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Gov. Parson signs bill to increase in coroner training following 2011 incident in Howard County

Justin Addison Editor/Publisher
Posted 7/7/20

Missouri Governor Mike Parson on Monday signed into law HB 2046, a part of which deals with increasing training standards for coroners in the state. Section 58.035 establishes the Coroner Standards …

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Gov. Parson signs bill to increase in coroner training following 2011 incident in Howard County

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Missouri Governor Mike Parson on Monday signed into law HB 2046, a part of which deals with increasing training standards for coroners in the state. Section 58.035 establishes the Coroner Standards and Training Commission which shall establish training standards relating to the operation, responsibilities, and technical skills of the office of county coroner. 

The new requirements stem from an incident involving the death of 27-year-old Jayke Minor that occurred in Howard County in July 2011. County Coroner Frank Flaspohler ruled the death a drug overdose. Minor was known to local authorities to use drugs. However, a toxicology report showed only tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive compound in marijuana, which is not considered deadly.

The situation became worse over a years-long battle between Flaspohler and Minor’s father, Jay. The toxicology report took about two years to complete after the lab apparently lost the first blood sample. Following the report, Flaspohler amended the death certificate to say that Jayke died of natural causes and cardiac dysrhythmia, despite evidence to suggest that. Jayke was cremated and no autopsy was performed.

It took another three years for Jay Minor to finally receive a copy of his son’s death certificate. And that’s when more problems became apparent. The certificate had the wrong person’s name on top, which was then scratched out and Jayke’s name was handwritten in. There were also discrepancies between police reports and the coroner’s report with regard to where and in what condition Jayke’s body was found.

Jay Minor has been on a quest to make improvements to the coroner’s system since 2013. The bill finally passed on Monday. The sections of the bill that pertain to Missouri coroners are as follows:

CORONER STANDARDS AND TRAINING COMMISSION (Section 58.035)

This bill establishes the Coroner Standards and Training Commission which shall establish training standards relating to the operation, responsibilities and technical skills of the office of county coroner. The membership of the Commission is set forth in the bill. The Commission shall establish training standards relating to the office of county coroner and shall issue a report on such standards.

COUNTY CORONER SALARY (Section 58.095)

Currently, $1,000 of a county coroner's salary shall only be payable if he or she completes at least 20 hours of classroom instruction each year relating to the operations of the coroner's office when approved by a professional association of county coroners of Missouri. This bill provides that the Coroners Standards and Training Commission shall establish and certify such training programs and their completion shall be submitted to the Missouri Coroners' and Medical Examiners' Association. Upon the Association's validation of certified training, it shall then submit the individual's name to the county treasurer and Department of Health and Senior Services indicating his or her compliance.

MISSOURI STATE CORONERS' TRAINING FUND (Section 58.208)

This bill creates the Missouri State Coroners' Training Fund. For any death certificate issued, there shall be a fee of $1 deposited into the fund which shall be used by the Missouri Coroners' and Medical Examiners' Association for the purpose of in-state training, equipment, and necessary supplies, and to provide aid to training programs approved by the Missouri Coroners' and Medical Examiners' Association. This fee shall be imposed and collected in addition to all other fees already being imposed and collected on the issuance of death certificates, resulting in the current total fee of $13 being increased to $14. Also, during states of emergency or disasters, local registrars may request reimbursement from the fund for copies of death certificates issued to individuals who are unable to afford the associated fees.

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