The Truth Uncovered: A Night with the Coroner – May 2, 2013

Celebrity Deaths – the Duties of a Toxicologist / Criminalist
Guest Speaker – Dan Anderson, Supervising Criminalist II, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner

Thursday, May 2, 2013
6:45 p.m. – 8:45 p.m.
Events Center – Douglas County Fairgrounds
500 Fairgrounds Drive, Castle Rock, Colorado 80104 (East of I-25 at Exit 181)

Please RSVP to lstockto@douglas.co.us with your name, contact information and number of guests.

Los Angeles, also known as Tinseltown, is where celebrities work, play and reside. Throughout time, the Los Angeles Coroner has been responsible for determining the cause and manner of death of very famous celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Karen Carpenter, Natalie Wood and John Belushi. The LA Coroner was thrust into the public spotlight in 2009 when Michael Jackson’s death caused a media frenzy. Numerous cameras and TV personnel waited outside the LA Coroner’s Office for the official word about the cause and manner of Michael’s death. Then Brittany Murphy died without a known cause of death, and not more than six months later, Murphy’s husband died mysteriously at the same residence, causing the actress’s death to be re-evaluated. In early 2010, Casey Johnson, an American heiress, socialite, daughter of the owner of the NY Jets and girlfriend of Reality TV star Tila Tequila, was found unresponsive in her residence without a known cause of death. A few months later, troubled actor Corey Haim passed away in his home of a possible drug overdose. In 2011, football great – turned movie star Bubba Smith was found unresponsive in LA as well. Finally, in 2012, beloved singer Whiney Houston passed away in a Beverly Hills hotel room while attending the Grammy Awards.

When a prominent person dies, immediate answers are sought by the media and the general public’s impatience is evident. These cases reinforce the importance and key role of the laboratory work conducted by the Toxicologists/ Criminalists at the LA County Department of Coroner.

There is no charge for attending, however, donations are accepted for Suicide Prevention Efforts in Douglas County.

Contact the Douglas County Coroner’s Office for more information at 303.814.7150 (parental discretion is recommended