How do you medically determine whether a disease or other condition is a cause of death, an unrelated factor present at death, or something in between?

Years of medical training and experience as well as a firm foundation in ethics, clearly leads to the conclusion that the determining cause of death is based in fact finding. Utilizing a PCR test, with an unacceptably high false positive rate, to determine cause of death, will lead to false conclusions. There have been multiple examples where someone has died in a car accident or due to a gunshot wound, but their death was attributed to COVID because of political motivation. I will return The Office of The Coroner to standards that we have come to expect from a public official. By reviewing the circumstance and medical history surrounding any untimely death, logical and truthful determination as to the cause of manner of death is unassailable.

How do you communicate with family members when you have to notify them of the death of a loved one?

Compassion is essential when sharing the devastating news of the death of a loved one. Understanding the depths of their loss, even when families and friends can not yet fathom what the news of that death will mean to them in the days and months ahead, will help each individual manage a crisis situation as best as is possible under the circumstance. Simply being present in the moment and allowing each individual to receive the news of their loss with support makes all the difference. Kindness and compassion is needed to help those that are left behind continue on. It is our job to support those that remain here, caring for and serving our community.

What is your vision for being our County Coroner?

The role of coroner is a challenging one. We serve our citizens and their families during the most tragic days of their lives. And in truth, there are no “good days” at the coroner’s office. But the information we gain though skillful and thorough death investigation provides our families, law enforcement, district attorney, health-care providers, public health department, elected officials, media, and citizens with the information necessary to improve the collective well-being and safety of our community. As El Paso County Coroner, my vision is to identify what has gone wrong, so we are best equipped to prevent those same tragedies from occurring in the days ahead through transparency and community- wide collaboration.

How do you communicate with family members when you have to notify them of the death of a loved one?

Notifying families of the death of a loved-one is the most emotionally difficult but meaningful responsibility of the coroner. Once identified, our death investigators work with law enforcement to locate next-of-kin. Attempts will be made to notify them in-person as soon as possible but in the age of social media and families spread across the country this often proves challenging. With active-duty military members we work with mortuary affairs to perform notifications. After autopsy, our medical examiners, including myself, speak with families to relay the findings and cause of death. Our staff is available 24-hours a day to assist families in the care of their loved ones after death.