Voices of the Survivors is a committee of individuals appointed by Mayor Greg Fischer, to examine and develop ideas and ways to assist the survivors of Louisville Metro Homicide victims? To provide a variety of ways survivors can remain connected to the community through support programs, grief counseling and volunteerism. Survivors will have the opportunity to engage the community, build support and have a sense of connectedness to their loved ones by giving back in their name. The Special Services Office offers emotional support to families who experience the sudden or traumatic death of a loved one particularly, but not exclusively, through homicide, suicide or accident.

We hope this will assist survivors by reaching out to them when they are unable to seek help for themselves. Some people respond to this outreach because they find it helpful to talk about what happened and express their feelings in a non-judgmental setting.

The following services are available:

• Hosparus Grief Counseling Center (502) 456-5451
• Crisis Hotline (800) 221-0446
• Commonwealth Attorney’s office (502) 595-2300
• Victim Advocates (502) 595-2300
• Crime Victim Compensation Board (502) 573-2290
• Christian Grief Support / Contact Christine Heeren (502) 253-8411

What to do after the death of a loved one?

There are many decisions that need to be made. The following are a few suggestions to help you and your loved ones through the process.

• Get your family, friends and clergy involved for comfort and support.
  
• Select a funeral home to help you make arrangements. Any funeral home can help with cremation, if desire.
  
• Once you have a funeral home, the funeral director will pick up and transport your loved one to the funeral home following the autopsy, if one is required.
  
• Keep a folder to correlate all paperwork, all business cards given to you by law enforcement, coroner or funeral home personnel, and any other information that will be shared with you.
  
• Take care of yourself. Depression and stress can affect one’s life quickly. Do not be afraid to use resources available to you in our community

The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office
Barbara Weakley-Jones MD
Coroner

810 Barret Avenue, 7th Floor
Louisville, KY 40204
(502) 574-6262
(502) 574-5355 (Fax)
www.louisvilleky.gov/coroner

Services and programs available:

Indigent Burial Program - The Indigent Burial Program was established for the homeless and destitute in Louisville. Each year more than 300 homeless or indigent persons die in our community with no family or resources. When a relative or other legal representative applies for a county burial or cremation, the Coroner’s Office has an application process with an interview. The Coroner evaluates the request and needs of each situation, and the resources are explored (insurance, savings, Social Security, retirement, Veteran benefits, etc) to determine eligibility of the person.

The Coroner’s Office is also proud to have a nonprofit program “Be a Memory Maker” that takes donations to raise money to purchase grave markers for individuals buried through the indigent program

The Coroner’s Office believes firmly in service to the community and is committed to providing a permanent marker for the indigent people to acknowledge their time on earth.

Historical Perspectives
The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office is the 16th largest office in the United States established in 1780.

In 2009, Dr. Barbara Weakley-Jones was appointed Coroner. She then won the election in 2010 to become the first female elected to the office of Coroner. Dr Weakley-Jones mission reflects her philosophy that her deputies are educated in medicine and death investigations with primary goal of determining the cause and manner of death.

Statutory Requirements
Kentucky Statute mandates the Coroner’s Office to determine the cause and manner of deaths in medical/legal related deaths “coroner’s cases.” The Cause of Death is the injury, disease, or a combination of the two that cause the death of the person. The Manner of Death is ruled by the Coroner to be natural, suicidal, accidental, homicide, unknown, or pending further investigation.

Kentucky law does not recognize the right to refuse an autopsy ordered by the coroner. Autopsies are preformed to answer medical and legal questions to protect public health and aid in legal issues.

The Coroner’s Office deals with many kinds of death, such as:

Skeletal Remains
Homicides
Accidental Death
Death in a Correctional Facilities
Childhood deaths
Motor Vehicle Deaths
Disasters
Suicides
Natural deaths in the young

Death Scene Investigation
The Coroner or Deputy has the responsibility of pronouncing death. This includes: determining the time of death, taking custody of both the body and property on the body, ensuring the body has not been moved from the original death scene, making a positive identification of the body, notifying the next of kin, sign the death certificate, completing required forms and records for each death investigation, and collaborating with other appropriate agencies.

The Coroner/ Deputies act as a liaison between the police and the Medical Examiner’s Office in the investigation of various types of death in the community.

The Deputies are continually involved in courses, which aid in their work. Deputies are mandated to attend yearly training sessions.

The Autopsy
An autopsy is an examination of the body to determine the cause and manner of death. It is performed by the state medical examiner not the coroner. Small specimens of internal organs are microscopically examined along with body fluids tested for drugs. In violent deaths, other evidence may be collected and examined by a crime laboratory.

The autopsy and other tests rarely delay the release of the body, however, final results of the autopsy report usually takes 6-8 weeks. Death certificates are signed after receiving the autopsy reports.

During the autopsy, all property and clothing is handled by the Medical Examiner and generally released with the body to the funeral home except in homicide or undetermined cases where those items get released to the law enforcement agency.
Personal property is usually received by the county coroner or is released to the funeral home.

Autopsy Information
Basic autopsy information on the cause and manner of death is matters of public record under Kentucky law. The rest of the information is available to the County Coroner, law enforcement, treating physician, legal representative, or immediate next of kin.

Autopsy reports in homicide cases are provided to county coroner, attorneys, and law enforcement agencies until the case has made is through the courts.

Immediate next-of-kin should contact the Coroner’s office in the county where the death occurred for the procedure on release of information.

Death Certificate
The funeral director that you have chosen to handle the final arrangements for your loved one can assist you in getting copies of the death certificate.

You can also abtain certified copies from:

Dept of Vital Statistics
275 E. Main St.
Frankfort, KY 40621
(502)564-4212

Louisville Metro Police Department Homicide Investigations

633 West Jefferson St.
Louisville, KY 40202
502-574-7055
Crime Tip Hotline – 574-LMPD or 574-5673

Major David Ray
Major Crimes Division Commander
(502) 574-4577

Lt. Barry Wilkerson
Homicide Unit Commander
(502) 574-2473

Homicide Duties
LMPD Homicide detectives respond to and investigate all homicides, critical assaults, suicides, suspicious deaths, kidnapping for ransom and train vs. pedestrian accidents when the pedestrian is killed or death is imminent. This is a brief outline of what homicide victim’s families can expect during the course of a homicide investigation: 

• Videotape and photograph the entire scene/area.
• Mark evidence and photograph scene with evidence markers.
• Collect the evidence and remove the body with the Coroner’s permission.
  

• Family members will not be allowed in the crime scene to avoid scene contamination.
  
• The lead detective will make contact with the family as soon as practical.
  
• The lead detective needs to establish a point of contact for the family. This allows the detective to give and receive information more quickly.
  
• The scene and evidence collection process, which can take several hours, will be explained.
  
• Diligence and respect for the body will be a priority but there are times when the body needs to remain in an exposed state due to evidence collection issues. Screens will be used to block the public from viewing the body as much as possible.
  
• Limited information will be given due to case integrity.
  
• The coroner’s office will assist the victim’s family with funeral/ burial arrangements and any post- autopsy issues concerning the victim’s physical status.
  
• The Homicide Unit is in charge of the scene and the Coroner is responsible for the body.

Court Prosecution
The Homicide Unit will work in conjunction with the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office regarding prosecution of the case. This may also include a victim’s advocate from the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office.
All plea deals and prosecution are the responsibility of the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office.

Case Follow-up
The Lead detective will follow-up by telephone with the family point of contact and advise of any updates. This varies depending on the amount of information received on a case.
If all leads and investigation on a case have been completed, the lead detective will advise the family of this and follow-up will continue if new leads or information develop.
The family point of contact can call the lead detective at any point if they have concerns or questions.
If there any issues with the lead detective, the family point of contact can always ask to speak to a homicide supervisor by calling 574-7055 or by calling the supervisors listed at the top of this page.
If an arrest is made, the family point of contact will be notified as soon as possible. Arrests of individuals are considered open records and the media obtains these reports daily. The media will air or print this information as soon as they obtain the records. It is very important to give the lead detective current contact information so notifications can be made in a timely manner.


Cold Case Initiative
A cold case is generally determined to be an open case which is at least two years old.

All open homicide cases since 1965 are located in one area and are being reviewed for case solvability factors.
The Homicide Cold Case Squad (1 sergeant and 2 detectives) are being more proactive in investigating cold cases.
Detectives are working cold cases as quickly and diligently as possible but there are over 400 cases which are still considered cold cases.
The Cold Case Squad welcomes all information and tips on any cold case which may generate an investigation.

Survivor’s Expectations
The Homicide Unit will work each case as diligently as possible no matter the circumstances or individual involved.
Detectives will be straight forward and honest regarding the status of the investigation.
Concerns will be addressed by the detective or their supervisors.