Morehead is serving as the host city this week for a major professional development event bringing together coroners and deputy coroners from across Kentucky.
According to the Rowan County Coroner’s Office, more than 50 coroners and deputy coroners are participating in a two-day continuing education course centered on accidental and equivocal death investigations. The training focuses on strengthening investigative skills and ensuring death investigators remain up to date on current procedures and best practices.
Topics covered during the course include death scene investigations, evidence collection and documentation, courtroom preparation, communication techniques, and the use of investigative data. The program is part of Kentucky’s required continuing education standards for coroners and deputy coroners.
The course is being led by Daniel T. Cook of the Taylor County Coroner’s Office. Additional presentations are being provided by Sgt. Alex Wesley of the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office, a retired Kentucky State Police arson investigator, who is speaking on fire-related fatalities and investigations. Catherine Frye, RN, a consultant with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services Child Fatality Review program, is also presenting information related to child fatality reviews and accidental child deaths.
The training is coordinated through the Kentucky Coroner’s Association with support from the Department of Criminal Justice Training.
Officials also expressed appreciation to UK St. Claire for allowing the use of the CHER (Center for Health, Education and Research) Building for the event.
Rowan County Coroner John Northcutt said the local office is honored to host the training opportunity in Eastern Kentucky and thanked everyone involved in helping organize the event.
Organizers say continuing education and cooperation among investigators remain important in helping ensure Kentucky families receive professional, compassionate, and thorough death investigations.
