Coroner reports rising autopsy, testing and transport costs amid heavier caseload

Gavin Greenville, the county coroner (self-identified during the hearing), told the council his office is experiencing rising costs tied to autopsies, laboratory testing and transport for family identification in some cases.

Greenville said the county’s contracted autopsy price has increased toward an $18.50 per-autopsy average and that autopsy-related costs do not include additional lab work such as toxicology, DNA testing and x-rays, which can add several hundred to thousands of dollars to a single case. He described several recent cases that required DNA confirmation or regional coordination and said the office had begun to incur mileage and transportation charges for sample delivery and identification activities.

The coroner asked the council to allow flexibility in contract and operating lines following several months of unusual demand; he also requested the council consider modest increases in operating lines that cover travel and lab services, noting that some of the work is essential for criminal investigations and identification of remains.

Councilors did not take action at the hearing; they asked staff to review coroner budget lines and to return with options for covering variable autopsy and testing costs.