Five questions for coroner candidate Jaime Taylor

1. Why are you running for office?

I am running for the office of County Coroner because I believe I have the best qualifications for the job. I was born and raised in Mason County. This county is important to me, and I want to serve the citizens with the quality, respect and care they deserve.

2. What are your qualifications to be the county coroner?

I have been a death investigator for over 15 years. I am Nationally board certified by the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators. In order to qualify for my board certification, I’m required to keep up with continued education and training.

3. What are the biggest challenges facing the coroner’s office during the upcoming term?

Mason County is growing. Unfortunately, so are the numbers of deaths in our county. Drug overdose cases are on the rise. The ever-expanding case load brings challenges, therefore the growth of our office is important. Having expanded services benefits the citizens of Mason County ensuring they receive quality care and assistance in their critical time of grief.

4. Can you describe your first steps when you arrive at a scene that requires the involvement of the coroner’s office?

The coroner’s office is responsible for determining the cause and manner of death. When we arrive on scene our first priority is scene safety. Once that is established, we start our death investigation. Examining the decedent and the surrounding area. We photograph the scene, and the decedent. We interview family members, witnesses, and friends on scene. We obtain the decedent’s medical history and any other pertinent information to the decedent’s death. When deemed necessary, we take custody of the decedent and any evidence needed for autopsy or forensic examination.

5. Given the rise of procedural television dramas, such as CSI, what is the most often misunderstood part of what a coroner does and process that must be followed?

When you watch CSI, you see the coroner come to the scene in their van. They pick up the decedent and leave. You see someone else investigate the scene, like law enforcement. However, the coroner is the one doing the death investigation, and Law enforcement is investigating whether a crime has been committed. We do work closely with law enforcement. Determining the cause and manner of death helps law investigate the crime. In CSI they can determine cause and manner of death in less than an hour. In reality it takes much longer. For example, when we send off toxicology to the WSP toxicology lab it can take months to get the results back. This means the cause of death may be pending for months until we get all our lab results back.