Coroner expresses concerns in letter, presiding commissioner responds

Laclede County Coroner Steve Murrell released a letter to local media last Wednesday outlining what he saw as his office’s state of affairs. In it, he discussed ongoing training efforts in his office, the duties of the Coroner’s Office, statutes and recent state standards, goals, and perceived restrictions his office faces. Murrell’s letter was released to the Laclede County Commission, Laclede County Clerk Linda Cansler, and the Record following his presentation during last week’s regular commission meeting. This letter came after the county’s 2025 budget was approved in late January. “The reason for this letter is to protect the coroner and deputy coroner [sic], our office and our constituents. There are things that I should be doing that I can’t do because of the restrictions placed on our office despite asking and explaining need,” Murrell said in the letter. In his letter, Murrell explained that his office’s duty was to determine cause and manner of death on every deceased person by means including scene investigation, medical records, toxicology, etc. He added in a later conversation that his office’s death investigations are separate from the Sheriff’s Office’s criminal investigations and are separate in their goals. He later said in the letter that he is requesting a facility with office space (with heat/air and water), storage, an exam room, and a morgue. As explained in a later conversation with Murrell, bodies are transported to one of the two funeral homes in county. Currently, the coroner has an office space in the courthouse’s annex building. These requests come in part from the Department of Health and Senior Services’ adoption of new training standards for coroners, which include instructional emphasis on chain of custody and confidentially, laboratory services mass fatalities, personal protective equipment, and more. For more on this story, see Wednesday's LCR.