First responders are well known, but what about last responders? You may be thinking of a funeral director or hospice provider. Last responders also include those investigating the thousands of unexplained and sometimes violent deaths that occur each year in Maricopa County.
This is the story of the women’s team at the Maricopa County Coroner’s Office facing death every day. But this story unfolds neither at the crime scene nor at the county morgue. A discreet conference table. But what these women are doing is nothing like what we’ve seen in Law and Order.
Cathy Richie/KJZZ
Irma Cortes (left to right), Emily Sprague, Amy Rex and Tiwanda Batteast are the last responders working at the Maricopa County Office of Medical Examiner.
a normal day
“It’s not for everyone,” said Twanda Battest, a forensic technologist at the firm. “We’re the kind of people who don’t want anyone to say, ‘Oh, how was your day? Oh wait, no, it’s not you.’ No one wants to hear about our day at the dinner table. ”
That’s because their work focuses primarily on traumatic death.
And it can be physically and mentally demanding.
Emily Sprague said, “Sometimes as an investigator, I can handle up to five scene calls a day. She’s a forensic death investigator in the office. Then 7:30-8:00 pm. I won’t go back to my desk until
That’s when you can wrap up your report and upload your photos.
“It’s just wild that we go from scene to scene. And they’re different scenes, too.”
From there, the case goes to Bat East.
“I’m helping doctors with tests and evisceration,” she said. An evisceration is the part of dissection where the body is opened and the organs are removed (but not in all cases). From there, she continues to take “pictures, fingerprints, and a few other things we do in the exam, as well as the final walkthrough and report and protocol for determining the cause of death.”
Around the same time that’s happening, Irma Cortez makes an appearance. She is a family advocate for the coroner’s office. Cortez serves as a bridge between the investigative team and her deceased family.
Cathy Richie/KJZZ
There is a large coloring page on each floor of the medical examiner’s office. If a staff member needs to turn his attention to something else, come out and he can use one of these meditative coloring sheets.
“Like you said, it’s a little exhausting and full of sadness to talk to people who today could be the worst day of their lives because of the types of deaths being investigated here. There may be
This is unexpected and often violent.
“But I’ve been able to talk to these families and can at least get a little bit of clarity about what’s going on here, as it can be very confusing.
Behind the scenes there are many things that most of us don’t know.
“The more difficult part is saying, ‘I don’t understand why you don’t have an answer after the autopsy.'” Cortez said.
As Batteast said before, this job isn’t for everyone. After a while it can tire you out. These cases can be tough. especially those involving children.
operational risk
“Tears are definitely part of it,” said Amy Rex, director of the coroner’s office.
“It’s not uncommon to see tears around the office. I think you can notice a change in someone’s demeanor. They become completely withdrawn,” she said. That’s usually when someone sticks their head into that person’s office to check in.
“It’s not uncommon to see tears around the office.”
— Amy Rex, Coroner’s Office
Because of how intense this job is, the coroner’s office has made attention to vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue a priority. Occupational challenges for those working or volunteering in the service, fire service, and other related professions. trauma and violence. ”
Another reason the office is so dedicated to supporting staff is simply HR 101: Employee Retention.
“We have one coroner’s office in Maricopa County. This is the staff,” Rex said. “I can’t tell Emily and her staff that they can go without work for three days. [this], who does the work? ”
Hence the tension. How do we have enough people to investigate the thousands of cases that come to this office each year, while still allowing people to step back and handle it?
can not.
Rex remembers when four children tragically died over the weekend in one jurisdiction within the county. “And they were able to get the officers out of the scene.
They did everything for them, she said. like they should. It was traumatic.
And yet, she said, what we are doing here is not recognized. ‘ Because, ‘No one wants to think about death. Naturally, I understand that.’
“No one wants to think about death. Naturally, I get it.”
— Amy Rex, Coroner’s Office
In addition to staffing, the job itself can prevent you from getting outside help. The intensity of the work is such that even some professional therapists cannot cope.
“You have to be very careful about people you talk to about it because it can hurt the person you’re trying to get help from.
That meant the agency had to find a way to create an internal support system for these last responders. That way they can continue to answer questions and provide the family with as much closure as possible.
Being the last responder can be traumatic.How the medical examiner’s office is trying to help
Listen to Part II
Last Responders provide an important service to our community by providing answers to families who have lost loved ones. This is a high-risk job, so keeping this employee psychologically safe is a top priority for the office.
Imagine going to work every day knowing you will face death. It’s not just death. We are talking about lives cut short, often unexpectedly and sometimes violently.
Dr. Jeff Johnston, Chief Medical Examiner for Maricopa County, said:
That is, car crash, murder, suicide, or drowning.
And the services his team does are, by definition, exposure to trauma. And that exposure is psychologically dangerous, he said.
That’s why his research team is focused on the technical side. “This is the history of this individual. This is what happened to them. This is the kind of testing I’m going to do. Things like that,” he said. “It’s kind of a ‘just the facts, ma’am’ mentality.”
Cathy Richie/KJZZ
Dr. Jeff Johnston is the chief medical examiner for Maricopa County.
when the job arrives
“There are times when the walls of objectivity collapse,” said Johnston. “And in my experience, it’s really hard to predict what will cause it.
Maybe the decedent reminds them of someone or feels familiar with the situation.
“Sometimes it gets to you that it’s pointless,” he said.
The death of a child is especially painful for parents in the examiner’s office.
“I think these kinds of cases are high risk. Unfortunately, more than 100 children under the age of three come here every year,” Johnston said.
Now, imagine doing this work—experiencing another personal trauma for you, reading reports, looking at photos, talking to grieving family members—every day.
It’s mentally and spiritually dangerous. It can paralyze you.
So in 2018, the team started thinking about how to deal with this kind of work-related trauma.
“We have a trauma resilience proxy team,” Johnston said. “These are our staff and how we can support these kinds of organizational cultures.”
It’s like having a giant coloring page on each floor.
“So people can come in here and color it and turn their attention to something else. [else], and allow us to process some other things without ruminating on the thoughts and feelings we have. ”
There are also quiet rooms with essential oils, inspirational quotes, and recliners. “And our people don’t have to time it to use it. If they’re dealing with a challenging scene or something, there’s a place to go and decompress.”
The coroner’s office has a quiet room with essential oils, inspirational quotes, and recliners to help employees with work-related trauma. Cathy Richie/KJZZ
The office has also created a peer support group. In addition to crime scene investigations, Sprague is also a peer support specialist.
“So if there’s a case where you’re like, ‘I can’t let it go right now. I think I need to sit in this feeling and talk to someone,’ she’s there and ready.” Support both after hours.
For her colleague and forensic scientist Twanda Battest, it makes sense to be one.
“You have to be that person — that person is always who everyone goes to,” she said.
It’s Bateste.
“They call me Mama T because that’s who I am! I feed them,” she said.
So if the team has a tough day on exams, she’ll bring home-made cupcakes the next day.
“It’s the little things for us. OK. And food is key to everyone’s mind because they look at the cupcakes and forget it all.”
And those little things really matter to this group.
“We are not first responders. We are not heroes. We are not saving anyone. We are only answering questions and offering a final act of honor to the deceased.” Rex said.
For these last responders, work is a calling. Be grateful for your life because tomorrow is not promised to anyone.
