"In Death There
Are No Secrets"
My name is Graham Hetrick. I am a coroner and medical legal death investigator. I establish and administer the death investigation process. I certify the finished product—the story of how and why someone has died.
Many people ask me, “How do you do what you do?” This is not my job; it is my calling. I was raised above a funeral home. Death has always been my companion. I have certified over 13,000 deaths, investigated approximately 600 homicides and participated in about 3,000 autopsies since being elected coroner of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, USA over 25 years ago.
English author P. G. Wodehouse wrote, “In death there are no secrets.” The secrets of the dead are revealed in what they leave behind. The scene of their demise, down to the very condition of their bodies, both inside and out, contain patterns that tell me a story.
Watch my real life case studies in THE CORONER: I SPEAK FOR THE DEAD. Mondays at 10/9c on Investigation Discovery (ID)
Forensic Glossary
A deep understanding of forensic terms is key to accurately telling the stories of the dead. The terminology used ultimately influences the outcome of medical legal death investigations.
The following terms are in my own language and defined by decades of experience:
Thanatology:
The investigation of the mechanisms and forensic aspects of death—including the biological cause of death, the manner of death (homicide, suicide, accidental or natural), and the grieving process (social and psychological) for the families and loved ones left behind.
The following terms are in my own language and defined by decades of experience:
Thanatology:
The investigation of the mechanisms and forensic aspects of death—including the biological cause of death, the manner of death (homicide, suicide, accidental or natural), and the grieving process (social and psychological) for the families and loved ones left behind.
