Require Coroners in Georgia to hold a Criminal Forensics Degree.
Require Coroners in Georgia to hold a Criminal Forensics Degree.
Why this petition matters
On July 4, 2022, my son, Dominic Barros died in his home from Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP). He had spent the majority of his lifetime, in and out of the hospital ICU due to uncontrolled seizures. His disease was well-documented, and he had spent numerous days in the hospital one month prior to his death with a diagnosis of status epilepticus. As a former mortician who has seen her fair share of unattended deaths, the scene at his home showed no sign of foul play, or struggle. His body was in prone position (seen in over 70%, of SUDEP deaths) and his hands positioned in a similar fashion akin to someone in the throes of seizure. His face showed signs of livor mortis, oner of the 4 stages after death when blood pools in the dependent parts of the body. The county sheriff's dept arrived, and was satisfied in their investigation that this was a natural death. The coroner arrived, and assumed in error that livor mortis was actually bruising to Dom's face. In early stages after death, livor can be displaced and will blanch (turn white) with slight pressure from the finger. Bruising does not displace. There was no inflammation, the borders were well-defined. The pooling did not cover the two scars over each eyebrow (from previous seizure-related trauma), whereas bruising would. I lay in the floor with my child. I held my child. I touched his face. He clearly was not bruised. Based on this, the coroner in his inexperience, made the critical decision to call in the Georgia Bereau of Investigation which would require an autopsy be performed. I believe that the coroner's personal history with the Elliott/Barros family left him with an "axe to grind" and he found this instance an opportunity to do so. I think anyone would agree that a true professional would not allow personal feelings to interfere with his job. This coroner made the decision to legally desecrate my child's body, then purposefully had his remains delivered to the incorrect funeral home, making it an impossibility to give him a proper funeral service.
I would like Georgia lawmakers to either raise pay for Georgia coroners and require stricter credentials for coroner or completely do away with this elected position. If you click on the following links, and read the investigation done by Alan Judd, investigative reporter for the Atlanta Journal constitution, you would agree. Please sign my petition so that no other mother must go through the added distress after losing a child due to an unqualified coroner.