Cleghorn with the new evidence cooler
The Arkansas State Crime Laboratory recently granted the Saline County Coroner’s Office with a mortuary cooler. Kevin Cleghorn, the County Coroner, stated that the office has long been in need of a cooler so there would be a temporary holding place for deceased individuals. Previously, if there was a death that was under investigation and a body was retrieved from the scene after hours, the best option they had is to bring the body to a local funeral home.
Kermit Channell, Executive Director of the Crime Lab, stated that this type of cooler costs about $7,500 retail and was paid for by a federal grant. This helps the Crime Lab because the evidence can be held in a temperature-controlled environment where it won’t decompose too quickly and make it more difficult to determine the cause of death.
(l. to r.) Chapman, Channell, Cleghorn
A proper and place to keep evidence is very important, as Ben Chapman stated. He is a Forensic Investigator with the Crime Lab and also the Deputy Coroner for Saline County. “Following an incident, if a body is placed somewhere that’s not secure, it’s possible for unauthorized individuals to accidentally contaminate the evidence or intentionally tamper with it,” stated Chapman. “This cooler is at a secret and secure location, so there’s no chance of someone following the Coroner from the scene and getting into that holding location somehow.”
Cleghorn emphasized that the service a coroner provides is not for law enforcement or for the deceased individual, but also for the loved ones left behind. “Until now, if a loved one was contacted to identify a deceased individual, it had to be done with a photograph or a description over the phone,” stated Cleghorn. This new ability helps with closure for loved ones.
Other rural counties still don’t have an evidence cooler, and some of our state’s counties have a full morgue, while Saline County still doesn’t. This puts our Coroner’s office one step ahead, and since the cooler was obtained with a grant, it means it didn’t come out of our county’s budget.