Morris County Prosecutor's Office and New Jersey State Police hold Suspicious Death Training for Local Police and Medical Examiners

Published on October 18, 2019

October 18, 2019

The Morris County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit, New Jersey State Police and Morris County Sheriff's Office conducted a three-day seminar, on Effective Death Investigation. The goal of the training is to ensure coordination between law enforcement agencies investigating suspicious deaths occurring in Morris County.

Attended by over 50 municipal law enforcement officers and medical examiner personnel from throughout New Jersey and New York, the seminar provided vital information to develop the skills necessary for death investigations by reviewing death scene protocol, legal considerations, laboratory services, the role of the medical examiner, wound identification, the role of the funeral director, interviewing strategies, and the use of polygraph forensic anthropology, crime scene processing, evidence collection, evidence processing and new developments in forensic technology.

Sessions were conducted by Det. Lt. Thomas McEnroe of the New Jersey State Police Major Crime Unit, Morris County Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Schellhorn, Deputy Morris County Medical Examiner Dr. Carlos Fonseca, Forensic Anthropologist Anna W. Delaney, M.A. of the NJSP Office of Forensic Sciences, Morris County Sheriff's Office Ballistics Forensic Examiner William Stitt, Det. Luis Goncalves and Agent Gary Gouck of the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, retired Morris County Prosecutor's Office Det. Mark P. Smith, and members of the Highlands Forensic Investigation & Consulting LLC.

Prosecutor Fredric Knapp provided opening remarks to the attendees who came to the training from Morris County police departments and many other agencies.

Prosecutor Knapp said This critically important training has an all-star lineup of speakers. This training is essential to the Morris County Prosecutor's Office to coordinate efforts to better prepare law enforcement agencies throughout the region investigating suspicious deaths.

Acting Chief of Investigations Chris Kimker also gave opening remarks. Death investigations are the standard by which all other investigations are measured. We stand by to assist our law enforcement partners in such cases.

Inquiries concerning this press release should be directed to pressinquiry@co.morris.nj.us.

Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp

Acting Chief of Investigations Chris Kimker