Episode 17: Q & A with Dr. Kohr
Q: Dr. Kohr, how did you choose forensics as your career path?
A: I often say forensics chose me. I decided to become a doctor as early as ninth grade, inspired by a classmate who said he wanted to go into medicine. I liked science and math, and medicine seemed like a stable and respected career. My original interests leaned toward medical genetics. I even considered pursuing an MD/PhD, but after my first year of medical school, I realized that wasn’t the right direction.
Eventually, I gravitated toward surgery because I liked the idea of doing something definitive, fixing problems rather than managing chronic conditions. I began a general surgery residency but didn’t complete it. During medical school, I had done rotations in pathology, partly to help with surgical training, and I found it fascinating, especially the autopsy service.
Q: So, how did you end up becoming a coroner?
A: I moved to Terre Haute in 1984. On my very first day on the medical staff, several doctors asked me if I was going to run for coroner. It hadn't crossed my mind until then. A few years later, when the sitting coroner resigned due to legal trouble, some people suggested I put my name in as a midterm replacement. That didn’t go anywhere, likely because I wasn’t from Terre Haute originally. But by 1988, community members encouraged me to run for the position, and I won.
Q: What exactly does a coroner do? And how is that different from a forensic pathologist?
A: A coroner is an elected official. In Indiana, the only legal requirements are that you must be at least 18 years old and not a convicted felon. That’s it. So, coroners can be funeral directors, former police officers, nurses, or even semi-truck drivers.
A forensic pathologist, on the other hand, is a physician with years of education and training: four years of undergrad, four years of medical school, and several years of residency and fellowship. A forensic pathologist performs autopsies, interprets medical findings, and works closely with law enforcement to help solve cases. It’s a specialized field that sits at the intersection of medicine, science, and law.
Q: In your ideal system, how should death investigations be handled?
A: In a perfect world, we’d replace the coroner system with a medical examiner system, run by trained physicians who are board-certified forensic pathologists. Some states already have this setup. That said, no system is flawless, especially when politics and budgets are involved.
Indiana’s system has major drawbacks, like term limits that cause high turnover and a lack of consistent qualifications. Some coroners I've worked with were excellent and deeply committed to the job. But the volume of cases in smaller counties is so low that even a good coroner might not get enough experience to stay
Q: What are the biggest challenges with the coroner system in Indiana?
A: The turnover. Indiana limits coroner terms to two consecutive terms, then you have to sit one out. That leads to a lot of inconsistency and a lack of institutional knowledge. Even conscientious coroners in small counties may only see one or two homicides a year, sometimes none for years. That’s just not enough experience to stay proficient.