Anita Creamer: Gender ****ft
Death investigators have undergone a transformation. Here's how nine
members of the Sacramento County Coroner's Office see their jobs.
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Published 12:00 am PST Sunday, March 2, 2008
For countless local families answering a knock on the door in the
middle of the night, the face of death is female. Nine of 12
Sacramento County deputy coroners are women =E2=80=93 and so is one of the
three assistant coroners who supervise them.
"There's been a total gender ****ft," says Assistant Coroner Ed Smith,
a 23-year veteran of the department.
The same trend holds true across the country, not only in death-
investigation work but also in the fields of forensic pathology and
crime-scene investigation.
"The majority of my students are women," says Deputy Coroner Kim
Gillis, who has a master's degree in forensic science and teaches
online forensics cl*****. "In one class of 21 students, there's only
one guy. That's a big deal.
"In the field of forensic pathology, the trend is toward more women
now, too."
That's why officers at some local law enforcement agencies refer to
the Coroner's Office as "the harem," a term that raises the
possibility that comfort levels haven't quite kept pace with progress.
Pinning the trend on popular TV shows such as "CSI" and its spinoffs
is a bit too easy. Long before "CSI," there was "The X-Files" and
Agent Dana Scully, a forensic pathologist who wore high heels to cross
muddy fields where aliens and death had converged.
And before Scully, there was Dr. Kay Scarpetta, coroner and heroine of
Patricia Cornwell's best-selling mystery novels, who liked to come
home from a tough day at the morgue to make elaborate pasta dishes.
=46rom Scarpetta to "CSI," forensics has gone glam, although the reality
is anything but.
In California, deputy coroners investigate the cir***stances of
unexplained deaths and they notify families. They're sworn peace
officers who carry guns but don't wear uniforms.
"Every time you knock on someone's door, you change their life
forever," says Deputy Coroner Angie Deuel. "So you try to do a good
job."
* * *
Allyson Rogers
A former nursing major, Allyson Rogers, 34, has been a deputy coroner
for four years. She was an investigator in the District Attorney's
Office before that.
On first dates: "I'm very careful what I divulge at first. I say I
work for the county. Once I actually tell people, they're either
interested or completely disgusted.
"You have to get beyond, 'Gosh, you touch dead bodies?' Most of the
time, people get more interested once they get past the gross factor."
On getting grossed-out herself: "I haven't had that problem. I've been
able to deal with everything I've been exposed to on the job. But you
get law enforcement officers who've been on the job for years, and
they won't go in to the scene with me.
"That happens quite often. They don't deal with death on a daily
basis."
* * *
Jennifer Becker
Jennifer Becker, 36, worked on the department's clerical staff before
becoming a deputy coroner four years ago.
On what she remembers most from those days: When I worked in the front
office, one of the deputies had a bad child-abuse case. I can see
those photos right now. I remember the look on that child's face. And
that was six years ago.
On carrying a gun: Grief is a difficult emotion. People can lash out
unexpectedly, without intent. The gun is a deterrent. They're less
likely to strike out at us. Some people don't want you to take the
body. They call us body snatchers. They want to fight you for it. I've
had a few cases where people wanted to be violent. You have to talk
them down.
And we knock on people=EF=BF=BDs doors at 2 a.m. You don't know what they
imagine might be behind that door.
* * *
Kim Burson
Assistant Coroner Kim Burson, 45, grew up dreaming of being a doctor.
Instead, she worked as an emergency medical technician and a
sheriff=EF=BF=
=BDs
deputy. She's been with the Coroner's Office since 1993.
On what women bring: In general, women can be more compassionate and
can maybe communicate better with grieving families. Then again, I got
an e-mail not long ago from a family praising one of our male deputies
for how compassionate he was with them.
So maybe we're more inquisitive. I don't know.
On the influence of =EF=BF=BDCSI=EF=BF=BD: =EF=BF=BDIt makes it difficult
fo=
r us. People say,
Why don't you have the results back as quickly as they do on
=EF=BF=BDCSI=EF=
=BF=BD?=EF=BF=BD
And I'm telling them, =EF=BF=BDWe're not television.
* * *
Judy Denton
At 57, Judy Denton has been a deputy coroner for 23 years. A former
preschool teacher and law enforcement officer, she's set to retire at
the end of March.
On her toughest cases: The one that hurt the most was my first baby
case. This baby had congenital heart disease and wasn't expected to
live. The mom's crying. The dad's just sobbing. Finally, the mom
handed me the baby. I started walking out, and the dad grabbed my
****rt.
It was a young man I'd been in the sheriff's academy with. I didn't
know he'd gotten married and had a kid. I felt horrible.
On why the department will never be all-female: =EF=BF=BDThere are ethnic
groups that don't like dealing with women. It's not discriminatory.
It's just their culture. You have to respect that. Every day, you're
dealing with more than death.
* * *
Angie Deuel
Angie Deuel, 53, was with the Sheriff=EF=BF=BDs Department for a decade
befo=
re
she became a deputy coroner in 1998. She says she was tired of
fighting the bad guys.
On why she likes her job:
Every day is different. "Every day, I deal with death, but every death
is different, and every family is different. You really get to see how
people live.=EF=BF=BD
On how she now sees Sacramento: =EF=BF=BDAs you drive through town, you
thin=
k,
=EF=BF=BDI=EF=BF=BDve been to that house. There was a tragedy
there.=EF=BF=
=BD=EF=BF=BD
On why she=EF=BF=BDs glad her daughters aren=EF=BF=BDt interested in law
enf=
orcement:
=EF=BF=BDWhen you have children, you miss Christmas, you miss
Thanksgiving,
you miss their birthdays, you miss their ball games. In the
Coroner=EF=BF=BD=
s
Office, you continue to miss all those things. I=EF=BF=BDll be working
Christmas this year.=EF=BF=BD
* * *
Kim Gillis
Kim Gillis, 37, has been a deputy coroner for eight years. She worked
as a probation officer before joining the department.
On toughness: =EF=BF=BDI went to a scene one time where the person had
been
dead for three weeks. None of the firemen would go in with me. I joked
with them. =EF=BF=BDYou guys, you=EF=BF=BDre supposed to make sure
I=EF=BF=
=BDm OK in there.=EF=BF=BD
And they=EF=BF=BDre like, =EF=BF=BDNo, you=EF=BF=BDre
fine.=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=
=BD
On helping families: =EF=BF=BDYou can give families information about
their
loved ones. We can tell them what the cause of death was and whether
death was instant. It=EF=BF=BDs one of the questions we get. =EF=BF=BDDid
th=
ey suffer?
=EF=BF=BD
=EF=BF=BDSometimes, we can=EF=BF=BDt tell. And sometimes, I won=EF=BF=BDt
te=
ll them
immediately. But if someone was in excruciating pain for an hour, I
can tell you that.=EF=BF=BD
* * *
NeCole Scott
NeCole Scott, 42, is a rookie deputy coroner, having been on the job
only since June. She was a biology major in college who worked for
medical and computer companies.
On looking below the surface: There was one case in south Sacramento
that was initially re****ted as a natural death, then as a drug
overdose. In the home, I immediately had a sense of things not being
right.
I found a very small bullet hole in the mans head. It turned out to be
a homicide.
On why she likes her job: =EF=BF=BDSure, it=EF=BF=BDs a difficult subject,
a=
nd some of
the work is heartbreaking. But we also deal directly with the
families. If I feel I=EF=BF=BDve made one iota of difference to a family,
I
feel good about it.
=EF=BF=BDIn the private sector, you can give 110 percent, and if the
company=
doesn=EF=BF=BDt meet the bottom line, you feel you=EF=BF=BDve failed.
Here, =
I feel I=EF=BF=BDm
making a difference.=EF=BF=BD
* * *
Maria Vargas
Maria Vargas witnessed hundreds of autopsies when she worked for a
pathology lab. She majored in biology in college and considered
becoming a doctor. At 34, she=EF=BF=BDs been a deputy coroner for the past
t=
wo
years.
On her favorite part of the job: =EF=BF=BDJust meeting people and helping
th=
em
through a tough time. They need someone to guide them through a
process not a lot of people are familiar with.
=EF=BF=BDThey always ask, =EF=BF=BDWhat do I do now?=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD
On watching =EF=BF=BDCSI=EF=BF=BD: "I do. And =EF=BF=BDThe First
48,=EF=BF=
=BD all those shows. I love
them. With =EF=BF=BDCSI,=EF=BF=BD it=EF=BF=BDs like, =EF=BF=BDOh, my God,
I =
can=EF=BF=BDt believe they did
that.=EF=BF=BD But I=EF=BF=BDm still watching.
=EF=BF=BDI don=EF=BF=BDt know why death investigation has inundated TV.
Mayb=
e it=EF=BF=BDs
just a phase we=EF=BF=BDre going through.=EF=BF=BD
* * *
Heather Wood
Heather Wood, 24, decided she wanted to go into forensics after she
read a Patricia Cornwell novel in the eighth grade. She joined the
Coroner=EF=BF=BDs Office as an intern at 18 and became a deputy coroner
two
years ago.
On her most memorable case, a fatal car accident involving teenagers:
=EF=BF=BDThe parents knew there had been an accident. They=EF=BF=BDd been
ca=
lling CHP,
saying, =EF=BF=BDWhere are my kids? Where are my kids?=EF=BF=BD
=EF=BF=BDWe prefer to do our death notifications in person, but I had to
tel=
l
one girl=EF=BF=BDs father over the phone. I=EF=BF=BDll never forget
hearing =
her mother
scream in the background. =EF=BF=BDIt was hard. I couldn=EF=BF=BDt get to
th=
em. I
didn=EF=BF=BDt know where they were. I couldn=EF=BF=BDt get the chaplains
to=
them.
With this job, we show up on the worst day of people=EF=BF=BDs lives and
try=
to help them as much as we can.=EF=BF=BD
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