor’s letter but did not commit to releasing originals, saying the office must guard against future contests of cause of death.

No formal motion or vote occurred during the meeting. Council members said they would follow up with the coroner and county solicitor; the transcript records requests that the coroner consult legal counsel and that council members speak with the coroner and solicitor outside the meeting. Zingales said she provided the council a copy of her research and contact information and asked that the county investigate coroner procedures.

Context: Zingales told the council she had researched practices in other Pennsylvania counties and cited materials she said show neighboring counties make procedures and pickup instructions available to families; she also said she found no written policy provided to her in Northampton County. The coroner disputed characterizations of his conduct and said the office has followed the same procedures since 1992 and retains certain items because they can be needed if a death is later contested.

What happened next: Council members and the coroner said they would confer with the county solicitor; the meeting record shows no formal board action, vote or ordinance related to the coroner’s procedures during the May 1 session.