Hamilton County Coroner's Office Indiana

06/10/2026

Thank you to Mary Kay Hessong and Debra Jones for their generous donation of quilts to support Coroner Jellison’s Quilt Program.

Jellison is asking the community to donate quilts for the deceased. “The death of a loved one is traumatic. Many times the morgue is the last place a family member will see their loved one. The white sheet and stainless steel environment is not the most pleasant experience.”

Jellison hopes replacing the traditional white sheet with a handmade quilt provided by a community member might soften the experience for grieving families. The quilts will remain with the deceased while in the morgue and will transfer with them to the funeral home for final arrangements.

“These quilts are a meaningful act of compassion and comfort during one of life’s most difficult moments,” said Coroner Jeff Jellison. The Coroner's Office is incredibly grateful to community members that support the program.

06/10/2026

The Hamilton County Health Department, in collaboration with the American Foundation for Su***de Prevention, has launched a new initiative called Caring Communities. This program is designed to support organizations that have experienced the loss of a team member to su***de. Its purpose is to offer guidance, resources, and a structured path toward healing, helping workplaces navigate grief, strengthen community connections, and foster a culture of care and prevention. If an organization has been impacted and would benefit from support, please reach out for more information.

Below provides information about the goals of the program:

Caring Communities: Guidance for Supporting Survivors of Su***de Loss is a one-hour presentation, available in-person or virtually, designed to provide participants with information, resources, and practical guidance on how to support someone who has experienced a recent loss to su***de. The program is suitable for workplaces and community groups who want to learn how to build more supportive environments for survivors of su***de loss.
Participants will:
• Understand su***de as a complex health issue
• Understand the impact of su***de on survivors of su***de loss
• Learn practical ways to support su***de loss survivors in various settings
• Become familiar with available resources for su***de loss survivors

06/08/2026

05/28/2026

You can be trained to investigate death.

You can learn scene preservation.
You can learn evidence collection.
You can learn anatomy, toxicology, pathology, photography, chain of custody, and courtroom testimony.

You can learn how to stay calm while families scream.

How to make notifications.
How to document tragedy professionally.

How to walk into homes where life changed forever only moments before.

But there is one thing this profession does not teach you:

How to be unaffected by it.

Because no amount of training prepares a person to repeatedly witness humanity at its worst moments and walk away untouched.

No certification teaches you how to unsee a child death.

No textbook explains how to carry the weight of su***des, overdoses, homicides, decompositions, fatal crashes, or the grief left behind.

No policy tells you what to do with the images that follow you home.

This work changes people.

Not because medicolegal death professionals are weak. Because they are human.

And yet many in this profession are still expected to absorb trauma silently and move on to the next call as if nothing happened.

The public often sees a report, a case number, or a statistic.

We see:
• The wedding photos still hanging on the wall

• The untouched dinner on the table

• The child’s backpack by the door

• The family member begging for answers

• The final moments of someone’s entire life

That stays with people. I don’t care who you are.

The medicolegal death profession sits at the intersection of public safety, public health, science, and human grief.

It requires professionalism during the exact moments others are experiencing the worst day of their lives.

And despite that reality, many death investigators, coroners, medical examiners, autopsy staff, and forensic professionals still work without adequate mental health resources, peer support, decompression, or recognition for the cumulative trauma exposure they carry.

You can absolutely train someone to investigate death.

But you cannot train someone to repeatedly witness human tragedy and remain unaffected by it.

That is why this profession deserves support.

That is why mental health conversations matter.

That is why wellness initiatives matter.

That is why recognition matters.

Because the last responders deserve a first line of support.

05/18/2026

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/bBhxYQvPxng?feature=share

For 26 years, bone and bone fragments connected to the Fox Hollow Murders sat on a shelf unidentified.In this clip from CrimeCon 2025, Hamilton County Corone...

05/11/2026

The first group of nursing students from South College School of Nursing has completed their clinical experience with the Hamilton County Coroner's Office.

Nursing students Tia Hopson and Brooke Elliott spent the day with Chief Deputy Murphy Evans reviewing cases, speaking with deputy coroners, and attending autopsies as part of this innovative educational partnership.

This collaboration provides nursing students with valuable clinical experience from a perspective not often seen in traditional training. By expanding learning beyond the typical clinical setting, students gain deeper insight into patient outcomes, forensic processes, and the vital role collaboration plays in healthcare.

“This partnership represents an innovative way to broaden nursing education,” said Coroner Jellison. “By giving students a firsthand look at the work we do, we can help them better understand the full continuum of care and the importance of every role within it.”

We look forward to the continued growth of this partnership and the opportunity to support the next generation of nursing professionals through innovative, hands-on learning experiences.

05/11/2026

The Coroner’s Office would like to thank Sandy Metzger and the Mudsock Quilters Guild for their generous donation of 43 handmade quilts to support Coroner Jellison’s Quilt Program.

Jellison is asking the community to donate quilts for the deceased. “The death of a loved one is traumatic. Many times the morgue is the last place a family member will see their loved one. The white sheet and stainless steel environment is not the most pleasant experience.”

Jellison hopes replacing the traditional white sheet with a handmade quilt provided by a community member might soften the experience for grieving families. The quilts will remain with the deceased while in the morgue and will transfer with them to the funeral home for final arrangements.

“These quilts are a meaningful act of compassion and comfort during one of life’s most difficult moments,” said Coroner Jeff Jellison. “We are incredibly grateful to Sandy Metzger and the Mudsock Quilters Guild for helping bring dignity, warmth, and care to the families we serve.”