HENDERSON, Ky. — Families in western Kentucky are waiting weeks for autopsy reports after unexpected deaths, a delay Henderson County Coroner Sheila Patterson said is driven by a shortage of forensic pathologists and an empty regional medical examiner’s office that was supposed to serve a wide stretch of the region.
Patterson’s office has already handled 116 death investigations this year, about 20 more than at the same point in 2025. Nineteen of those cases were sent to the state medical examiner for a full autopsy. Three of those reports are still outstanding.
She tells families not to expect a report for at least four to six weeks. Until it arrives, she will not sign a death certificate…