BALTIMORE — A yearslong staffing crisis in the state medical examiner’s office in Baltimore is leading to unprecedented delays in autopsies, an emergency request to federal officials for help and now a legislative push for more workers.
To deal with “bodies piling up,” one lawmaker said the statewide agency that investigates sudden and unexpected deaths has turned to a ready source of labor — contractors “flown in from out of state” and recent retirees earning $850 per autopsy.
State officials say that labor pool is vital to clearing cases. But lawmakers and union representatives deride the vacant positions across state government generally and say excessive use of contractors may be particularly wasteful and morale-busting in the medical examiner’s office.
