Frequent Asked Questions

I am running because I believe Canyon County deserves a modern, transparent, professional, and compassionate coroner system focused on families, public safety, and public health. This position is not political to me, it is public service. Death investigation impacts grieving families, criminal investigations, overdose prevention, suicide awareness, infant safety, and the overall health of our community. The coroner’s office should not only serve the deceased, but the living as well through education, prevention, transparency, and advocacy that helps build a safer and healthier community. I have personally worked death investigations in this office, collaborated alongside law enforcement, fire departments, EMS, hospitals, and dispatchers, and supported families during some of the hardest moments of their lives. I understand both the strengths of our system and the areas where we must improve. I am running to bring strong leadership, compassion, transparency, fiscal responsibility, and professional experience to this office. I believe Canyon County families deserve thorough investigations, well-supported deputy coroners, better community education, and a coroner’s office that works proactively to serve both the living and the deceased. At the end of the day, this is work we get to do. We get to serve families. We get to seek the truth. We get to be a voice for those who can no longer speak.

Yes. Based on publicly available county salary information, the highest-paid employee in Canyon County currently works within the Coroner’s Office. This has raised understandable questions from community members regarding fiscal responsibility, accessibility, and the level of forensic engagement being provided to Canyon County families and investigators. Canyon County currently averages approximately 120 autopsies annually between Canyon, Owyhee, and Gem counties. The contracted pathologist is reportedly compensated approximately $211,000 annually while also maintaining separate full-time employment outside of Canyon County. This naturally limits daily in-office availability and accessibility to investigators, deputies, staff, and families. During my time working within the office, the contracted pathologist did not maintain a permanent working desk inside the Coroner’s Office and was generally only physically present when autopsies were being performed. There were periods when the pathologist may not have stepped foot inside the office for a week or more if autopsies were not scheduled. On average, physical in-office presence was estimated at approximately four hours per week. When discussing taxpayer dollars, it is important to evaluate not only annual compensation, but also the level of accessibility provided to investigators and families, forensic oversight, report turnaround times, investigative collaboration, and overall engagement within the office. A traditional full-time position equals approximately 2,080 work hours annually. Using generous estimates for autopsy performance, report completion, microscopy review, consultations, and court testimony, some estimates place the annual county forensic workload at approximately 440 hours annually related to county forensic work. When compared proportionally, approximately $211,000 divided by 440 estimated work hours equals roughly $479 per hour under the current contracted structure. By comparison, Ada County forensic pathologists earning approximately $330,000 annually as full-time employees equate to approximately $158 per hour while actively integrated into daily office operations and investigations. They are present full-time and dedicated solely to Ada County operations. We should be asking whether Canyon County is receiving the strongest level of forensic availability, investigative collaboration, accountability, and service possible for the investment being made with taxpayer dollars. I believe Canyon County can and should provide a higher level of forensic engagement, accessibility, and support for investigators and families while still remaining fiscally responsible. Part-time work deserves part-time pay or better yet lets bill on a "hours work" model.

Death investigations are about far more than determining how someone died. A modern medicolegal death investigation system plays a critical role in homicide investigations, overdose tracking and prevention, suicide prevention efforts, child death investigations, public health surveillance, identifying unsafe environments, and improving overall community safety. Strong forensic standards help ensure investigations are accurate, thorough, timely, unbiased, and defensible. When investigations are not conducted to proper standards, critical evidence can be missed, scenes can be misinterpreted, and families may never receive the truth they deserve. In some cases, the difference between a properly conducted investigation and a poor one can completely change the manner of death determination. What may initially appear to be a suicide, accident, or natural death can later be determined to be a homicide when a thorough investigation, forensic examination, and proper scene analysis are completed. These investigations also play a critical role in identifying dangerous offenders, solving crimes, and ensuring justice is served. Proper forensic investigations have helped identify serial killers, uncover abuse and neglect, connect related deaths, and provide law enforcement with the evidence needed to hold criminals accountable. When investigations are incomplete or not conducted to accepted standards, it can allow dangerous individuals to go undetected while families and communities are left without answers. One example many people recognize is the death of Tammy Daybell. Questions were raised nationally about why more investigative steps and forensic examination were not initially performed. While her body was later exhumed and additional forensic work was completed, the reality is that families and investigators never truly get that first opportunity back. Scenes change, evidence can be lost, memories fade, and certain answers may never fully be recovered. There is only one chance to conduct a death investigation properly, and our community should expect those investigations to be completed to the highest possible professional standards from the very beginning. At the end of the day, forensic standards protect not only the deceased, but the living as well. They help families find answers, support criminal investigations, improve public health data, identify dangerous trends in our communities, and ensure the truth is pursued with integrity.

In 2024, the Idaho Office of Performance Evaluations (OPE) released a statewide report highlighting several serious concerns within Idaho’s medicolegal death investigation system. The report identified issues including low autopsy rates, inconsistent investigative standards between counties, staffing shortages, limited training opportunities, retention challenges, funding concerns, and the lack of meaningful statewide oversight and accountability. These concerns matter because death investigations directly impact public safety, criminal investigations, public health data, and the answers families receive after the loss of a loved one. When systems lack proper staffing, training, consistency, and resources, investigations can suffer. The report also emphasized the need for stronger certification standards, modernization efforts, and accreditation-based practices to help ensure investigations are conducted professionally and consistently across Idaho. Currently, many counties throughout the state vary significantly in how deaths are investigated, what resources are available, and how cases are handled. To put this into perspective locally, the Canyon County Coroner’s Office investigates approximately 500 deaths each year, while only around 100 cases on average receive a full/ cause only or external only autopsy. While autopsies are only one component of medicolegal death investigation, these numbers highlight how important it is that every single case receives a thorough scene investigation, proper documentation, careful forensic review, and professional oversight. A death investigation system cannot rely solely on autopsies to uncover the truth. Strong death investigations require much more than transporting someone for examination. They involve collaboration with law enforcement, EMS, dispatch, hospitals, forensic pathologists, and public health professionals. They require trained deputy coroners who understand scene preservation, evidence recognition, family communication, forensic documentation, and evolving investigative standards. These are not issues that should be ignored or accepted as “good enough.” Families only get one chance at a thorough death investigation, and our community deserves a coroner system operating to the highest professional standards possible. If elected, I will actively work to strengthen professionalism, transparency, training, retention, and modernization efforts within the Canyon County Coroner’s Office while continuing to advocate for higher standards statewide.

Deputy coroners are the individuals responding to scenes at all hours of the day and night. They work directly with grieving families, law enforcement, fire, EMS, hospitals, and funeral homes while handling some of the most difficult situations in the community. Since approximately 2020, turnover and burnout have become a significant concern within the Canyon County Coroner’s Office. Prior to that under previous administration, many employees remained with the office for years, often well over a decade. Today, the longest-serving non-appointed employee has only been with the office since late 2022. In just the past two months alone, two deputy coroners have left the office. High turnover impacts continuity, training, experience, morale, and ultimately the quality of investigations and service provided to families. Retaining trained and experienced employees is critical to maintaining professional death investigations and strong community service. That starts with leadership, support, training, communication, and creating a healthy work environment where employees feel valued and supported in the difficult work they do.

A forensic pathologist is a medical doctor who completes medical school, a pathology residency, and then an additional forensic pathology fellowship specifically focused on medicolegal death investigation. These physicians receive advanced specialized training in determining cause and manner of death in suspicious, sudden, accidental, criminal, unexplained, and public health-related deaths. Forensic pathology is not simply “doing autopsies.” It involves specialized training in injury interpretation, evidence documentation, scene correlation, courtroom testimony, trauma analysis, toxicology interpretation, and medicolegal standards. These physicians are specifically trained to work within death investigation systems and alongside coroners, law enforcement, and prosecutors. A general pathologist may still be a highly trained physician in pathology, but without completion of a forensic pathology fellowship and board certification in forensic pathology, they have not completed the same specialized medicolegal training focused on forensic death investigation. Under Idaho law, Chapter 43 – Coroner’s Inquests, Section 19-4301B defines a “forensic autopsy” as an internal postmortem examination performed for criminal justice and public health purposes. Idaho code further defines a “forensic pathologist” as a physician board-certified in the practice of medicine in which pathology principles are applied to issues of legal, public health, and public safety significance, including determining cause and manner of death. However, this portion of Idaho code is widely viewed as outdated and open to interpretation because it does not clearly require that all medicolegal autopsies be performed by a fellowship-trained, board-certified forensic pathologist. As a result, some counties within Idaho utilize physicians who are trained in pathology but who have not completed formal forensic pathology fellowship training or forensic board certification. Currently, Canyon County contracts with a pathologist who is not fellowship-trained in forensic pathology and has not completed forensic pathology board certification. This does not mean the physician is not educated or experienced in pathology, but there is a significant distinction between general pathology training and the highly specialized field of forensic pathology. When communities are dealing with homicides, overdoses, suicides, child deaths, officer-involved shootings, suspicious deaths, and complex medicolegal investigations, those differences in specialized forensic training matter. Families deserve confidence that investigations are being conducted to the highest professional and forensic standards possible.

Fiscal responsibility is extremely important to me. I believe the Canyon County Coroner’s Office should operate with transparency, accountability, and a strong focus on maximizing services while not putting that burden on the taxpayer. I believe Canyon County should actively pursue state and federal grants that support medicolegal death investigation, overdose prevention initiatives, mental health and suicide prevention programs, infant mortality reduction efforts, first responder wellness, forensic technology upgrades, and rural public safety improvements. Many counties across the country utilize grant funding to improve training, purchase equipment, strengthen staffing, modernize reporting systems, and pursue accreditation standards without placing additional strain on local taxpayers. There are also significant public health funding opportunities available through partnerships with state and federal agencies. Coroner offices play a critical role in tracking overdose trends, suicide rates, infant deaths, infectious disease concerns, and other public health issues. Because of this, many grant and funding opportunities exist specifically to strengthen death investigation systems and improve data collection that helps communities respond proactively to emerging health concerns. I also strongly support pursuing training and accreditation funding opportunities. Professional training, continuing education, certification programs, and accreditation standards all improve the quality and defensibility of death investigations. Investing in deputy coroners and investigative standards helps reduce turnover, strengthens professionalism, and improves service to families and law enforcement alike. In addition to grants and outside funding, I believe there are reasonable operational revenue streams already utilized successfully in other counties that Canyon County should continue exploring. Examples include cremation authorization review fees, facility-use agreements, regional forensic service agreements, and partnerships with tissue and eyecdonation organizations. These partnerships not only support important public health and transplant efforts, but can also provide operational support and collaboration opportunities that benefit the county and bring in income. Currently, Canyon County already generates revenue through autopsies performed for neighboring counties such as Owyhee and Gem County. These services are billed at approximately $1,850 per full autopsy, including X-ray services. On average, this includes approximately 15 cases annually for Owyhee County and around 3 cases for Gem County. This is a strong start toward developing sustainable operational revenue that can be reinvested into staffing, training, equipment, and modernization efforts. I also believe the coroner’s office has the opportunity to become a stronger educational resource within our community. Educational courses and training opportunities for high school students, college students, first responders, healthcare workers, and forensic-related professionals could help strengthen workforce development while generating additional operational revenue. My goal is simple: strengthen services, improve standards, support deputy coroners, modernize operations, and increase professionalism while remaining fiscally responsible and taking the burden off taxpayers. The community deserves a coroner’s office that is both financially accountable and committed to operating at the highest possible standard.

Public health and death investigation are deeply connected. Coroners do far more than determine how someone died, they help identify trends, risks, and patterns that can impact the safety and well-being of the living. A modern death investigation system can provide valuable insight into overdose trends, suicide patterns, unsafe sleep-related infant deaths, workplace hazards, communicable disease concerns, elder abuse, domestic violence, and broader community violence trends. These investigations help communities better understand what is happening around them and where prevention and education efforts are needed most. Better investigations and better data collection can directly contribute to saving lives. When trends are identified early, communities can respond proactively through public education, mental health resources, first responder training, overdose prevention initiatives, safe sleep campaigns, and other public safety efforts. Unfortunately, much of this information is currently not easily accessible to the public or shared in a meaningful way that helps communities understand these issues. I believe the coroner’s office should work collaboratively with public health agencies, schools, healthcare systems, law enforcement, and community organizations to provide transparency, education, and awareness while still protecting the privacy and dignity of families. The coroner’s office should not simply investigate deaths after they happen. It should also help communities learn from those deaths in ways that improve public safety, strengthen prevention efforts, and protect the living.

Ada County utilizes full-time, board-certified forensic pathologists who are fully integrated into their medicolegal death investigation system. These physicians are physically present within the office on a daily basis and actively participate in the investigative process alongside deputy coroners, law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety professionals. Their role extends far beyond simply performing autopsies. Full-time forensic pathologists routinely consult on difficult and suspicious cases, assist investigators with scene and injury interpretation, collaborate with prosecutors and law enforcement during criminal investigations, help improve report turnaround times, support accreditation and quality assurance standards, and provide consistent forensic oversight throughout the office. Improved turnaround times are especially important because delayed forensic reports can delay death certificates, criminal investigations, insurance matters, funeral arrangements, and closure for families. Timely and accurate reports help ensure death certifications are properly completed, investigations move forward appropriately, and families are not left waiting months for answers regarding their loved ones. According to the Idaho Office of Performance Evaluations (OPE) report, the average salary for Ada County forensic pathologists in 2022 was approximately $330,000 annually. While this compensation is higher, it reflects full-time physicians who are dedicated solely to Ada County operations and are actively engaged in daily office functions, investigations, case consultations, and courtroom responsibilities. This is an important distinction when discussing forensic staffing and compensation. The question is not simply what a forensic pathologist is paid, but what level of accessibility, collaboration, oversight, responsiveness, and service the community is receiving in return for that investment. Full-time forensic integration provides investigators, families, and the justice system with greater accessibility, continuity, and support throughout the death investigation process.

Canyon County’s current pathology structure differs significantly from the full-time forensic model utilized in Ada County. Currently, Canyon County averages approximately 120 autopsies annually between Canyon, Owyhee, and Gem counties. The county’s contracted pathology structure reportedly exceeds approximately $211,000 annually in compensation, despite not operating as a traditional full-time forensic position. The current contracted pathologist also maintains separate full-time employment outside of Canyon County at a local hospital system, which naturally limits daily accessibility, in-office presence, and direct integration into county operations. Unlike a fully integrated forensic pathology system, the contracted pathologist is not physically present within the Canyon County Coroner’s Office on a full-time basis and does not maintain permanent office space within the coroner’s office itself. This can create challenges for investigators, deputy coroners, prosecutors, and especially families seeking direct communication, clarification, or answers from the physician responsible for their loved one’s examination. When discussing fiscal responsibility and service levels, it is important to evaluate not only annual compensation, but also the structure of the position and the level of forensic engagement, collaboration, and accessibility being provided to the county. A traditional full-time position equals approximately 2,080 work hours annually. Using generous estimates for autopsy performance, report review and completion, microscopy review, consultations, and court testimony, some estimates place Canyon County’s annual forensic workload at approximately 440 hours annually related specifically to county forensic work under the current contracted structure. When compared proportionally, approximately $211,000 divided by 440 estimated work hours equals roughly $479 per hour under the current model. By comparison, Ada County forensic pathologists earning approximately $330,000 annually as full-time employees equate to approximately $158 per hour while actively integrated into daily office operations, investigations, case consultations, family communication, quality assurance efforts, and courtroom responsibilities. Ada County’s forensic pathologists are physically present full-time and dedicated solely to Ada County operations. This conversation is not simply about salary numbers. It is about accessibility, accountability, investigative collaboration, forensic oversight, report turnaround times, family support, and the overall level of service being provided to the community. Canyon County families, investigators, and taxpayers should expect a pathology structure that provides strong forensic engagement and accessibility while remaining fiscally responsible.

If elected, I will work toward moving Canyon County closer to nationally recognized standards with stronger forensic oversight, improved training and certification opportunities, timely report completion, stronger public health collaboration, greater transparency and accountability, and fiscally responsible innovation that strengthens services without unnecessarily increasing the burden on taxpayers. I also believe we must better support the people doing this difficult work every day. That includes improved support systems and peer support resources for deputy coroners, stronger retention efforts, continued education opportunities, and building a professional culture where employees feel valued, prepared, and proud of the work they do. Most importantly, I want to help build a forensic system that better supports investigators, first responders, prosecutors, and families. Families deserve answers, communication, compassion, and confidence that investigations are being conducted thoroughly and professionally. Investigators deserve strong forensic collaboration, accessibility, and modern investigative standards that support their work in the field. As someone who has personally worked death investigations, sat with grieving families, responded alongside first responders, and seen the long-term impact these investigations have on communities, I know how important it is that this work is done thoroughly, professionally, and compassionately. I believe Canyon County has an opportunity to become a leader in Idaho for professional, transparent, compassionate, and community-centered death investigation. With stronger training, modern standards, fiscal responsibility, public health collaboration, and support for our deputies and investigators, we can build a coroner system that families trust and employees are proud to serve in.

In Idaho, coroners are elected county officials rather than appointed medical professionals. Historically, this system was designed to provide independence from law enforcement and local government while ensuring accountability directly to the public. The role originally comes from English common law and was intended to serve as a check-and-balance system during death investigations, especially in cases involving government agencies or law enforcement. Today, death investigation has become much more complex and involves forensic science, public health, legal processes, overdose tracking, homicide investigations, and child death review. Because of this, many states and counties have moved toward medical examiner systems or stronger professional certification and accreditation standards for coroners. Regardless of the system used, I believe death investigations should remain professional, objective (unbiased), transparent, and centered on serving families and the community.

In Idaho, coroners are independent elected officials responsible under Idaho state code for investigating deaths that are sudden, violent, suspicious, unattended, or occur under unusual circumstances. Coroners work alongside law enforcement, fire departments, EMS, hospitals, prosecutors, funeral homes, and forensic professionals to determine the cause and manner of death, identify the deceased, notify next of kin, order autopsies when appropriate, complete and sign death certificates, and ensure investigations are handled professionally, thoroughly, and respectfully. The coroner is responsible for certifying the official cause and manner of death, which becomes part of the permanent legal record. Coroners and deputy coroners are also often responsible for making death notifications to families during some of the hardest moments of their lives and helping guide them through the early stages of the process with compassion and dignity. The coroner’s office also plays an important role in public health and community safety by helping identify trends involving overdoses, suicides, unsafe sleep-related infant deaths, communicable diseases, environmental hazards, domestic violence, and other preventable risks within the community. A modern coroner’s office should not simply investigate deaths after they happen. It should also help communities learn from those deaths in ways that improve prevention, education, and public safety. That includes engaging directly with the community through public education efforts, speaking at high schools and colleges, participating in community awareness events, collaborating with healthcare and public safety partners, and helping educate the public on issues such as overdose prevention, mental health awareness, safe sleep practices, suicide prevention, and injury prevention. Every death investigation has the potential to teach us something that may help prevent the next tragedy from happening. Through stronger public health collaboration, education, transparency, and community involvement, the coroner’s office can serve not only the deceased, but the living as well. Your coroner should be actively engaged in the community that is something I am committed to doing and WILL DO if elected.

Autopsies help provide truthful, evidence-based answers about how and why someone died. They are often essential in uncovering hidden injuries, overdoses, undiagnosed medical conditions, or evidence of foul play. A thorough autopsy can help ensure justice is served, protect public safety, and provide families with answers and closure during some of the hardest moments of their lives.

Timely autopsy and toxicology reports are critical for families, investigators, and the justice system. Delays can impact criminal investigations, insurance claims, estate matters, death certificates, and a family’s ability to receive answers and closure. When an autopsy or toxicology testing is still pending, the death certificate is often filed as “pending” until the final cause and manner of death can officially be determined and certified by the coroner. This means families may be left waiting for finalized legal documents needed for life insurance, probate matters, financial accounts, benefits, and other important responsibilities following the loss of a loved one. In recent years, Canyon County has experienced significant report backlogs, at times reportedly nearing NINE months for completed reports. That is far too long for grieving families and investigators waiting for answers. Timely reporting is not just about paperwork. It directly impacts public safety, criminal investigations, court proceedings, public health data, and a family’s ability to begin healing and moving forward. Families deserve communication, transparency, timely reports, and professional service during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.