Guam Introduces Bill to Hire Death Investigators for Suspicious Deaths

The government of Guam has introduced a bill that would authorize the hiring of medico-legal death investigators to be contacted immediately in cases of suspicious deaths. The bill, introduced by Sen. Chris Barnett, seeks to establish policies and procedures for the medical examiner's office to work in partnership with law enforcement to investigate unnatural and unexplained deaths, including homicides, suicides, accidental deaths, and drug-related deaths.

The introduction of this bill comes after a roundtable discussion with the current Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Jeffrey Nine, who expressed the critical need for this position to be created and filled. In other jurisdictions, death investigators are typically contacted when there is a suspicious death. The creation of this position is expected to greatly enhance the Medical Examiner's Office's capabilities to expeditiously and accurately determine the cause of death, especially for unnatural causes.

Under the proposed bill, the Medical Examiner's Office would be authorized to employ American Board of Medico-legal Death Investigators (ABMDI) registered and certified medico-legal death investigators. These investigators would work under the supervision of the Chief Medical Examiner and assist in conducting death investigations. The bill also outlines the qualifications and background checks required for the medico-legal death investigator position.

Why this matters: The hiring of medico-legal death investigators in Guam is a significant step towards improving the investigation of suspicious deaths and ensuring accurate determination of cause of death. This bill has the potential to enhance collaboration between the medical examiner's office and law enforcement, leading to more efficient and thorough investigations.

Sen. Chris Barnett, the bill's introducer, emphasized the importance of this legislation, stating, "The creation of this position is expected to greatly enhance the Medical Examiner's Office's capabilities to expeditiously and accurately determine the cause of death, especially for unnatural causes." The bill has been referred to the Committee on Health, Land, Justice, and Culture for further consideration.

Key Takeaways

• Guam proposes hiring medico-legal death investigators to probe suspicious deaths.
• The bill aims to enhance collaboration between medical examiners and law enforcement.
• Investigators would be ABMDI registered and work under the Chief Medical Examiner.
• The move is expected to improve investigations and accurate cause of death determination.
• The bill has been referred to the Committee on Health, Land, Justice, and Culture.