Maryland’s medical examiner is asking the federal government for help managing a backlog of more than 200 bodies awaiting autopsies.
The Daily Record reports that Chief Medical Examiner Victor Weedn told the Postmortem Examiners Commission that he’d make a formal request Friday for help from Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Teams.
As of Friday, 217 bodies were awaiting examinations, but Weedn says that number could surpass 300 in less than two weeks.
The office has lost at least four forensic pathologists and the chief of investigations.
The agency’s accreditation is threatened because staffing has fallen below national standards.
Deputy Health Secretary Dr. Jinleen Chan says the Department of Health is working to free up 21 new positions.
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