MACON, Ga. — Bibb County's Coroner says the Georgia Bureau of Investigation office in Macon is down to one medical examiner.
Leon Jones says this may delay autopsy results and criminal cases.
He says that it already takes three months to confirm a cause of death from GBI autopsies. Jones says he has three now waiting for results.
“One of them died in January of this year,” he said. “One in March and the other in September.”
Jones says Bibb County had 70 homicides by this time last year.
“It was a nightmare. Some of the people had to wait two or three weeks to bury their loved ones,” he explained.
While homicide numbers are down almost half the amount now, most insurance companies won't pay families until a death certificate is signed.
“I know it's going to be a longer delay on getting the cause of deaths for families to get closure. So, with only one medical examiner, there’s going to be some problems.” Jones said.
However, families won’t be the only ones affected.
Many Central Georgia law enforcement agencies use the Macon GBI office for autopsies.
“It's nice to be able to drive to Macon and not have to drive to Atlanta,” said Jones County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Earl Humphries.
He says autopsies are vital to their investigations.
“There’s detailed, factual information that we need to base on, our information-- our theories on how we proceed with an investigation,” Humphries explained. “Who we speak with, who might’ve had an opportunity, or the type of murder weapon that was used.”
Humphries says they need to have a body examined around once a month.
With months to get results back, grieving families get frustrated.
“A large part of that frustration comes to local law enforcement. We're doing the best that we can with the circumstances that we have,” he said.
While medical examiner shortages aren’t new, even across the state, it doesn't help either.
“It's going to slow things down,” Humphries said. “Things that we'd like to get solved, we'd like to get moved just for the family's information as well."
Jones says if autopsies at the Macon GBI get backed up, bodies may go to headquarters and will cost taxpayer money to transport.
We reached out to the GBI who told us they'll provide backup staffing for Macon's one full-time medical examiner when necessary.
They say there's a national shortage of medical examiners. As part of the GBI's response, they're offering student-loan repayments and providing extra pay for their offices in Savannah and Macon.
Macon's GBI office is also eligible to hire examiners from foreign countries.