Written by Ted Clifford, Asheville Watchdog.
Paula Case knows the job of a medical examiner wasn’t meant to be easy. Since 2021 she has driven up and down seven counties of western North Carolina investigating deaths that are sudden, violent, unexpected or simply unattended by a physician.
Like all local medical investigators in the state, Case, a registered nurse, is a part-time employee appointed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. She is paid $200 per case whether it’s a natural death at home or a violent and complex homicide. The state supplies her with a toxicology kit, but she has to pay for everything else, from the gas in her car to basic personal protective equipment like goggles and the latex gloves she buys on Amazon…