Coroner
Coroner
Brenda McMahan
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Duties of the Coroner include: IDENTIFICATION of the deceased; Determination of the CAUSE of death; and Determination of the MANNER of death.
The coroner is to be notified for investigation for any sudden, unexpected, unwitnessed or unnatural death. See Statutory Rules for Death Investigation, Section 104. Deputy coroners can perform all the duties of the coroner. Coroners may appoint deputies and clerical personnel if authorized by county fiscal body.
The coroner serves a term of four years and may not serve more than eight years in any twelve-year period.
Contact Information
Rush County Coroner
131 East First Street
Rushville, Indiana 46173
Office Phone: 765-932-2931, ext 2039
Email: coroner@rushcounty.in.gov
Deputy Coroners:
Sara Erwin, Chief Deputy
Eric Lower
Mariah Wood
Grace Dye
Jonathan Holzback
Scott Medd
Kirstyn Ketchum
Additional Responsibilities - Death Investigations
The coroner’s office conducts death investigations into certain areas, among them homicides, accidents and others of unusual nature. What appears to be a natural death may be criminal, an apparent suicide may actually be an accidental death, and a natural death may reveal serious implications for survivors. Because of criminal and public health implications, your coroner must treat every death carefully. Upon first learning that a person in the county has died from violence, casualty, unusual circumstances, suspicious activity or while in apparently good health, the coroner will notify a local law enforcement agency. Together, they investigate the scene. Often, the coroner must restrict access to the death scene in order to properly carry out the investigation. Indiana’s county coroners do not need the family’s permission to conduct an investigation, but do hasten to complete their investigations with respect for the deceased and compassion for the families as they deal with the processes involved in bringing closure to their loss.
Qualifications
To be a candidate for office, the person must have lived in the county for at least one year before the election. The coroner must reside within the county and forfeits office by moving out of county. The Governor of Indiana issues commissions to coroners.
The Indiana State Coroner’s Training Board set standards for continuing education and training for coroners and their deputies.
