Maryland's Chief Medical Examiner Out Amid Staffing Shortage, Autopsy Backlog

BALTIMORE (WJZ/AP) -- Maryland's Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Victor Weedn has been replaced, effective immediately, according to the Maryland Department of Health.

The Office of Chief Medical Examiner confirmed Dr. Weedn resigned Friday afternoon.

Dr. Pamela E. Southall will serve as the state's interim Chief Medical Examiner.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is responsible for determining the cause and manner of death if a person is not under the care of a physician, or if the death is unexpected or occurs under suspicious or unusual circumstances, the department said.

The announcement comes amid increased scrutiny into the Office of the Chief Medical examiner's staff shortages and a major backlog in autopsies.

Dr. Weednlast week asked the federal government for help managing a backlog of more than 200 bodies that are awaiting autopsies in Baltimore.

As of last Friday, 217 bodies were awaiting examinations by the state's forensic pathologists, but Weedn said that number could surpass 300 in less than two weeks.

The number of cases investigated grew 85% between 2012 and 2020. Once, the office could turn around 99% of cases in less than 24 hours, but today, it can take two weeks.

The backlog began in mid-December, but by Jan. 13, an initial 50 bodies waiting for autopsy doubled.

Contributing to the backlog is a staff shortage. The office has lost at least four forensic pathologists and the chief of investigations. The lack of staff threatens the agency's accreditation because staffing has fallen below national standards.