Baxter County will soon mark a milestone when it joins a growing number of Arkansas counties opening its first morgue.
Baxter County Coroner Brad Hays says the coroner’s office has been relying on area funeral homes for holding bodies later transferred to the State Medical Examiner in criminal cases. He stresses while there have not been any issues, the new setup with security and limited access will provide a better chain of evidence and evidence preservation.
Hays says the morgue is needed in cases where the cause of death is unknown or unnatural.
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Hays says the number of deaths in Baxter County is increasing.
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Hays says in cases where a death will involve the State Medical Examiner’s Office, Arkansas operates a dual system with all 75 counties having a coroner. The county coroner is a law enforcement officer on the scene at the investigation obtaining external information.
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Hays says Baxter County will have a cooler obtained through the State Medical Examiner’s Office accommodating up to three bodies. While the arrangement may not meet all of the county’s needs, he says it’s a stepping stone.
The morgue will be housed in a county building in Mountain Home just off Fourth Street.
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