Greene County contracts with MU for autopsy services

The University of Missouri has signed a contract to provide medical examiner services to Greene County.

The one-year, $355,000 contract names MU clinical pathology assistant professor Carl Christopher Stacy as Greene County medical examiner and makes the three staff members at the Greene County medical examiner's office MU employees, according to an MU news release. Stacy replaces Doug Anderson, who had served as interim medical examiner since October 2006.

Greene County initially conducted a two-year nationwide search for a full-time medical examiner but found the job market for certified forensic pathologists "extremely competitive" and was unable to hire someone, according to a county news release.

In addition to Greene County, Stacy is the medical examiner for Boone and Callaway counties. He will conduct routine autopsies at the MU anatomy morgue in Columbia. If a homicide investigation or other circumstances require an autopsy to be conducted locally, it will be done at Cox South hospital, which has long provided morgue space to the county medical examiner's office, according to the release.

Within the year, Greene County officials hope to begin construction of a new morgue at the Missouri State Highway Patrol crime lab in downtown Springfield. When complete, all Greene County autopsies will be conducted there. Other counties may be able to use the morgue as well, according to the release.[[In-content Ad]]