Citizens for a New Morgue & Coroners Office in Madison County Indiana

09/01/2026

Madison County Commissioners Mtg 09-01-26

08/29/2026

DHS
Emergency Management
Emergency Operations Center
Mass Fatality Incident Management

Mass Fatality Incident Management

Since 2005, IDHS has had assets to support mass fatality incidents when the resources of the local coroner or morgue are overwhelmed. These are similar to the federal disaster portable mortuary units offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Working with stakeholders and state partners, IDHS has tailored its approach over the years to developing specialized, deployable mass fatality incident teams collectively known as the Indiana Mortuary Response Team, or IN-MORT.

Coroners, through their county's emergency management agency, can request that the State Emergency Operations Center deploy one or more of the IN-MORT support teams when a mass fatality emergency in their area arises, such as an airplane crash, train derailment or large explosion. In these situations, the coroner's responsibility to determine cause and manner of death may already be understood, but the duty to determine the identify of human remains may pose a significant challenge without additional support from a variety of professionals.
Shovels and rakes
IN-MORT Teams

Volunteers from across Indiana have offered their availability to form teams that can deploy as needed for mass fatality incidents. These include (not an exhaustive list):

Funeral directors
Medical examiners
Coroners
Pathologists
Forensic anthropologists
Medical records technicians and transcribers
Fingerprint specialists

Forensic odontologists
Dental assistants
X-ray technicians
Mental health specialists
Computer professionals
Administrative support staff
Security and investigative personnel

Many of the volunteers work for IDHS or other state agencies, but more are needed to ensure coverage statewide. If you have skills that may be helpful for one of the teams, please complete the volunteer interest application below. Please note that you do not necessarily need a medical or forensic background to assist; other skills and backgrounds are needed.

08/24/2026

There is a heavy side to this work and I’ve talked about it because it’s real, and because pretending it doesn’t affect us doesn’t help anyone.

But there is another side of working in the death industry that deserves to be talked about just as much.

The impact we have.

We meet families on days they will remember for the rest of their lives.

We walk into their stories at a moment they never asked for, and sometimes, for a little while, they become part of ours too.

We help answer questions when everything feels uncertain.

We give names to what happened.

We explain what comes next.

We return belongings that suddenly mean more than they ever did before.

We listen to stories about the person we may have only known as a decedent - and get to know them as a parent, a child, a spouse, a sibling, a best friend.

Sometimes we provide the answer a family desperately needed.

Sometimes there simply isn’t an answer, and what we can give them instead is honesty, compassion, and the reassurance that their person mattered to us.

And every once in a while, someone stays with you.

A family you still think about years later.
A name you never forget.

A story that changed the way you do this job.

We may meet people on one of the worst days of their lives, but we have the opportunity to make that day just a little less difficult.

There is something incredibly meaningful about being trusted with that responsibility.

We don’t just investigate death.

We help tell the final chapter of someone’s life.

We help families understand it.

We advocate for the person who can no longer speak for themselves.

And sometimes, without even realizing it, we become part of a family’s story forever - just as they become part of ours.

That is the beautiful side of being a Last Responder.

08/23/2026

Recent severe storms and flooding have impacted communities across Indiana. The state has deployed several emergency aid resources to help Hoosiers and communities recover. My office is monitoring the situation in our community and across the state and will continue sharing resources as they become available.

Read more: https://editor.ne16.com/vo/?FileID=ccec0174-d295-426f-8179-80c113f81af5&m=fe5ce61d-f074-49e4-b49f-dfae09cc1416&MailID=49919789&listid=60330&RecipientID=27991352143

08/21/2026

Cell Phones are nice but if the cellular network goes down our Coroner’s would be without communication!!!! Our Coroners in Madison County NEED Public Safety Radios !!!!

From emergency responders in the field to the teams coordinating behind the scenes, radio communications help keep information moving when it matters most.

This National Radio Day, we're recognizing the technology and the people who help keep NC connected during emergencies.

08/18/2026

Madison County Commissioner 8-18-26