US EditionFormer Maryland Medical Examiner Misclassified Police in-Custody Deaths that Were Homicides, Audit Finds
- Maryland officials announced on Thursday that an audit found dozens of police in-custody deaths from 2003 to 2019 were misclassified and should have been ruled homicides.
- In 2021, the attorney general's office initiated an independent audit in response to concerns about the impartiality and accuracy of death classifications carried out under the leadership of former Chief Medical Examiner Dr. David Fowler.
- Reviewers studied 87 cases of restrained in-custody deaths and unanimously disagreed with the original medical examiner's conclusions in 36 cases, classifying them as homicides instead of undetermined or natural causes.
- The 70-page audit report documented systemic deficiencies such as missing photographs, incomplete incident details, racial disparities in death classification, and the use of discredited terms like 'excited delirium,' with officials calling the findings deeply concerning.
- Following the audit, Governor Wes Moore signed an executive order establishing a task force to improve accountability, review cases, evaluate law enforcement training, and ensure medical examiner standards align nationally.
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Former Maryland medical examiner misclassified police in-custody deaths that were homicides, audit finds
WJZ By Christian Olaniran, Caroline Foreback, Kelsey Kushner Click here for updates on this story Maryland (WJZ) — An independent review of Maryland’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) uncovered widespread misclassifications of in-custody deaths, with racial implications. The 70-page audit, announced Thursday by Attorney General Anthony Brown and Governor Wes Moore, reviewed 87 cases, which showed that outside reviewers disagreed w…
Audit Slams OCME for Death Misclassifications - The Southern Maryland Chronicle
BALTIMORE, Md., May 15, 2025 — An independent audit of the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), announced by Attorney General Anthony G. Brown, revealed significant errors in death classifications, with over half of the 87 reviewed cases showing discrepancies. The 70-page report identified 36 deaths originally ruled as undetermined, accidental, or natural that independent reviewers unanimously classified as homicides. The audit,…
Medical examiner audit reclassifies dozens of police-restraint deaths as homicides
Jeff Kukucka, a Towson University psychology professor, led a team that reviewed 1,300 cases handed by former Chief Medical Examiner Dr. David Fowler. He announced the findings Thursday with Attorney General Anthony Brown (left) and Gov. Wes Moore. (Photo by Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters)Dozens of police-custody deaths that were ruled accidental or of unknown causes have been reclassified as homicides after a four-year review of more than 1,30…
Sister of man whose death was found to be homicide in OCME audit speaks out
For 616 weeks, Tawanda Jones has been hosting West Wednesdays.A protest for her brother Tyrone West, who died in police custody after officers pulled him over on Kelway Road in 2013. WATCH: Sister of man whose death was found to be homicide in OCME audit speaks out Sister of man whose death was found to be homicide in OCME audit speaks out On Tuesday, Jones found out that her brother's death should have been ruled a homicide, according to an aud…
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