Medical Examiner receives new technology

Published on April 08, 2021

With the help of new technology, the Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office plans to save hours working on cases. The nearly half million-dollar x-ray machine was recently installed and is already making a difference.

Chief Investigator Tom Hensley said the machine was used last while investigating a double homicide. “We went from spending 45 minutes to 45 seconds,” he said of the x-ray process.

The new equipment does a full-body, low-radiation x-ray in less than a minute, making it safer and easier for staff. Before receiving the new equipment Jackson County investigators used two portable machines to x-ray bodies one area at a time.

According to equipment manufacturer Lodox, “Full-body images present a comprehensive clinical picture, reducing guesswork, offering peace of mind and better guiding cause-of-death determination. The full-body image replaces a number of smaller views, making it easier to locate and identify injuries, foreign bodies and identifying features.”

The mission of the Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office is to investigate sudden, unexpected and unnatural deaths with the highest level of professionalism, compassion and efficiency and to provide a resource for improving the health and safety of the community.

A total of 7,286 deaths were reported to the Medical Examiner’s Office in 2020. A complete autopsy was performed on 812 of those cases.