Karl Williams, who has spent 18 years as Allegheny County's chief medical examiner, has retired
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — After 18 years as the chief medical examiner of Allegheny County, Dr. Karl Williams has retired.
Friday was his last day on the job.
Over the past two decades, he's been credited with making the office a state-of-the-art institution while raising public awareness of the fatal consequences of opioids and the surge in youth gun violence.
Williams has performed his last autopsy in the autopsy room, where he's done countless examinations, unlocking mysteries and providing needed answers to grieving families.
KDKA-TV's Andy Sheehan: "This is where the dead come to teach the living."
Williams: "Yes, and it's true. The people we autopsy no longer care about what we find, but the families obviously have an extraordinary interest in why, when and how."
His staff has autopsied many people who have died of fatal drug overdoses. During most of the past few years, the office has averaged between 600 and 700 fatal overdoses a year — nearly two a day.
"Other than gun violence, it's the most important crisis affecting Allegheny County," Williams said. "So, we pay a lot of attention to that and getting the information out."
In his tenure, Williams has made it his cause to raise awareness of the fatal consequences of the opioid crisis, informing the families and the public of the prevalence and lethality of drugs like fentanyl. But the autopsies are only a small part of this operation and can only determine so much.
It will be up to the analysis done in the toxicology lab to determine what drug, or combination of drugs, is responsible for the overdose. But the office also analyzes just about every piece of evidence from every crime scene in the county. Over in the drug chemistry section, scientists analyze seized drugs to help police and prosecutors.
Williams is credited with technological upgrades throughout the medical examiner's offices, making it a state-of-the-art facility with the latest instrumentation.
"It's one of his impacts," said Richard Ramsey, a forensic scientist. "Besides his vast knowledge of his expertise of being a medical examiner. It's getting the grant funding and other outside funding to have more instrumentation to run samples."
He's also been able to dramatically improve the office's ballistic analysis capabilities to confront the region's other lethal crisis: helping prosecute those responsible for the surge in gun violence.
Williams: "If you're wondering whether the gun you're firing is safe, you put it in here. You can fire it without having to hold it yourself."
Sheehan: "I remember the old lab. They were shooting into phone books."
Williams: "We did a lot of lead testing in that laboratory."
But he deflects the compliments in praise of staff.
"I've got wonderfully intelligent, type-A people to do that," Williams said. "And all I've had to do is put on my bow tie from time to time and take credit for it."
At 75 years old, Williams leaves the office in a good place but will miss this job that's constantly evolving and ever-rewarding.
"Every day you're doing something interesting," he said. "Every day you're doing something that you know is contributing both to the knowledge of the family as well as the general well-being of society and the community. It's extraordinarily fulfilling and gratifying."