A Tennessee firm that conducts autopsies will make a presentation to the Ector County Commissioners Tuesday as the county considers whether it ought to create its own forensic center.
When law enforcement agencies are notified of unattended deaths, including possible homicides, it used to send the remains to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy. However, the county switched over to a private company in Lubbock last year when one of Tarrant County’s pathologists was suspended and a full-scale audit had to be conducted into his work.
The pathologist mistook a bullet wound for a surgical incision in one case and dozens of errors were found during the subsequent audit.
Ron Inge, the chief investigator for the Ector County Medical Examiner’s Office, said he’s been looking into possible alternatives to the Lubbock company for a while because they are currently conducting autopsies for 91 counties and they’re turning new business away.
“You just never know how long private companies are going to be here and if we lost it, we’d have to go to Austin or San Antonio,” Inge said.
In addition, the county is currently paying roughly $3,000 per autopsy, plus an additional $4,500 whenever a pathologist needs to testify in court, Inge said. The company making the presentation Tuesday, Forensic Medical Management Services, would not charge for testimony, he said.
The county needs well over 150 autopsies to be performed annually, Inge said.
If the commissioners are interested in bringing in Forensic Medical Management, the next hurdle would be finding a place for pathologists to do their work, Inge said. A new facility might have to be built, he said.
Most county-owned buildings aren’t large enough to accommodate the 9,000 square feet that would be needed, nor is Medical Center Hospital, Inge said.
Although the county has not yet discussed fees with Forensic Medical Management, Inge said the company’s pathologists would be available to go to crime scenes if needed. The company, which is already performing autopsies for Beaumont and Port Aurther, also has a training program for future forensic pathologists.
While County Judge Debi Hays said it’s unclear if Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center would be interested in an internship program, it’s clear the Permian Basin needs its own forensic center.
“We probably spend anywhere from $400,000 to half a million in autopsies. And so because of that, you’d think if a county our size spends that much you’ve got to assume Midland probably does, too,” Hays said.
The county commissioners will also be hearing Tuesday from NetUp, a company that is seeking permission to lay fiber optic lines in the county’s right of way as part of a $360 million, 10-year plan to improve internet connectivity for Texas homes and businesses.
In addition, the commissioners will also consider accepting $200,000 in Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriation Act funding for the Texas Department of Transportation to conduct a study at Schlemeyer Field.
Hays said improvements need to be made to the field’s runways, taxiways, lighting system and hangars and the study would look at those needs and the field’s surrounding areas to determine how the county could best serve residents as the area grows.
