News and Announcements

  March 21, 2024 – The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner (DME) is waiving the $400 transportation and storage fees for a 180-day period after unanimous approval on Tuesday by the LA County Board of Supervisors.   In an effort to provide compassion and kindness during a time of great loss and grief,…

  February 29, 2024 – The Department of Medical Examiner (DME) is pleased to announce the official completion of the transition to the new department name, with the deployment of the new department website URL, department email addresses, and position titles. The removal of “coroner” was needed to reinforce the Department’s role as an independent investigative…

  December 6, 2023 – On Thursday, Nov. 30, medical examiners at the Department of Medical Examiner (DME) noticed a trend of recent cases in which unhoused individuals sleeping on the sidewalk were approached and shot. All three deaths were under the jurisdiction of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) but involved two separate homicide…

  June 28, 2023 – The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner will now be called the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner (Department) after the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (Board) yesterday voted to approve the ordinance for the official name change.   The removal of “coroner” was needed to reinforce…

Dr. Odey C. Ukpo Appointed as Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner On March 7, 2023, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors appointed Dr. Odey C. Ukpo as Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner to lead one of the most prominent medical examiner’s offices in the nation. Dr. Ukpo is the first African American to serve as Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner…

(en Español) March 1, 2023 – The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner released the following statement in response to assertions made based on a new report by UCLA’s Biocritical Studies Lab:  While the Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner (DMEC) appreciates efforts to bring attention to the important topic of in-custody deaths, our department…

Oct. 1, 2021 - Due to the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department is enforcing strict health protocols to maintain staff and visitor safety.

April 27, 2021 - FEMA is providing financial assistance for COVID-19 related funeral expenses incurred after January 20, 2020.

March 16, 2020 - Due to an abundance of caution regarding the coronavirus, all routine visits to Medical Examiner-Coroner facilities are being suspended.