Kane County Coroner Launches Review Of Past Cases
Kane County Coroner To Review Past Cases
(CBS) -- The coroner in Kane County says he will review cases that pre-date his time in office to see if cause and manner of death were determined correctly.
So far, Kane County Coroner Rob Russell says, he's looking at four cases from the past and at least a couple of them go back decades.
Russell says he wants to see if the correct ruling was made, now that technology has improved.
Perhaps coincidentally, last fall Kane County hired a former county coroner to evaluate the work Russell, and that review determined that his office performed about 50 unnecessary autopsies in 2013.
WBBM Newsradio asked Russell if his new plan is a response to that.
"Probably indirectly. But directly it was due to a citizen coming forward and saying they had some concerns," he says.
Russell says that former coroner's review was discredited by the Illinois Coroners Association.
Earlier this month, the Kane County Board raised some questions about Russell's budget and overspending.
Russell says this new initiative won't affect his budget because he himself will do the preliminary reviews.
