Mississippi’s 82 counties and one reservation are represented by county medical examiner investigators. A county medical examiner investigator is a non-physician who, at a minimum, possesses a high school graduation diploma or its equivalent. The county medical examiner investigator is, in fact, a coroner who has successfully completed the state’s death investigation training school, received certification from the State Medical Examiner, and taken the oath of office (see Miss. Code Ann. §19-21-105). A county medical examiner must be a physician (M.D. or D.O.) licensed in the State of Mississippi. Although this physician does not necessarily need to be a specialist in death investigation, he or she will bring medical expertise to the evaluation of the medical history and physical examination of the deceased.
County medical examiners/investigators are responsible for investigating the body, while law enforcement and other entities or individuals are responsible for scene investigation should a crime be suspected. The county medical examiner/investigator must be the most medically knowledgeable person at the scene of a crime to determine if further investigation (e.g., autopsy) is necessary based on information developed from the decedent. The CMEI is also responsible for: gathering all medical records and other information requested by the forensic pathologist, certifying the death, filing the Death Certificate in a timely manner, and providing a final autopsy report to the next-of-kin.