Operations Division
The Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office (JCMEO) is the only National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) Accredited Medical Examiner’s Office in the State of Missouri and staffed with Board Certified Forensic Pathologists, Board Certified or Registered Medicolegal Death Investigators, Forensic Technicians and trained Administrative Staff who handle transcription, death certificates, case files and medical records. The JCMEO works closely with the local organ procurement organization MTN, and assists families with the recovery of organ and tissue donations.
Services offered by the Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office include expert pathology examination, death scene investigations, medical records review, family interviews, locating next of kin, court testimony, body examinations and, police and attorney consultations. Toxicology, Radiology, and Histology are also services that are provided during a death investigation. JCMEO also works closely with the Child Death Review Board with the documentation of all child deaths. Additional services provided include expert Forensic Anthropology, Odontology, Neuropathology, and Cardiac Pathology consultations.
The JCMEO also tracks all Hospice and Nursing Home deaths that occur in Jackson County and the 3 other contracted counties. The JCMEO also has 24/7 telephone coverage by trained death investigators with prompt contract transportation services, and death scene investigation. Completion of autopsy reports and death certificates are within a timely manner.
Handling of Mass Fatalities that occur in Jackson, Platte, Clay, and Cass Counties is yet another one of Jackson County Medical Examiner’s many responsibilities. A Mass Fatality Incident is described as any occurrence of multiple deaths that overwhelms the usual routine capacity of the Medical Examiner or Coroner. Recent events and the emergent threat of continued terrorist activity emphasize the need for public-sector agencies to plan for a coordinated response to a mass fatality event.
Agencies small and large, urban and rural, need to be prepared for an event that will exceed their operations capacity. Medical Examiners are responsible for processing and identifying the victims of the incident at a temporary morgue site if needed, locating and corresponding with family members of the victims through the family assistance center, assisting with recovery of bodies at the incident site, and participating in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to update information regarding recovery efforts. ( For additional information see the Mass Fatality Management and KCRMORG tab.)
JCMEO is a state-of- the- art resource for the Kansas City, MO Metro area and also provides referral autopsy service to assist 22 counties in Missouri.