Boone County Coroners Office - Indiana

01/01/2026

As 2025 comes to and end we want the wish you all a happy new years! In that wish, we hope you have a wonderful evening celebrating with friends and loved ones! Our most important part of that wish is that we all start 2026 safe and well with warm memories of tonight. Please, before you go - if you choose to celebrate with alcohol take the time to have a designated driver, ride share app, or plan to get home safe. Let’s commit to starting this year with smiles and not tragedy!

11/06/2025

Preliminary Release of Information
06 November 2025
25-BCCO-0130

On Wednesday, November 5, 2025, at approximately 7:12 a.m., the Boone County Coroner’s Office was dispatched to a residence located at 4283 Maize Lane in Whitestown, Indiana, following reports of a fatal shooting.

Upon arrival, investigators from the Boone County Coroner’s Office joined members of the Whitestown Metropolitan Police Department to begin a parallel investigation into the incident.

In accordance with Indiana law, the Boone County Coroner’s Office is responsible for making legal identification and determining the manner and mechanism of death. The Whitestown Metropolitan Police Department is the investigating law enforcement agency in this incident.

Through our investigation, we have identified the victim as 32-year-old Maria Florinda Rios Perez de Velasquez, a resident of Indianapolis, Indiana.

Today, a forensic autopsy was conducted by a board-certified forensic pathologist. At the completion of the examination, the Boone County Coroner’s Office has determined that the manner of death is homicide and that the death was a result of a gunshot wound to the head.

This remains an active investigation, and the Boone County Coroner’s Office is committed to providing scientific evidence to support our law enforcement partners and the Boone County Prosecutor’s Office. Our thoughts go out to all those affected by this incident.

Further information will be released in accordance with Indiana law as it becomes available.

10/10/2025

Training is critical to effective performance in our communities most difficult moments. This week our office joined forces with public safety agencies from across Boone County to participate in three days of mass causality/fatality simulations.

Chief Deputy Shane Daugherty coordinated our teams efforts in the event. Just as we would in a real world incident, response teams from our office participated in the evolutions and carried our mass event procedures.

Every training opportunity is something we take very seriously so that should we ever have to carry out the procedures, our teams of investigators are ready to meet the needs of our community.

Thanks to all the agencies who participated! Boone County has amazing first responders who serve this community every hour of every day!

09/11/2025

09/11/2025

Preliminary Information Release

This is a companion release to the information released by the Lebanon Police Department this morning.

On 10 September, 2025 my office was notified of a death that had occurred in the 500 block of South West Street, in Lebanon.

An investigative team from my office responded to the scene and met with our law enforcement partners.

Through our investigation I can confirm that we are conducting a homicide death investigation.

A forensic autopsy will be conducted later today to determine the manner and mechanism of death .

My office is committed to ensure that we support the family and to provide our law enforcement partners, as well as the prosecutor’s office, with the scientific evidence to seek justice in this case.

Additional information will be release as we are able to do so.

Justin R Sparks,
Boone County Coroner

Case: 25-BCCO-0108

08/31/2025

August 31st is International Overdose Awareness Day. Today we remember those lost to overdose related causes. But a loss from substance use impacts far beyond that single person. Families, friends, and our community suffers a loss each time this happens in our community.

With this in mind, over the last five years, my office has worked with our community partners to reduce the stigma, identify community issues, and to unite our community to help end this tragic loss of life.

I encourage you to take a moment and reflect on those lost and to consider how each of us can work to help in making Boone County a little bit better each day.

07/24/2025

Good morning Boone county! The National Weather Service is forecasting a hot day with an even higher heat index. They published this great graphic on safety tips. Check it out & stay safe today!

07/22/2025

Training is a constant part of our work. Today some of our newest team members worked on forensic scene processing and the critical work of interviews.

Communicating with people in their hardest moments requires training, empathy, and feedback. We were fortunate enough to have volunteer local theater actors join us. They provided role specific character parts that allowed for our team to conduct preliminary and secondary interviews. At the completion they provided feedback to the team members to sharpen their skills.

07/16/2025

16 July 2025

Unclaimed Remains Public Notice

The Boone County Coroner’s Office is seeking any person with a claim to the remains of Mr. Jonathan J Reid, a 50 year old male, and resident of Lebanon, Indiana.

We have been in contact with known next-of-kin.

Any person with a legal claim to Mr. Reids remains should contact our office without delay at 765-483-3206 or by email at [email protected]

07/08/2025

07/07/2025

06 July 2025

Preliminary Information Release

This evening of office was notified of a motor vehicle collision that occurred at the 4700 block of West State Road 32.

An investigative team from our office responded to the scene and met with responding public safety agencies.

At this time we can release that the collision resulted in the deaths of three persons.

Our investigation is active and ongoing. In accordance with our policy, identities are withheld for 24 hours after contact with next of kin to allow for notification of all family members.

Additional information will be released as it becomes available.

02/07/2025

07 February 2025 - Public Information Release:

This morning our office was notified of a traffic collision that resulted in the deaths of three people. Due to the nature of the incident, our office responded with an expanded investigative team.

Throughout today, we have worked continuously to investigate this tragedy and to work to support the family. As noted in the most recent public release from the Boone County Sheriffs Office, we have scheduled forensic autopsies that will occur on Monday.

In order to allow all family members to be notified the identities of the juveniles will be withheld with this update. This information will be released in a later update.

Attached is the most recent public release of information regarding the BCSO and our investigation into the vehicle collision.

01/23/2025

This week is designated to nationally honor Medicolegal Death Investigators.

In honor of that, I’d like to thank the amazing team that works with our office. Every single day, 24 hours a day a team from our office is ready to serve our community on families most difficult days.

It takes a special person to do our job. I’m so thankful for the amazingly talented, compassionate, and dedicated individuals who make up the Boone County Coroners Office.