Coroner Calls Search At His Office Unnecessary

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Marion County coroner on Tuesday criticized the county prosecutor's decision to obtain and serve a search warrant at the coroner's office, saying he already was cooperating with the prosecutor's probe into possible mismanagement of bodies, records and property.

Prosecutor Carl Brizzi, accompanied by his investigators, delivered the search warrant to the coroner's office Tuesday. A grand jury is looking into seven cases, including one in which the coroner's office identified a body but failed to tell his family or police. The dead man's family reported him missing, but they said they didn't learn about his death until after the coroner's office had a funeral home cremate the body.

---

Video: Coroner Calls Search At His Office Unnecessary

---

Brizzi also wants a review of the cases of three premature infants who died this month from overdoses of an anti-clotting drug administered at Methodist Hospital. The coroner's office deemed those deaths to be accidental.

The investigators accompanying Brizzi seized records from the coroner's office. Afterward, Coroner Kenneth Ackles said in a news release that he was surprised that Brizzi had used a search warrant.

"This process, we felt, was unnecessary, especially in light of our office turning over file materials whenever requested by members of law enforcement agencies," Ackles said.

Ackles also addressed the cases of the three infants and implied that they were being turned into a "political issue."

"Based upon our review of the infants, medical records (and) investigations, we agreed that the death was accidental," Ackles said. "We routinely rely upon physicians to determine the cause of death in hospital settings. We do not believe that the deaths of three young children should become a political issue."

Brizzi said he has been examining issues relating to the coroner's office for at least five weeks. Before Ackles' statement was released, Brizzi talked about why he sought the search warrant.

"There have been allegations about the mishandling of bodies, missing documents (and) missing cash," Brizzi said. "As opposed to doing a regular subpoena, because of the nature of those allegations, because there are missing documents, we thought that the search warrant was the best way to get the documents that we need and preserve the integrity of the investigation."

Among the issues being examined by the grand jury are allegations that more than $3,000 in cash and property belonging to a deceased man was stolen.