Led by Dr. Andrew Baker, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office in downtown Minneapolis is on pace to handle more than 4,000 cases this year.
The medical examiner is called in when deaths occur outside hospitals. Most turn out to be from natural causes, but Baker signs about 1,500 death certificates annually for cases requiring investigation.
About half of the 1,500 require autopsies, either because the cause of death isn't clear or because of legal questions.
Baker's office has a $3.8 million budget and employs about 40 people, full- and part-time. The staff includes four physicians board-certified in forensic pathology and about a dozen investigators who go to death scenes, talk to police, contact families and scour records.
Baker is only too happy to clear up misperceptions about his work.
On average, about 5 percent of the deaths the office investigates are homicides. Eleven percent to 12 percent are suicides. "Most people think that all we do is investigate murder," he said. "I don't think people realize how common suicide really is."
KEVIN DUCHSCHERE
