Idaho Coroners: Elected, Underfunded & Autopsy-Allergic Since Forever

Welcome to Idaho's beloved death investigation circus, where coroners like Jimmy Roberts from Bingham County wield 118-page white papers yet face an existential budget battle more tense than a backcountry plane crash. Since last year, investigative heroes at ProPublica uncovered a 'broken and joke'-worthy system operated by elected coroners with no training, no oversight, and only county budgets sometimes smaller than snowmobile-trail grooming funds. Key facts: autopsies cost $2,300 plus travel expenses (Hello Boise!), many coroners plead for state help, yet solutions gather dust like slow-rolling subcommittees with no county commissioners RSVP-ing. Meanwhile, topsy-turvy politics keeps Idaho neighbors like Indiana and Arkansas laughing in the face of death with state laws and coroners that actually do autopsies. Spoiler alert: gubernatorial committees are cautiously studying problems while some coroners can’t even find time to read memos, proving Idaho runs on death vibes and denial.

Share the Story

(1 of 3)

Mockingbird News

@MockingbirdNews · now

In Idaho, coroners are elected, underfunded, and less autopsy-friendly than a snowmobile grooming budget. A 118-page plan got ghosted, and 'Band-Aid' fixes taste sweeter than state reforms. Death investigations powered by hope and no oversight—what could go wrong?

281/280 characters1 over limit

Mockingbird News

@MockingbirdNews · now

Idaho’s death investigation: where autopsies cost $2300, budgets are tight, and county commissioners ghost reform meetings like it’s a bad Tinder date.

168/280 charactersReady to post

Mockingbird News

@MockingbirdNews · now

Elected coroners running the show? Budget smaller than snowmobile trails? Idaho’s got its own crime procedural: The Case of the Missing Coroner Reforms.

169/280 charactersReady to post