Whatcom County seeks to appoint interim medical examiner as current contract ends
The Whatcom County Executive’s Office has announced its intention to hire an interim medical examiner while the county conducts a national search for a permanent one.
The decision to appoint an interim medical examiner comes as the county ends its contract with Hunt Forensics PLLC and Whatcom County Medical Examiner Dr. Allison Hunt, following the release of a fact-finding report looking into allegations that bodies of the deceased went unrefrigerated over a hot weekend in May.
The report, released Aug. 5 and conducted by Kristofer Bundy of Bundy Law Group PLLC, revealed gaps in protocols by the Whatcom County Medical Examiner’s Office that ultimately led to two deceased bodies being left unrefrigerated for at least three days, resulting in severe decomposition. The Whatcom County Executive’s Office announced the same day that it planned to terminate its contract with Hunt Forensics, The Bellingham Herald previously reported.
As of Wednesday, Sept. 4, the county has not yet terminated its contract with Hunt or her business, according to county public affairs and strategy manager Jed Holmes.
“We have not yet finalized the terms of the conclusion of the contract, but we continue to have productive conversations,” Holmes said.
Interim Medical Examiner
In a Sept. 3 memo sent to the Whatcom County Council, the executive’s office said it plans to seek approval to appoint Dr. Aldo Fusaro as the county’s interim medical examiner, beginning Sept. 10.
Prior to being appointed interim medical examiner, Fusaro must first be approved by the Northwest Washington Medical Society and Whatcom County Sheriff Donnell “Tank” Tanksley, according to the executive office’s memo. Following approval by the medical society and sheriff, the County Council will then confirm or deny the interim appointment of Dr. Fusaro at its upcoming Sept. 10 meeting, as is required by Article 3 of the Whatcom County Charter.
The Medical Examiner must have an M.D. or D.O degree and be licensed to practice medicine in the state of Washington, according to the county charter. Fusaro is licensed to practice medicine in Washington state, Holmes told The Herald.
The Herald has reached out to Fusaro for comment.
Fusaro, who is a forensic pathologist, has served as the Deputy Chief Medical Examiner for the Montana State Medical Examiner’s Office since 2017. Prior to that, he served as the Associate Medical Examiner for King County from 2005 to 2017. He began his career in the Office of the Cook County Medical Examiner in Illinois in 1997 and worked there until 2005, according to the executive office’s memo.
Fusaro will continue to serve as chief deputy medical examiner for the Montana State Medical Examiner’s Office, as well as provide interim medical examiner services to Whatcom County.
Fusaro is expected to spend every other week in Whatcom County, and will likely do case work, such as reviewing medical histories, toxicology reports or other work, related to Whatcom County cases remotely. He will not be called back to Whatcom County during “off weeks,” Holmes said.
Whatcom County will pay Fusaro $200 an hour for his work. He is considered part-time and will not receive benefits.
The county will pay for the cost of Fusaro’s travel between Whatcom County and Montana, including mileage, airfare and parking. The county will also pay up to $200 a night for Fusaro’s lodging while he’s in Whatcom County, and will pay for the cost of a rental car and provide him a daily meal per diem up to $59 per day, according to Fusaro’s letter of appointment from the county.
All travel logistics will be handled by Fusaro, who will be reimbursed following weekly travel expense forms that will be submitted, his appointment letter states.
Service continuity
Fusaro is expected to serve as interim medical examiner through Oct. 22, but that timeline could change and is dependent upon the county hiring a permanent medical examiner, according to Fusaro’s letter of appointment.
Fusaro will not be bringing any staff to Whatcom County with him, as the county has hired an autopsy technician and a death investigator who will assist Fusaro. The county also announced Sept. 4 that Louise Trapp is on temporary assignment to assist with operations of the county’s medical examiner services, the transition between Hunt and an interim medical examiner and creation and start up of the new county medical examiner’s office. Trapp has worked in the Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, the county health department, and previously served as chief administrator for the King County Medical Examiner’s Office and chief deputy coroner for Kitsap County, according to the county memo.
When Fusaro is in Montana, autopsies will be performed by local pathologists. Holmes said pathologists from neighboring areas have said they would be willing to provide autopsy and medical examiner services if needed. Holmes said it’s not uncommon for pathologists to step in, such as when the normal medical examiner is out on vacation.
Holmes said the county has no concerns about quality of services or potential impacts to law enforcement operations or criminal court cases.
“We will remain in close communication with our partners to ensure expectations for level and quality of service are met,” Holmes said.
When asked why the Whatcom County administration felt this interim situation was the best decision moving forward, Holmes told The Herald that they expect the recruitment process for a new, permanent medical examiner to take time.
“We want to have a smooth and timely conclusion of our current contractual relationship with Hunt Forensics and ensure continuity of service while (the) recruitment process plays out. Hiring an interim medical examiner helps make this possible,” Holmes said.
“Executive (Satpal) Sidhu is grateful that Dr. Fusaro has agreed to assume this important role on an interim basis. He is also appreciative of the work (and) the services that Hunt Forensics has provided to Whatcom County over the past several years,” Holmes said in a statement sent to The Herald.
Hunt staying on
Dr. Allison Hunt will continue to provide medical examiner services for Whatcom County in the meantime, and until the county terminates its contract with her business.
Hunt became Whatcom County’s medical examiner in January 2022 following the retirement of Dr. Gary Goldfogel, who previously held the position for more than 30 years.
Whatcom County contracted with Dr. Hunt’s business — Hunt Forensics — to provide medical examiner services for the county through 2025. The county was in the process of transitioning the medical examiner’s office into a county office, making Hunt and her staff county employees, when the allegations about the improperly stored bodies surfaced.
The county is planning to move forward with making the medical examiner’s office a county office, which will begin in earnest once a full-time medical examiner is hired. Interviews for the permanent position are expected to occur in the first half of October, Holmes said.
The county has also hired a local consultant, Kara Turner of Turner HR Services Inc., to manage the county’s recruitment and interview process. Turner will also help with logistics, decision-making and stakeholder feedback. Whatcom County Deputy Executive Kayla Schott-Bresler and County Human Resources Manager Melissa Keeley will oversee the recruitment process, according to the county memo on interim medical examiner services.
The county will pay Turner HR Services $8,000 for its work, according to the county’s agreement with the consulting firm.
In response to questions sent by The Herald, Hunt’s attorney, Tyler Firkins, said there will be a joint statement issued by Hunt and the county regarding a transition.
Firkins said he also expects a report to be released following the joint statement that will provide investigative findings “that discuss Mr. Bundy’s flawed investigation, in detail.”
During Hunt’s two-year tenure as Whatcom County’s medical examiner, she helped pioneer federal standards and practices required by national accrediting agencies, Firkins said.
She partnered with Whatcom County’s Health and Community Services, or health department, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to provide real-time surveillance and statistics for fentanyl deaths. She also digitized office records and joined counties and law enforcement agencies across the state in using electronic case management systems for medicolegal death investigations — a first for Whatcom County, according to Firkins. Hunt also created partnerships with LifeNet and Sight Life for organ and tissue procurement.
“Thousands of individuals across Washington State have directly benefited from these services over the last two years,” Firkins said in an emailed statement to The Herald.
This story was originally published September 5, 2024 at 7:02 AM.
