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Vernon County coroner reports 23 deaths in December; officials discuss autopsy and transport costs
Summary
The county coroner reported 23 deaths for December and outlined autopsy and transport expenses, and discussed whether the county should acquire a transport vehicle given jurisdictional and chain-of-custody concerns.
Vernon County’s coroner reported 23 deaths in December and reviewed related expenses and operational challenges, including autopsy and toxicology costs and the county’s practice of using local funeral homes for body transport.
In the coroner’s report the coroner said there were 23 deaths for the month with 13 cremations and nine burials; causes included one accidental, one pending investigation, and the remainder natural. The coroner listed toxicology and autopsy costs: a blood toxicology test at $305, a transported autopsy cost recorded as $500 for transport and $1,500 for the autopsy, and a second autopsy cost recorded as $1,500. Other expenditures included supplies and routine billing adjustments. The coroner reported total expenditures of $5,661.64 for the coroner’s office for the month.
Board members asked whether transportation for autopsies goes to Madison; the coroner confirmed bodies are typically transported to Madison and explained that other counties sometimes have vehicles assigned to their coroner or medical examiner offices, which can reduce reliance on outside funeral homes. The coroner said Vernon County typically uses local funeral homes for transport and estimated roughly 12–15 out-of-county transports per year. The coroner noted that if homicides increased, the county would need to revisit transport arrangements because of chain-of-custody and jurisdictional issues.
The coroner also discussed the operational trade-offs of obtaining a vehicle for transport—costs would include a vehicle, insurance, a cot or stretcher and refrigeration capacity—and said he had discussed interim options with the sheriff’s office.
No formal action or vote on transport or equipment acquisition was recorded at the meeting.
