Forensic Death Investigator - Medical Examiner

Duties

Examples of Duties

• Initiates death investigations and determines Medical Examiner jurisdiction for each reported death.
• Interviews witnesses, families, hospital staff, and law enforcement personnel.
• Informs the Denton County LOSS Team of all suicide-related deaths so their staff members can respond to the scene to provide emotional support to families.
• Photographs/documents the scene, examines the decedent for injuries, inspects weapons, evidence and prescription medication on scene.
• Collects personal property and jewelry from the decedent and transports to the Medical Examiner’s office for safekeeping.
• Prepares detailed investigative reports, uploads documents to digital case files and organizes/labels scene photos.
• Works cooperatively with local physicians, healthcare facilities, funeral homes, transplant organizations, as well as local, state, and federal law enforcement to obtain copies of records/reports/specimens.
• Coordinates approval of cases with the Medical Examiner and assists with scheduling of forensic autopsies/exams, identification analysis, trace evidence analysis, physical evidence analysis, anthropological analysis and transplant recovery through the Tarrant County Medical Examiner District.
• Confers with local law enforcement, dentists and healthcare agencies to obtain fingerprints, dental records, X-rays and misc. records to aid in the identification of a decedent.
• Locates and notifies next-of-kin of the death, explains medical examiner protocol, coordinates the return of decedent property to next-of-kin and provides continuing support and information to families throughout the entire medical examiner process (typically 90 days).
• Reviews/investigates death certificates and cremation permit requests for potential errors or unreported trauma.
• Notifies the responsible reporting agency of any death certificate/cremation permit issues and educates that agency about the reporting process for future deaths.
• Provides assistance to local physicians on how to properly complete death certificates and offers resources for navigating the TxEVER system.
• Participates in a mass disaster response team/mass disaster planning with both Denton County Public Health and the Tarrant County Medical Examiner District.
• Provides educational trainings/presentations to the public, schools and local agencies through events such as career day, leadership conferences, department presentations and healthcare staff meetings.
• Provides expert witness testimony for court room presentation of criminal cases, if requested.
• Conducts various administrative duties of the department such as answering the phone, completing paperwork and corresponding by email/fax/mail to families/misc. agencies.
• Regular and punctual attendance is required.
• Performs other related duties as required.

 Earn a Degree in Crime Scene Investigation, Forensic Science, or Computer Forensics

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED, completion of some college level course work, and a minimum five years of experience in a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and related experience required.
• Valid driver’s license required. Must be able to obtain a Texas Drivers License within 90 days of employment.

Supplemental Information

• Candidate must reside within Denton County.
• Candidate must be willing and able to work all shifts.
• To ensure the proper delivery of emails, please add jobs@dentoncounty.gov to your email safe list.

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